to think that eating your "Five a Day" is BULLSHIT

[superv1xen]

and probably just so the government can persuade us to shell out on overpriced fruit and veg from supermarkets

the reason i think it is bullshit is because i decided after a christmas of stuffing myself with junk food and drinking most evenings a bit more than usual i was going to detox and since early january i have been making a converted effort to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. as prior to this i was lucky to manage one or 2. mainly because of the cost but also because i dont like it :o

well after my weeks of diligent healthy eating, i have not noticed ANY difference, womens mags would have you believe you will have "glowing skin" if you eat lots of fruit and veg and all sorts of other wonderful benefits.

but no. i feel and look as shit as i ever have.

or does it take longer than a month to work? :o

If you are working though, with small dcs and/or other demands, you don't get the chance to be at the supermarkets at the right time, or walk down to the local greengrocer - 9 times out of 10 I have to do Internet shops, and pay over the odds for pretty poor fruit and veg, tis depressing

So does wine counts as a fruit. It being madE from fruit an all!!!

I don't like fruit. SOmetime I think I might be allergic. Some fruit makes me feel sick - plums and apples. I do love mango and pineapple and melon though. A lot of fruit is too sickly sweet for me.

I prefer veg especially in a stir fry.

Stress is a bigger killer so don't sweat it if you don't get your 5 a day.

The reason potatoes don't count is because a) you dont need to encourage the british population to eat them and b) 5 a day is a low minimum, so if you included potatoes a lot of people would be aiming for 3, which really is crap. AFAIK some countries do include potatoes in the count but they go for 8/10 a day, maybe some foreign mners can confirm.

The reason dried fruit like apricots and figs count high is obvious, you've got most of the nutrients of their original predried weight in a very small package, and they've got loads of fibre. Colon/bowel cancer is one of the big 4 killer cancers (along with breast/lung/prostate) in this country and if you increase your veg and fibre then it becomes substantially less likely (possibly just because eating lots of veg reduces red meat consumption and reduces obesity, both of which are major risk factors).

Yes, I also believe that other countries aim higher and include potatoes.

I understand that they chose not to include them here as they thought it would just lead to more crisps and chips being eaten.

I also think that the science (as much as there is) suggests more like 8 - 10 but this was seen as such a big stretch for the British population that a more achievable 5 is promoted.

Can't personally understand how people eat less than five. People who do, I am genuinely curious, what are your daily diets?

I like to refer to my grandmother, who never drank water, only ever ate an apple sliced and sprinkled with sugar for dessert occasionally (not other fruit, a little boiled veg with dinner), and ended every day with a double whiskey. Lived well into 90s

Seriously, though: 'Fruit and veg are good for you' shocker! Not. Five a day is a vry loose guide, isn't it? Some days I eat 2/3, other days I eat 6/7. There is no magic figure, it's just about having a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit/veg and wine, surely?

I find it incredibly tough to get 5 a day into my diet, by the time you've looked at the packets that say '4 satsumas = 1 piece of fruit' or whatever it might be.I'm always baffled by people who manage it. If I ate 5 pieces of fruit a day, I'm not sure I'd be eating anything else.

Typical day:

Breakfast - porridge

Lunch - cheese sandwich + an apple, but the fruit only ever seems to count as half a piece of fruit when you look at the packets

Supper - pea risotto, etc - i.e. something with one portion of veg in it

I do try to squeeze more in by including a glass of fruit juice, some dried fruit, and some fruit on my porridge, but it always seems a struggle.

Interpret it as eating a balanced diet - have 1 or 2 bits of veg/fruit in every meal, with a bit of protein and a bit of carbs.

"Stress is a bigger killer so don't sweat it if you don't get your 5 a day."

It was only the last government that cared about people eating 5 a day. Have you noticed the adverts have gone? I think it's safe to eat what you like again. If we all get sick imagine how much tax the goverment will get from the drug companies?

GrendelsMum -
eg breakfast - have orange/juice with porridge. Mango/apricot/even raisins in porridge taste great.
Lunch - have pickle in cheese sandwich, + cucumber/tomato slices? Will taste better too.
Supper - peas good, how about adding mushrooms/carrots/etc that takes your fancy

isn't it meant to be on average, so if you have a day with none, it wouldn't matter if generally you do manage more.

also, i think that 'not counting' smoothies thing is just to deter people from endlessly drinking them, cos they are high in sugar (specially ones you buy) which sits on the teeth when you drink them, so causes dental problems.

Happybubble - yes the current gov is more likely to tell you to Go f* yourself!
They didnt even stir to deal with the reemergence of swine flu.

It's just a slogan to encourage people to eat more fruit and veg and less fatty sugary rubbish that brits love so much.

That's all.

This government just doesn't care full stop.

Sometimes fruit just smells so good I have to buy it and gobble it up as soon as I get home!

Thats a problem with supermarkets - they are often refrigerated and the fruit and veg have no smell. You can still see the colours but without the great smell it makes them less appealing, specially in winter when you can just stuff yourself with stodge instead. Not to mention the prices the supermarkets get away with.

I'm sure the five a day thing was just made up exactly like the drinking guidelines in a 'oh, that sounds like a sensible number, let's say that' kind of way.

But I genuinely do not understand how anyone can really struggle to fit in five portions of fruit and veg. If you have one lot of vegetables with your dinner (1), fruit or veg with or after lunch (2), some dried fruit for a snack (3) and a glass of juice (4) that only means you need to eat one apple or some celery with a dip or something as a snack or do a meal containing lentils or pulses for your dinner to get them in. If you swap the juice for a smoothie, that's all of them as I think that can count as two.

I'm genuinely interested as to what those who find five a day hard to achieve are eating. Honestly not being snippy.

I follow the Slimming World plan, on which all fruit & veg count as free food meaning we can eat as much of that as we want to, to ensure we're full.

Their theory for fruit smoothies is simple: If you eat 2 bananas, a large slice of pineapple, oranges, plum etc... you'd feel pretty full, you'd remember eating the foods...

However, if you rammed it all into a smoothie and drank it down in two minutes there is less likelihood of feeling as full.

I get more than my 5 a day, as do my partner and children - it's easy enough if that's what you like and are used to.

No, no, no snappiness taken, as I'm always confused why I find it so hard, when other people obviously find it easy.

One issue is probably around frequency of shopping. We live in a small village, so we don't shop very often, so we run out of fresh goods like fruit juice. (I find smoothies rather expensive, and I actually happen not to like the texture as it's too thick for me.)

Then there's the issue of how many pieces of fruit make a portion. A kiwi fruit or a satsuma is only half a portion, but one of those does me fine at lunchtime.

I agree that on a day when supper's lentils or pulses it's much easier, as you've then got another portion of veg in.

You suggested I could fit in another snack like a banana or some celery, but as far as I'm concerned, I've already had two snacks that day (i.e. the fruit at lunch and the dried fruit and some nuts in the afternoon), and I don't really want another snack.

So it can be (on a bad day)

Breakfast: porridge
Lunch: cheese sandwich. No fruit left in house, no time to go to shops and buy some
Snack: dried fruit (always have some of this in!), no fruit juice left in house
Supper: portion of veg.

And that's the day when I'm wondering how everyone else manages to get 5 a day!

Orm can I say that yours is a lovely suggestion but it still comes to more than a ready meal doesn't it?
Assuming you won't make it without lentils,cumin and rice already in the cupboard ; Tin of toms 33p,tin of kidney beans 19p,few mushrooms 40p and fresh chili 30p (on reduced shelf).Thats 20p more than a frozen fish pie and you have to cook it for an hour.
Yes you may get two sevings but if you take into account the other ingredients you probably will have spent more.
It's not right but cheap food is cheap for a reason...it's cheap crap.

orm's meal would feed 4. Can you buy a fish pie for 4 for about £1.50? Genuine question. I don't know.

I don't really want another snack

!!!

OK, that never happens to me!

Re fruit juice, I think that even the longlife juices count as a portion. So you could stock up and always have some in. And I'm pretty sure that the fruit and veg thing isn't only about the nutrients, it's also about fibre which is why even tinned veg counts.

I do get the thing about size of portions. I must admit, I tend to aim for lots of different kinds of fruit and veg rather than stressing about exactly what size they ought to be - I'm assuming from the nutrient point of view that different kinds is a good thing.

I guess the less frequent shopping is what makes it really hard. I live practically next door to Sainsburys. If I walk really fast and pick a short queue, I can make it there and back in about fifteen minutes if I'm only picking up a bit of veg or something which never seems like much of a slog.

Fried chickpeas is a really nice snack, with lemon juice, cumin and black pepper, and they don't go off! But if you don't fancy a snack, then that is difficult. I always fancy a snack!

The suggestion about getting some veg into the cheese sandwich is a good one, except that salad veg in winter is so foul and tasteless! I love tomato sandwiches in summer, with my own tomatoes, though.

Winter just isn't very good for fruit and salad, is it?

My portions are also small, Jajas. I snack constantly. I suppose I just naturally reach for fruit/salady bits rather than toast. Maybe that makes me odd!

I honestly think that if you could buy a fish pie for four for £1.50, it probably wouldn't be very nice.

Winter is definitely much harder. All veg seems to take ages to prepare/cook. Grated carrot is quite nice in a sandwich.