Do you really get your five a day?

[chessica]

YABU - yes
YANBU - no

I aim to eat healthily where I can but realistically I probably only have 3 portions of fruit or veg most days. Some days more and some days I only have one.
In a normal day, I’ll have an apple, a bowl of berries/some grapes and then possibly a chickpea curry. Sometimes I add spinach to this and sometimes I don’t. Obviously that’s only 3 a day really as I’m not having that many berries or chickpeas.

It’s an arbitrary number, yes, but the message is that we should eat as many different plants as possible.

So it’s not ‘marketing’ and people should definitely not just go with what feels comfortable if comfortable is nothing.

We had these fajitas for tea tonight. Not sure how many of your 5 a day are in them but they're really tasty. We're not vegetarian but we all love these.

If you're aiming for 30 plants a week the fajitas count as 9.

I’ve started skipping breakfast as I’m fasting so I’m having less so some days I only just hit 5 but usually a far amount more.

Those people who are only eating 3 a day, can I ask what you are acting eating? I’m struggling to imagine what you eat.

Yes normally I'd say about 7 portions. On a random bad day I'd get 3 if I've been busy and not eaten much. Vegetables are where I start with a meal then build it from there

I eat quite a lot but size wise I doubt they are full portions.

Hmm good question

Monday I probably did as I had rhubarb/strawberry compote with a yoghurt, blueberries and raspberries then salad in my cheese sandwich and spinach in my curry for tea

Today I skipped breakfast then had a small amount of blueberries as a snack and cabbage with some chicken at lunch and then had the leftovers for tea so probably only had 2 portions today!

@Thesunnymood - thanks for the useful chart. Can be useful to plan meals!

14 button mushrooms as one portion scarcely seems worth it for the chew.

I worked as a compliance carer for 5 years. Most of my clients struggled to do 5 portions an month. Once face to face with a dietician there would be tears and a statement "I've never eaten more than 800 cals a day". But that is mean.

Eat what ever you want, blame whoever you want. Life expectancy is going down, embrace it. Make a living will and sort your own life.

I'm not sure how to express it nicely, some people don't want to be healthy and nourish their bodies, they don't want to eat a healthy diet, they just want.

Barely ever. I have an allergy to a lot of raw fruit like apples, cherries, peaches and a couple of raw veg so carrots, legumes, pepper. Cooking kills a protein which is the allergen. If I could just eat a pear or some raw carrot sticks I would get a lot more fruit and veg. The fruits I am ok with like mangoes raspberries, staweberries are so expensive! I make a lot of soups to try and get some vitamins as I know I don't eat well enough.

Probably on 5 out of 7 days yes.

But definitely not every day. I think it can be difficult if you don't always eat 3 meals a day, but end up having a sort of brunch meal.

Pretty much five a meal for me or more (although some may not be large enough to be 'official' portions. I have the advantage of two allotment plots feeding a single mouth, and a fierce determination to eat all the produce I grow 😀

Today:

Breakfast - Fruit and natural yogurt. Fruit was fresh pineapple, grapes, raisins, stewed rhubarb, stewed gooseberries and a chopped banana

Lunch: Cheese salad with lettuce, peppers, cucumber, grated carrot, celery, pickled beetroot

Dinner: Veggie chilli with kidney beans, black-eyed beans, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes (tinned and frozen fresh from last years crop), onion, garlic, celery and fresh chillis, with steamed carrots, peas and broad beans on the side.

There may have also been a slab of homemade mint choc cheesecake and three jam tarts that slipped under the radar. In my defence I should count the mint in the cheesecake and the fruit in the jam I suppose...

That's fairly typical, but on a busier work day lunch is replaced by a sarnie or cream crackers with peanut butter, soft cheese etc. as quicker to prepare.

Today:

Banana
Kiwi
Sweet potato
Rocket
Sauerkraut
Olives
Cherry tomatoes
Red peppers
Cucumber
Spinach
Broccoli

Didn’t realise it was so many to be honest! I do eat low-ish carb though, so I fill up on veg.

Today I've had dates, an apple, beans, lentils, tomatoes, courgettes, onion, spinach, carrots, celery, peppers, swede. And plums but only a bit in a flapjack.

See I think 2 handfuls of raspberries is pretty huge. That's at least half a punnet if not more and would definitely upset my belly!

Yes, usually way more than 5. The trick is to make sure you get 2-3 at breakfast.

Yes usually more. Today was Bananas and raspberries with oats for breakfast, plus orange juice. Vegetarian pizza (not sure if any of that counts though!) with salad for lunch, and roasted peppers/onions/garlic/tomatoes and courgettes with sausages this evening. Also been grazing at the blueberries!

Not five whole portions, no, but I eat at least five different fruits / veg a day. Today was:

strawberries & nectarine with granola & yoghurt (not a whole portion of either)

cherry tomatoes (2) on a cracker with hummus at 5pm

spinach, pepper & spring onions in a curry at dinner.

My kids have had: strawberries, cherries, apple, nectarine, cucumber, carrot, sweetcorn & yellow pepper, but not a full ‘portion’ of each either.

No I very rarely do, if ever. DCs always get way more though, closer to 10

See I think 2 handfuls of raspberries is pretty huge. That's at least half a punnet if not more and would definitely upset my belly!

I agree, it's also a lot of shopping if you & partner & dc are all eating 10 portions a day!

This whole post seems quite sneery.

I don't really understand the jibe you're making at your client at the dietician? How does 5 portions a month tie in with the 800 calories a day?

Disagree with "some people don't want to be healthy and nourish their bodies" it is far more complex than that. Nobody really WANTS to be unhealthy. I'm fortunate to be confident with cooking and meal planning and like basically all vegetables, so I can lazily chuck together a bunch of veggies with certain herbs and spices and make something we enjoy eating without really thinking about it. That's privilege.

Not everyone has had the circumstances, time, money and capacity to learn how to do this.

We eat a fair amount of vegetarian recipes, so today I've had loads, I had blueberries on my breakfast, salad and leftover roast veg (tomatoes, onion, pepper, aubergine, courgette) as part of my lunch, a pear, and then kohlrabi, carrot and more pepper in a stir fry for tea. But even if we're having a meat and potatoes tea I'll usually do three veg with it (two fresh, one frozen) and have a piece of fruit and some salad or veggies with my lunch.

I eat 5+ a day most days but not in the right quantities.

Usually but not always for myself but my children always get at least the recommended if not more as they will have fruit with their breakfast and veg with their lunch as well as veg with their evening meal and fruit for snacks etc. My children definitely eat better than I do which I’m conscious of and trying to shift my own eating accordingly

Some days I probably don't because my portion hasn't been big enough.

I like making smoothies though which I find a good way to get several of the 5 in.

Those people who are only eating 3 a day, can I ask what you are acting eating? I’m struggling to imagine what you eat.

Eggs on toast with half an avocado for brunch.

Homemade pizza for dinner, with onion, pepper and mushroom topping - but the quantities are definitely not 80g of each per person!

There may be a small glass of orange juice in there, which would count, but not sure if enough.

Snacks during the day would include maybe a couple of biscuits with a cup of tea, and crisps in the evening.

That would be quite usual for me on a Saturday or Sunday.