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

202 replies

CatteryCatss · 17/02/2025 15:32

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!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Scentsitive · 19/02/2025 16:10

Ironically all this talk of healthy foods has made me crave cereal something fierce! 😆

buffyfaithspikeangel · 19/02/2025 16:20

@Semiramide of course you can count it

Do you find it easy to eat your 5 potions of fruit and veg daily?
biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 17:16

Semiramide · 19/02/2025 16:06

A little box of raisins
Dred banana chips

I really don't think you can count those as vegetables - they are basically sweets.

Are the berries fresh/frozen or also dried?

Why do you think you can't count them? Confused

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 17:17

ErrolTheDragon · 19/02/2025 16:02

Having 5 x 80g of broccoli technically only counts as one of your five a day. You're supposed to be eating a variety - so 80g of 5 different fruits or vegetables.

I'm not sure the nhs guidelines do dogmatically state double of one veg in the same day 'doesn't count'; they do advise variety and only counting one juice or beans serving.

In reality it's not an exact science and both variety and quantity matter.
A variety of different nutrients (both directly for you and also for your microbiome) but also quantity for fibre and feeling fuller. More broccoli, less pasta.Smile

Well no, they don't really dogmatically state anything and of course lots of broccoli is better than lots of other foods, but I'm not overly convinced that a big bowl of broccoli counts as more than one a day, lol. It's just one vegetable, after all.

Scentsitive · 19/02/2025 17:49

It's important to look at the bigger picture with any guidance like this.

If a big bowl of broccoli stops you eating the same volume of something else that isn't great for you then yes, it actually does count in terms of what 5-a-day is trying to achieve. If a half butternut squash leaves you satisfied and happy when you could have eaten junk food, then ditto. If a 3 x serving of a salad mix takes the place of something less ideal then in nutritional, health and wellness terms it does actually count just as much. And if you vary your big bowls of whatever quite often, even better!

It's not only about the specifics of what you're putting in, but just as much about what it displaces.

The guidelines are simplified to a huge extent because they have to be accessible to as many people as possible in a wide range of situations. It's a way of translating various ways of eating healthily into a quick and easy slogan/illustration.

Of course, some people will work to the rule exactly and if that works best for them, that's great!

delvar · 19/02/2025 17:57

BatchCookQueen · 19/02/2025 13:36

With exceptions of course, most unhealthy people will generally make it to 67 - whether they do 77 or 87 in similar nick is a different matter. Glad to hear your vitals are on track, but the state of your microbiome - a key influencer of mental and physical health - is not routinely tested for, and is probably not in the greatest of shapes on that basis.

Personally I really struggle to comprehend a diet with out vegetables. Even the most traditional of English diets includes things like beans on toast, tomatoes and mushrooms on a fry up, meat and two veg, various side vegetables with a roast, etc.

What do you eat on a daily basis, if you don't mind me asking @delvar ?

So you think my mental and physical health may not be in great shape because my microbiome hasn't been tested? OKaaaay.

I've had scopes up and down and stool tests for H pylori, all negative. Would that count (just so I can reassure myself that I'm not physically or mentally unwell 😊)

Food is food to me and I just eat more of the "right" stuff than the "bad stuff"

Don't drink alcohol
Don't smoke
Don't drink fizzy drinks
Don't use sugar or sweetener - unless I don't know about it in something.
Don't use salt unless it's already in the food.
Don't eat sweets, cakes or biscuits (Christmas/birthday/outings maybe) - one exception below.
Don't fry anything, i.e. no bacon, sausages stir frys etc.

Generally I do partake of the following -

Full fat Greek yogurt with wheat bran, flax and chia seeds, blueberries, raspberries and protein powder vanilla flavour.

Porridge with the cereals/grains/etc. above made on water no sugar.

Cottage cheese (blended up to go creamy with the above add ons same as the yogurt)

Eggs, all sorts except fried. Omelletes with a drop of olive oil though.

All sorts of beans or lentils in a stew mostly (I do add an onion and garlic and sweet potato sometimes oops!)

Fish, all sorts, baked or poached.

Cottage pie/lasagne/meatballs. I just use tomato puree/passata for flavouring, I wouldn't eat a tomato to save my life, the seeds, the seeds and the texture OMG.

Rarely have anything else on the plate apart from spuds. And butter, real butter, lashings of it.

I make my own bread half wholemeal/half white flour + wheat bran, flax and chia seeds. It's gorgeous and that's what I munch on, have to stop myself lol.

Dark chocolate every night, just a couple of squares.

That's generally it. Probably very boring for some, but I live alone and it's easy to purchase and cook.

JaninaDuszejko · 19/02/2025 18:10

So this is how I do it.

Breakfast: glass of milk, banana, mixed berries (simmered with maple syrup) with greek yogurt
2 servings

Other breakfast options:
mushroom omelette with a handful of tomatoes 2 servings
Avocado toast 1 serving
30g raisins and peanut butter on toast 1 serving
Half a grapefruit with honey 1 serving

Mid morning snack. I swim early in the morning so get hungry so always have serving of cheese plus either an apple or grapes or small glass of orange juice
1 serving.

Other snack options:
30g of dried fruit (I like dates, dried mango, dried pineapple, nakd bars) 1 serving
Crudite (or just choose 1 veg) plus hummus 1+serving
Homemade guacamole plus crisps 1 serving

Lunch
Leftovers from the night before or homemade soup or veg omelette plus salad or beans on toast or a veggie pasta dish
Fruit for pudding
2-3 servings

Mid afternoon snack: as per morning snack options 1 serving

Dinner - whatever we fancy but anything meat based will have lots of veggies with it. Fruit for pudding
2-3 servings

So that's about 8 to 10 servings of fruit and veg a day, with too much fruit for the purists. There is an element of realising that to eat enough fruit and veg you do need to not really used processed foods. My teenagers constantly complain that we are an ingredients-only household which is a Gen Z way of saying I don't buy cakes or biscuits. We do have crisps, nuts and dried fruit for snacks and DD2 and I bake regularly so they are not deprived.

BatchCookQueen · 19/02/2025 18:11

Soooo, vegetables then...?

"All sorts of beans or lentils in a stew mostly (I do add an onion and garlic and sweet potato sometimes oops!)"

CatteryCatss · 19/02/2025 18:17

Semiramide · 19/02/2025 16:06

A little box of raisins
Dred banana chips

I really don't think you can count those as vegetables - they are basically sweets.

Are the berries fresh/frozen or also dried?

The NHS website considers them as a portion each

The berries are fresh

I really didn’t intend this to be diet bashing thread. Maybe I’m naive…

OP posts:
biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 18:18

CatteryCatss · 19/02/2025 18:17

The NHS website considers them as a portion each

The berries are fresh

I really didn’t intend this to be diet bashing thread. Maybe I’m naive…

You can't talk about food on MN without it turning into a diet-bashing thread...

delvar · 19/02/2025 18:19

BatchCookQueen · 19/02/2025 18:11

Soooo, vegetables then...?

"All sorts of beans or lentils in a stew mostly (I do add an onion and garlic and sweet potato sometimes oops!)"

Edited

Please leave your judgments about me at the door. The thread is about 10 a day, not my lifestyle depressing as it may seem to you. It's not I can assure you. Beans are legumes. Whatever.

I am never hungry, I enjoy what I eat, I am no gourmand that's true, but so far am in excellent health and not a vegetable in sight. Apart from legumes and the odd onion or clove of garlic.

Are you sure your own biome is ok?

Annoyingsquirrels · 19/02/2025 18:20

biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 17:16

Why do you think you can't count them? Confused

I would guess becuase the very high sugar content of these foods combined with limited fibre would negate the majority of benefits from any polyphenols present.

CatteryCatss · 19/02/2025 18:27

biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 18:18

You can't talk about food on MN without it turning into a diet-bashing thread...

Lesson learned!

OP posts:
biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 18:59

Annoyingsquirrels · 19/02/2025 18:20

I would guess becuase the very high sugar content of these foods combined with limited fibre would negate the majority of benefits from any polyphenols present.

Except it doesn't. Dried fruit, raisins etc. all count towards your five a day.

Semiramide · 19/02/2025 19:16

Annoyingsquirrels · 19/02/2025 18:20

I would guess becuase the very high sugar content of these foods combined with limited fibre would negate the majority of benefits from any polyphenols present.

Thank you. Exactly what I was going to say.

BatchCookQueen · 19/02/2025 19:21

delvar · 19/02/2025 18:19

Please leave your judgments about me at the door. The thread is about 10 a day, not my lifestyle depressing as it may seem to you. It's not I can assure you. Beans are legumes. Whatever.

I am never hungry, I enjoy what I eat, I am no gourmand that's true, but so far am in excellent health and not a vegetable in sight. Apart from legumes and the odd onion or clove of garlic.

Are you sure your own biome is ok?

Hey, you do you - no judgements this end. Let's check in in ten and twenty years and compare notes.

Semiramide · 19/02/2025 19:38

biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 18:59

Except it doesn't. Dried fruit, raisins etc. all count towards your five a day.

If you think that eating 5 portions of vegetables a day, two of which are essentially sweets, is healthy you are deluding yourself.

I'm not familiar with NHS advice on nutrition, but I prefer to take a more holistic approach on healthy eating.

Eating 5 portions of vegetables a day is only one aspect of a healthy diet

delvar · 19/02/2025 19:38

BatchCookQueen · 19/02/2025 19:21

Hey, you do you - no judgements this end. Let's check in in ten and twenty years and compare notes.

No worries, life's too short for any aggro.

If I'm still here in twenty years time I'll be 87 then, but I don't think beyond next week! What age are you now?

biscuitsandbooks · 19/02/2025 20:14

Semiramide · 19/02/2025 19:38

If you think that eating 5 portions of vegetables a day, two of which are essentially sweets, is healthy you are deluding yourself.

I'm not familiar with NHS advice on nutrition, but I prefer to take a more holistic approach on healthy eating.

Eating 5 portions of vegetables a day is only one aspect of a healthy diet

I didn't say it was healthy.

I said that dried fruit counts as one of your five a day - if you disagree, feel free to take it up with the NHS and other bodies.

soupyspoon · 19/02/2025 20:18

Semiramide · 19/02/2025 19:38

If you think that eating 5 portions of vegetables a day, two of which are essentially sweets, is healthy you are deluding yourself.

I'm not familiar with NHS advice on nutrition, but I prefer to take a more holistic approach on healthy eating.

Eating 5 portions of vegetables a day is only one aspect of a healthy diet

Are you saying its unhealthy?

And if so, how unhealthy, like smoking or taking crack or something?

SoManyTeeth · 19/02/2025 20:32

DRIED BANANA
"essentially sweets"
~ The MN Dictionary (2025 edition)

The fuck is wrong with you 🤣

soupyspoon · 19/02/2025 20:40

SoManyTeeth · 19/02/2025 20:32

DRIED BANANA
"essentially sweets"
~ The MN Dictionary (2025 edition)

The fuck is wrong with you 🤣

And if thats true, then surely Haribo will count as one of my 5 a day?

SoManyTeeth · 19/02/2025 20:40

soupyspoon · 19/02/2025 20:40

And if thats true, then surely Haribo will count as one of my 5 a day?

At least 25 of your 5 a day, I should think.

mum2jakie · 19/02/2025 21:59

soupyspoon · 19/02/2025 20:40

And if thats true, then surely Haribo will count as one of my 5 a day?

Apart from the eggs of course! 🤭

soupyspoon · 19/02/2025 22:59

mum2jakie · 19/02/2025 21:59

Apart from the eggs of course! 🤭

Oh good point, I will count those as good protein

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