Do you find it easy to eat your 5 potions of fruit and veg daily?

[CatteryCatss]

I have a yoghurt bowl for breakfast each day with at least 3 portions of fruit in (usually strawberries, raisins, raspberries and banana chips)

Then I’ll have around two portions of veg with whatever I’m having for dinner e.g. mixed salad and corn on the cob with a burger or green beans and carrots with cheesy pasta.

I think I’d really struggle if I ate my five portions individually, though!

Oh yes forgot grains!

Easy example

Smoothie - berry mix (4 types), flaxseed (1)
Pasta fridge clear out bake - red onion, sweetcorn, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, chilli, celery.....
Handful of mixed nuts and an apple

30 different plants a week probably isn't congruent with eating seasonally and locally. Our forebears may have eaten various plants that have fallen out of use because they're foraged rather than being commercial crops in addition to their cabbages and turnips of course.

Oh ok, so in terms of all things that are grown, yes it’s easier. I still probably wouldn’t hit 30 varieties a week as I tend to get into sonething and just eat lots of that. At the moment it’s warm salads with pickled beetroot!
Veg and especially fruit is getting sooo expensive now tho. I’m definitely planning to grow much more than I do now.

I probably eat around 5 portions most days.

Banana and blueberries in a HM smoothie with my breakfast.

Tomato and lentil soup for lunch (also contains onion, carrot but not in large enough portions to be counted individually)

Large portion of broccoli with my evening meal - which may be a veggie cottage pie or lasagne in itself, but would contain similar ingredients to the soup .

Some days though, I would just have toast for breakfast or a cheese sandwich for lunch.

I don't count anymore. I follow a veggie diet 80% of the time and I eat a lot lot of vegetables in different ways. I just hope I'm getting enough.

Same

I find thinking oh did I eat enough of that to be a portion etc..
now I'm trying to do the 30 plants a week it's more like oh I can add some cinnamon to that for gut health or maybe I'll add this to my meal

This 30 plants thing posters are talking about - includes spices, grains and nuts?

So a commercial curry mix with coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli - you count all those even if you've only put a teaspoon or so of the whole mix in ?

Does peanut butter on toast count?

If you buy a commercial smoothie with about 6 different fruit and veg in and things like spirulina? My DH buys these and I tell him however much he drinks it only counts as one fruit & veg portion (and more than a small glass is bad for your teeth and blood sugar), but I could have a small glass and it all goes towards the 30 different plants ?

I'm quite surprised you couldn't eat this volume of fruits and veggies given the amount of exercise you must do. Can I ask what you eat? Kind of intrigued how you meet your calorie / macro requirements for gym plus ultra running if you're not eating much fruit or veg

Which supermarket is that please ?

@Stirabout

despite my veggie stats I can’t believe I didn’t know chickpeas were vegetables 😳, I always thought they were a sort of bean 🥴

But beans are vegetables.

What I was always told was that when counting the 5 portions then legumes (beans, lentils) only counted as one portion even if you eat lots of them and different types. I guess if you are trying to get as many different types of plants in your diet then it's different rules.

For the 30 plants system, things like herbs and spices count as a quarter. If you've already had it that week you don't count it again. Juices don't count.

A mixed curry powder I'd just count as 1 rather than looking up and counting the ingredients.

Peanut butter on toast is 2 if the bread is wholemeal. Four if you add some carrot & cabbage sauerkraut on the side.

Heavily processed and lots-of-added-sugar things don't count, so peanut butter and banana on wholemeal toast would be 3, but peanut butter and jam on white bread would only be 1.

I was always told was that when counting the 5 portions then legumes (beans, lentils) only counted as one portion even if you eat lots of them and different types. I guess if you are trying to get as many different types of plants in your diet then it's different rules.

Yes. For 5-a-day a mixed bean salad counts as 1, for 30-plants it counts as several.

I take it chocolate covered raisins or chocolate covered peanuts don’t count? 🫣

Cocoa and raisins and nuts are all vegetable though ? That's 3

Last night's Dinner - Chicken curry (leftover chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, tomatoes, spices, chickpeas, big handful of spinach, fresh coriander, tamarind paste + separate small pan with mushrooms, same base, slightly more tumeric, some cashews + coriander) = 8-10 (ish)

Breakfast - BALT (Bacon, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato) = 3

Lunch - rice, chilli salmon, boiled egg, lemon juice, tamari, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery, spring onion = 3-4

Not sure what's for dinner yet.

It's just the mindset of adding an extra vegetable or two here and there; it could have been just a bacon sandwich, it could have been just salmon and rice (or fish and chips), last night's leftover chicken curry could have been cooked chicken + a jar of sauce; it's not hard once you get into the habit.

I’m finding this thread rather confusing because we have people talking about 5 a day and others talking about 30 plants a day and I’m not quite sure which they mean when they say that they achieved it.

Well there aren't many calories in apples and cucumber! I eat whilst I run if I go off for hours, so marmite sandwiches, boiled potatoes, baby food pouches, banana, Ritz biscuits, protein drink with milk when I finish. Proper dinner of say chicken, pasta ect when I get home and will have had oats, seeds and raisins before I leave.

Wow, so many people on this thread do amazingly with this!

I think there are some days I don't have any?! Thought hopefully these days are rare as if I'm at home I do usually like to have some veg with lunch and dinner.

But my day could easily be (as an example):

Peanut butter on toast with banana (if we have bananas in) (1)

Scrambled egg on toast (0)

Flatbread with halloumi, tomatoes & cucumber. Greek yoghurt & coleslaw (2, assuming coleslaw doesn't count)

So that would only be 3. Other days I might have an apple/pear/some melon as a snack, or maybe porridge for breakfast with blueberries and banana but that's fairly rare for me.

Will have to try harder 😱

There's some proper fruit and veg competitive eating on this thread. Meanwhile back in the real world most of us will manage 5 on a good day.

There's some proper fruit and veg competitive eating on this thread.

Completely standard for MNs though 😆

I don’t bother counting portions anymore but I have between 12 and 16 different types of fruit and veg a day, I love the stuff!

Why only on a good day?

@maddiemookins16mum my favourite are the steps a day one where dozens do 20000 steps by 9am getting the dc up and out of the house!

I struggle for 5 tbh. And I consider my diet to be relatively healthy.

I do have dried fruit and berries on my breakfast so I'm fairly confident I have 2, or almost 2 (I like dried fruit as a 'portion' is quite small. But then I assume there's another argument that it's too much sugar).

I force a banana down with lunch. Then I always have a portion of veg with dinner and a lot of times 2 portions. Or I'll have a glass of juice.

I think the key for me has been to have certain things as standard (for me it's the fruit at breakfast and then throwing peas into practically everything I can) and then try to build it up with a bit of variety around the rest. ETA that way you've at least banked a couple of portions, even if you have a day of bad eating.