Five portions of fruit and veg

[TerriB]

I know I am being REALLY thick here, but when you read it is recommended that you eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, does that mean 5 portions of a mix of fruit and veg, or 5 of fruit and 5 of veg?

I think it 5 of a mix. 5 veggies, 4 veg and 1 fruit, 3 fruit and 2 veg etc

It means a mix - and remember that juices (pure) also count as a portion as do some tinned products (Heinz spaghetti for example).

Ah but what's a portion?

I think its measured in what you can hold in your hand, ie one apple, handful of grapes/peas, two apricots.

I dont recommend measuring out spaghetti hoops in your hand though! Yuch!

check this out 5 a day

And the tinned products (certainly Heinz) will tell you on the label - it's normally half a full-size tin.

Thanks everyone, you've all been really helpful!!

Blimey it's not much is it? I just looked at that link and it seems that a "portion" (my most hated word) is very small. Maybe I'm just a pig!

please don't tell me that spaghetti hoops are counted as a portion of fruit or veg, that is terrible. who decided that? Heinz?!!!

It's the tomatoes - you are getting a full portion of those in each tin. Not sure how true it is of other brands as some use less tomato in the sauce. And no, I don't work for Heinz before anyone asks!

And tomatoes do have other added benefits as well as fitting in to the 5 daily portions.

That's a helpful link Snugs. Fruitjuice counts, but just once a day. Also dried fruit counts, but just once a day, and pulses count just once a day too.

My boys enjoy counting up at teatime to see how many portions they've had, and how many they still need. And ds1 has started eating veg at school dinners again, in order to meet his quota!

SamboM I think its loads!! But I'm not that keen on fruit and veg. I keep promising myself that breakfast will be a glass of apple juice, a glass of orange juice and a banana but never get around to it, also I'm phobic about bananas that are more than two days old. Half a can of baked beans count (but only once) also vegetable pizza can count if it has got enough on it. On my packet of strawberries it said that 10 is a portion but honestly have you seen the size of tescos strawberries(!) 10 is like half a kilo - luckily I love strawberries (on the day they are bought)

PPH, yep, feel sure it is Heinz who are deciding spag hoops count as a portion of veg. What pants eh?

Www that's as annoying as those Sunny D ads trying to make out it's good for you.

Oooh, I know Lou, I felt like grabbing the manager of the supermarket today and telling him the Sunny D does not need to be in the fridge since there's so much sugar in it it's unlikely to go off in a million years. But I couldn't be arsed.

Sunny D is now sugar free though.

Not that I buy it, DSs have pure fruit smoothies instead

I do find it annoying that Heinz etc are jumping onto ther bandwagon thogh. Surely the point is supposed to be 'fresh' (inc frozen) fruit and veg? I know juice or dried fruit can count as one, which is good, but how much actual tomato is there in a portion of spag rings? Someone once told me of ketchup being counted as a veg portion in some American schools, which may or may not be true..

So what does Sunny D contain???? Artificial sweetners??? I ask as I have no idea but I am aware that it isn't real juice and that nothing warrants its status of fridge drink... only its matrketing properties... if sold in fridge... looks healthier and fresh

The point about tomatoes is that cooked tomatoes have more available lycopene (an antioxidant) than raw, fresh tomatoes. They are actually better for you, amazingly. So even tinned tomatoes are better for you than salad tomatoes. But I don't know how much tomato there is in spaghetti hoops.

Personally I feel that knowing tinned spag/baked beans count as one is a good thing. My dd1 loves fruit so I have probs there, but dd2 is a bit more picky. She'll eat brocolli, peas and sweetcorn sometimes. Red pepper, celery and cucumber, but no fruit. except raisins. So I try to make sure she has at least one lot of raisins a day, one 'proper' meal with 2 portions veg and one quick meal which often includes beans/spag hoops, or is a 'picnic' with veggie sticks. This make me feel much better!

No idea what SunnyDs got in it, Pupuce. It has to be artificial sweeteners Never looked at it really! Bet it contains no portions of fruit & veg though

It's all healthy stuff!:

Ingredients: Water, fruit juice 15% (Orange, Lime, Mandarin and Grapefruit juice), Citric acid, Vegetable oil, Preservative : Polyphosphate, Modified Starch, Natural Flavourings, Vitamin C, Thickener: Guar Gum, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate, Sweetners: Acesulfame K and Aspartame, Thickners: Xanthan Gum and Gellan Gum, Beta-Carotene (Pro-Vitamin A), Vitamin B6, Thiamin (Vitamin B1) Contains a source of Phenylalanine

DD went to a party yesterday and the mum was passing around glasses of sunny d, DD saw the bottle and said "horrible drink". Felt embarrassed at the time but having seen that list I'm just relieved I made sure she thinks water is the norm rather than anything else!

A friend of mine is a Food Tech teacher - she tells her students Sunny D will kill them!