What do we want? Fruit and veg! When do we want it? Now! (10/10 club week 6)

[FrannyandZooey]

For anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY

(if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion)

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY

(can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more)

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being.

Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here

and more detailed information here

is nodding off a euphemism for "worrying about my power base"? Well, I'm with you, and paps sounds like she is too.......we could commence a break away thread, for the people who can see the wood for the trees, and for the non-argumentative types......that's me!

Nope I am happy right here

it's nice to have some arsey people to assert my authority over, it is a bit dull otherwise

Me happy here too

its a sit in

I am busy eating reheated tagine, full of sweet potato and squash. Should have some orange or something while walking to DS1's school? Not sure.

Will be off-the-chart for exercise today, anyway, about an hour's run, two hours' walking ... getting a bit silly ...

Oh, and here is the official NHS "what counts" page. Obviously not the same as Franny's "what counts" list.

Anyway, the whole "servings" idea is bollocks. Servings are better if:

• raw
• fresh
• unprocessed
• varied, particularly in type and colour
• veg more than fruit

But none of these enter into the whole servings thing ...

Obviously other dietary changes (high fibre, low processed food, lots of nuts and seeds, etc etc) are also good, but are entirely left out.

Well, maybe not bollocks per se, but overly simplistic.

Hmm, I guess I'm not cut out for the "not argumentative" splinter group, am I ...

NQC what is tagine pls?

Sorry, tagine is essentially a moroccan stew. This one is chicken + sweet potato + squash + herbs + cinnamon + onion + garlic.

I have a lovely recipe for one with chickpeas, tomato, aubergine and spinach, really tasty.

Ok ok I see about the sweet potatoes

let's pretend to be democratic about this and have a vote

Who thinks sweet potatoes should count?

Normally cooked in a funny cylendrical roasting thing (called a "tagine", shocker), and served on couscous. I serve it on quinoa, natch.

ok. Just eaten a peach. (god, does life get any faster than this?)

Ooh can you find a link pls NQC? I want to see a cylindrical roaster

Other veg that I'm not sure about:

• sweetcorn (and popcorn?)
• plantain
• other random root veg (surely parsnips don't count?)

I'd be tempted to say that all these "problem" veg count, but you have to have twice as much to make up a serving? As they are quite starchy, and less fibrous etc than "ideal" veg like spinach etc.

Not cylendrical - conical. Stupid me. Wrong word.

They sell them at bloody Lakeland , they're not really that foreign, surely?

NQC nothing wrong with exploring the health parameters of our fruit and vege imo

...and I think that our thread chief would agree that the greater omnipresent site leaders (MN) ask us all to come with open arms and vegetables holstered even when not talking about parenting.

Sorry, am prickly about english people and food after MIL refusing all the food I offered yesterday, because (I think) she was annoyed at me.

yes to 'sweet potato', which by coincidence is my affectionate name for Frances...so it has to count....

I am sorry but nobody calls me sweet fucking potato and lives

And after I had bothered to cook food that:

• contained meat
• had no spices in it to speak of (no chilli)
• and no bloody red pepper, who on earth objects to red pepper!?

And then she asked for the cake that she'd given to DH on Friday with the plan that she'd have some while here (who does that) and it transpired that DH had eaten pretty much the whole cake. (I had two slices, over the course of the weekend ... hadn't known MIL was giving it to him so she could eat it Sunday!)

Mmmm, we're all ranting mad to ourselves ...

you are sooo easy to wind up......chill, big mama!

NQC oh the tagine is cute!

sorry to hear about MIL

and you are probably right about all this veg stuff, but one of my main hopes for this thread was that it would be a simple, uncomplicated way to quickly improve health and fitness. Obviously whole grains and seeds and all that are important for good health as well, but just eating more fruit and veg is fairly easy and unthreatening.

Hello all (waves)
Please can I join in?
Am in right frame of mind to adopt new way of eating and have pear tree.
Always do 20mins walking a day to nursery and back - does that count? Walk there always more vigorous than walk back.

FFS

"big mama"

Ooh sorry

Everybody, behave, we have a visitor

Welcome Welshmum and please do join us. Don't worry it is not normally so argumentative round here. Peace and harmony will be restored shortly.

Absolutely, and tracking "fresh" "unprocessed" "rainbow" type issues makes it all a lot more complicated. I do change how much my portions count for based on the whole fresh and unprocessed thing.

Mmmm, all full from tagine, will maybe save fruit for later.

If I manage it, I'll make the aubergine etc tagine for you when you visit, it is quite tasty and child-friendly, for something with aubergine, chickpea and spinach in it ...