5 of this, 3 of that, another 3 of something else.....is there no flexibility in our diest any more?

[SlightlyMadSweet]

So now we have
5 a day fruit/veg
3 a day cereals
3 a day dairy

If I did that religeously every single day I would eat teh same every single day.

I know that it helps give an idea of what a "varied diet" is in real terms....but on a practical level it seems to restrict variety IMO. Having said that I don't eat a massive variety of fruit/veg, I can't see where you can get 3 cereals into a diet a day (OK maybe I should eat breakfast) and as for dairy....well shall we just skip over that.

Based on those rules my diet is CRAP. But in reality I don't think it is that bad....
(I know it is personal choice) but I can't see how I could eat all of those every single day...

I read the advice, understand it, then totally ignore it and eat what I like

Having said that, I do tend to eat similar food every day, for simplicity.

I don't see it as a problem, or that you would end up eating the same thing every day.
There seems to be masses of flexibility in there from what I can see, it's pretty much what we do anyway and we definitely don't eat the same stuff every day or even every week!

Those are guidelines, for heaven's sake, not rules. The fruit&veg one is a minimum, selected on the basis that five portions can be fitted into a day fairly easily. And I'm not particularly aware of either the dairy or the cereals suggestion.

Use the pyramid its easy here

OK if I look at a weeks food diary

Mon
Cheese & tomato sarnie for lunch (1 dairy, 1 cereal, don't think 2 slices of tomato count as a portion)
Spag bol for tea (assume 3 veg; 1 cereal)
Banana (1 fruit)

Total 1 dairy; 2 cereal; 4 fruit/veg

Tues
Cheese & tomato sarnie for lunch (1 dairy, 1 cereal, don't think 2 slices of tomato count as a portion)
Chicken, chips & beans for tea (1 veg - potatoes don't count?)
Banana (1fruit)

Total 1 dairy, 1 cereal, 2fruit

Weds
Ham salad sarnie for lunch (2 veg?, 1 cereal)
Pasta & sauce for tea (3 veg, 1 cereal)
Banana (1 fruit)

Total 6 fruit/veg, 2 cereal

Thurs
Bowl of cereal for lunch (1 cereal, 1 dairy)
Pizza & chips for tea (1 cereal, 1 veg?)
Grapes (1 fruit)

Total 2 cereal, 1 dairy, 2 veg

Fri
Bowl of cereal for lunch (1 cereal, 1 dairy)
Sausage casserole for tea (3-4 veg)
Grapes (1 fruit)

Total 1 cereal, 1 dairy, 4-5veg

Sat
Ham sarnie for lunch (1 cereal)
Chicken curry, naan, rice for tea (2 cereal, 2 veg?, 1? dairy)
Banana (1 fruit)
Total 3 cereal, 3? veg, 1? dairy)

Sun
Ham sarnie for lunch (1 cereal)
Roast & trimmings for tea (2-3 veg)
Banana (1 fruit)

Total 1 cereal, 3-4 veg

On top of that I may have a couple of glasses fresh juice and maybe a glass of milkshake/week.

So my weekly totals are
6 dairy, 12 cereal (mostly bread though), 27 fruit/veg

They should be 21 cereal, 12 dairy, 35 fruit veg so I am way off......and there isn't much variety in what I have in each categorie either.....I just don't see how it can be done every single day.

sorry should be 21 dairy too...

Well, you could eat breakfast. bowl of cereal, porridge or toast x7 apple or berries x 7 and milk or yoghurt with your cereal or toast x7 that should do it. Eating breakfast is associated with lower body weight regardless of calories consumed during the day by the way.
You could also eat some fruit with your lunch.
I have to say, your diet looks quite limited at the moment, v low on calcium and no oily fish so short on fatty acids. I do think most of us, me included, get stuck in a rut with our food, but what we eat is important for health, and I think a few guidelines is hardly the end of the world.

My only fish intake is hte occassional cod or tuna. As far as fruit goes I could eat bananas and grapes every day....I don't like apples, can't eat oranges and don't have a clue what to do with anything more exotic. Berries are OK too, but as a worker don't get to teh shops often enough that they are available fresh daily (i.e. we have them at teh weekend when I can get to Tesco or the farm shop).

I can't eat breakfast. I just can't face it. And if I do I end up binging on chocolate by 10am. I have enev tried the argument (with myself) that it will help me loose weight...but I just can't face breakfast when I get up.

I could do it when I was on maternity leave as I would get up at 7-8ish and have breakfast at 9ish, so it wasn't first thing.

I know it is dull but I can't help it if I don't like certain foods.

Ok I can can understand not being able to face breakfast, I sometimes still cant face breakfast first thing - so I make it up just the same and take in a tupperware to work with me and have at midmorning break.

I do museli or granola (granola is a treat really as expensive and high in calories)with yogurt, tinned fruit (tinned fruit keep in the cuboard for days, weeks even years!! so no problem if your a worker ) Tinned peaches, mandarins and fruit cocktail are my prefered tinned fruits and I get the cheap mishaped one for under 30p a whole tin. A little honey with the cheapo 39p natural yogurt from tesco or sainsbury - comes in a big pot and I use two table spoons. This = 1 fruit, 1 dairy and 1 cereal. The honey gives it a little sweetness

I had this in a posh cafe and used the basics at home but got a much cheaper version that is just as good.

Melon a whole melon each week and cut into 6 portions and keep in the fridge to have as a started or pudding after supper each night.

Three vegtables a day two with your evening meal and one at lunch time. Cherry tomato and sweetcorn with pasta and a sauce/pesto for supper and you have two vegtables with your main meal.

Carrots and yellow, green and orange peppers cut into stries to dip into humous.

Raisens as a snack in the afternoon or sultanas as a snack with a glass of juice and you have two fruits in one go.

Smoothies - there are lots of smoothies you can buy or make your own. I make smoothies in a liquidizer (does same job as a smoothie maker) I use any fruit and 10 ice cubes thats it - the ice gives a creamy texture and is lower in calories than ice cream or yogurt all the time. You can get bags of froozen berries or summer fruits and keep in the freezer - just use when you want to make one.

Dryed fruit - unsulphered apricots or dates, prunes, do you like any of these? 5 apricots is a days portion of fruit.

Fish, try tuna or tinned salmon with a little mayo in a sandwich and add cucumber and tomaots for the vegtable portion.

Make a tomato sauce for pasta and add a tin of pilchards or sardines and you dont really notice the fish in with the pasta and gets lots of omega 3.

strawberries and melon together as a pudding is lovely. Do a fruit fondue with choclate and cream - not ideal but at least you get the fruit