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Original poster

Fruit and veg shocker!

53 replies

MollyHuaCha · 23/02/2017 08:14

Today's BBC re five portions of fruit and veg a day:

In the UK, only about one in three people eats enough.

Really? Then what on earth are people eating? If they can't manage 5 a day after all these years of campaigning, there's no hope of the general population achieving the now desirable 10 a day. Makes me despair...

OP posts:

pishedoff · 23/02/2017 08:20

I struggle as I'm allergic to most fruits so can only count salad and veg. I think I probably manage 2-3 portions a day

sniffle12 · 23/02/2017 08:22

There are different pressures on different lives and naturally sometimes 5 a day falls down the priority list. Money, work-life balance, mental or physical health problems in ourselves or loved ones. There are some days where I'm just thankful to have got through the day and eaten three meals, and if they had some fruit and veg in then great.

That being said, since I have started actually counting my fruit & veg portions every day, it has made me more aware and make more of an effort.

AngryYeti · 23/02/2017 08:23

I have bowel and stomach issues, I cannot eat most fruit and veg. I eat one banana per day. The only veg I can eat is peas and carrots which I have a couple of times per week. I am not too bad with tangerines, I had one the other day, I will make more of an effort to eat more with my banana but that is all the fruit and veg that I can eat, any others make me violently ill.

Soubriquet · 23/02/2017 08:24

Not that much of a shock

I'm more shocked by those who do manage it on a daily basis really

zombiesarecoming · 23/02/2017 08:25

I do try but much prefer the taste of chocolate

SnugglySnerd · 23/02/2017 08:26

I think a lot of people (myself included) eat a good selection of fruit & veg but not enough to count as a portion. Especially with salad, you need to eat a huge amount for it to count.
I know I usually eat more than 5 different types every day but not necessarily enough to count as a portion of each.

AliceInHinterland · 23/02/2017 08:27

What are they eating? A cereal or toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, pasta or pizza for dinner, perhaps. Very easy to eat none at all if you're in a hurry and eating convenience food. All of that food is filler of course, and not providing a very broad range of nutrients.

AliceInHinterland · 23/02/2017 08:27

Also what Snuggly said. The slice of tomato in your sandwich is about 0.1 of a portion.

thesourceofLoveandLight · 23/02/2017 08:28

honestly, its the British diet. I used to live abroad and easily had ten or more fruit or veg -mostly veg - a day. came home, eat about 4-6 now usually and have put on weight.

Cookingongas · 23/02/2017 08:29

I get five a day but it isn't hard to see what people eat to miss it.

Breakfast in this country is largely fruit and veg free- eggs, cereal, toast, porridge being common options. Juice has been on the bad list for long enough for people to avoid it. But for arguments sake let's say average jo has weetabix and a glass of juice - 1/5

Lunch in this country is most commonly sandwiches. Chicken mayo, egg mayo, blt. Maybe pasties. Sometimes a soup or salad (though that's not what I witnessed in offices) let's once more give joe the benefit of assuming he's on a health kick- let's give him the soup. 3/5 a day.

Dinner/tea is another opportunity to boost that five a day. But joe gets home and mostly has pasta pesto, sausage mash and peas, chicken curry and rice, fish and chips, pork chips with steamed potatoes and a salad, jacket potato and beans- all healthy choices. So he gets another 1. 4/5 a day.

Snacks are convenience foods now- go ahead bars, crisps, etc.

Also consider that most people over estimate how much they have - joe is counting that soup as 3 maybe 4 of his five a day because there were 4 different veg in it!

our food culture is not focused toward achieving the five a day. The message is pushed but no actual steps have been taken within the food industry to back that up (well- we're now told that fruit winders count as one of the five. ) it's a serious issue and one that also has ramifications within the Obesity crisis.

QueenLaBeefah · 23/02/2017 08:30

I wouldn't be off the toilet if I ate 10 portions of fruit and veg.

5 is doable

OccasionalNachos · 23/02/2017 08:32

Cereal for breakfast
Cheese sandwich for lunch
Pizza for dinner

It's not ideal but it is the reality for a lot of people. I usually get a few portions in - rarely more than 5 unless I've been at home all day or been able to plan and prep well. The planning and prepping is my downfall. Yesterday I had an early 8am meeting but managed to have a coffee & a satsuma before leaving the house. I had a bacon roll after the meeting. I then had to travel to another meeting in a town 40 miles away - on the train I had a cereal bar and a coffee. After that meeting I had more coffee & a cake from Costa. I got home at just before 7 - DP didn't get in til nearer 8 because he had been delayed. We had scrambled eggs on toast for dinner.

Not all days are like that but yesterday is a great example of how people who like fruit & veg & are very aware of healthy eating can have a shit day. I feel knackered today & am craving fruit & veg, will be having salad for lunch & making a lovely ragu tonight.

MsHippo · 23/02/2017 08:32

I probably don't eat five different fruits and vegetables a day, but I eat huge portions of the vegetables I do have (leafy salad especially) and I have different ones each day. Therefore although I don't hit their five-a-day metric, I suspect I eat more veg (and variety of veg) than lots of people on five-a-day do.

Cookingongas · 23/02/2017 08:36

Add to that - reading my own post back highlights an awful attitude that I have accidentally picked up and repeated! when I did work in offices , when someone has a salad or soup, they were widely assumed to be on a health kick! That shouldn't be the case- it should be the norm- but in reality who hasn't witnessed people commenting "on a diet are you Sheila?" When she opens a salad. It's deeply ingrained in our culture and the same isn't true elsewhere. No one in Spain would bat an eyelid at shielas salad.

Love51 · 23/02/2017 08:37

It's just habit. My kids get 2 veg with every meal at home so it's easy, ad they also eat fruit. If you aren't in that habit, it doesn't happen.

TheDowagerCuntess · 23/02/2017 08:38

I don't eat 5 portions every day, and I shop at a vast fruit and veg stall every Sunday. We have over-flowing fruit bowls (three) that are polished off (mainly by the DC) in a matter of days, let alone last a week.

However, I know for a fact that I do not eat 5 portions of fruit and veg every single day.

Love51 · 23/02/2017 08:48

Not veg with breakfast for kids very often. Lunch and tea!
I sometimes have eggs with veg, they have cereal and fruit. Or toast and fruit.

Notso · 23/02/2017 08:50

I don't really eat any fruit but lots of vegetables. I don't know how big portions are supposed to be for adults or children.
In packed lunch my little kids 6&4 for example eat half a medium carrot, the same amount of cucumber or pepper and either a small plum, tangerine, ten grapes, a handful of blueberries etc. Is that three portions?
What veg do people eat at breakfast?

Heyheyheygoodbye · 23/02/2017 08:51

DH and I have recently stopped eating meat or dairy and it is amazing how much veg we can get through on a day now. It's not quick, easy or cheap though so I completely understand where people struggle.

megletthesecond · 23/02/2017 08:51

I can do ten a day on the days I make a huge salad.

Some days I just make do with five.

Does anyone know if nuts count?

SnugglySnerd · 23/02/2017 09:13

No nuts don't count I'm afraid but pulses do so I often get quite a big helping from something like a chick pea or lentil curry. I chuck lentils into a lot of things like Bolognese and soup to boost veg and protein.

DD usually chooses fruit for snacks, she is currently munching on an apple, she has veg with lunch and dinner so I think she usually manages 5 a day.
I think I eat less fruit because of her though - she is only 2 so doesn't usually manage a whole apple, banana etc. I end up finishing it off but then I don't want a whole one for myself too.

sonlypuppyfat · 23/02/2017 09:17

Sometimes fruit can be disappointing, it's not properly ripe etc. Chocolate and cake are never disappointing

lemonzest123 · 23/02/2017 09:20

I manage it but only since I gave up meat. I also have somehow ended up eating spinach with every single meal which I'm sure can't be good for me.

lemonzest123 · 23/02/2017 09:21

notso spinach with scrambley eggs YUM!

Wtfdoipick · 23/02/2017 09:35

I started the day with my normal breakfast which is yoghurt with fruit and there is enough fruit for 2 portions to count. Lunch isn't decided yet but tea will be pea and ham soup (home made). I need to make lunch lots of veg to reach my 5 a day so I can see how people can not eat the 5 a day and still think they are eating well.

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