Fruit and veg shocker!

[MollyHuaCha]

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...

Notso I bloody love spinach with eggs, usually in an omelette. If I'd have had any spinach or kale in, we would have had that with the scrambled eggs, or chucked some cheese and ham in for an omelette.

Again, planning & prep! I feel so much better when I eat well.

Not sure my kids would go for spinach and eggs. Three of them eat baby spinach raw but not cooked, I make saag aloo as a side quite often but none of them like it.
I don't really like any traditional breakfast foods and the ones I do like are unhealthy to eat daily so often have things like left over dinner as a brunch or salad with bacon, asparagus or stir fried leeks and cabbage with a bit of bacon. The kids think this is disgusting. Two of them eat tomatoes as part of a full English but other than that beans are the only other veg they'd eat at breakfast. Although the youngest eats the veg sticks as I'm cutting them up for lunch.

Interesting responses above re the typical British meals and what has become the norm for snacks. The benefits of fruit and veggies have been known for so long. I think we owe it to ourselves and future generations to really push healthy eating especially in childhood when eating preferences can be set for life. My DCs certainly did not like radishes or watercress the first time they were given them. But by the 20th time, they were munching them quite happily.

80 grams is a portion size, so five portions = 400 grams, ten portions = 800 grams. Three tablespoons of veg i.e. peas is a portion.
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Portionsizes.aspx

No matter what quantity of beans and pulses you eat, it will only 'count' as one veg of your 5 a day, so says NHS guidance. They don't have much nutrient value, although good for providing fibre.

I have at least 2 bits of fruit everyday, a bannana when i get to my desk and an apple at lunchtime, it would be an odd lunch or dinner without at least one portion -pizza usually has tomato on it, fish and chips comes with peas or salad surely- and that is a "bad" day. I am another one who cant understand it.

Thanks for posting that TheLongRider eight cauliflower florets and four heaped tablespoons of green beans is quite a lot.

It's really not hard. A very long time ago I decided that it was easy to have 5 by the end of lunch and everything thereafter was a bonus; given dinner tends to be heavily veggie-based, it's easily 7-8 and often more in the day. I have fruit with granola and plain yogurt for breakfast or scrambled egg with spinach and/or tomatoes; lunch is homemade veggie soup (only count as 2 portions) followed by an apple and a banana. Job done. Switch breakfast fruit for juice would be an easy (if sugar heavy) option - it's quite straightforward.

A portion of fruit or veg is 80 grams, I usually have fruit and greek yogurt for breakfast. so a banana, and 50 grams each of grapes and blueberries I would count as 2.5 portions.
Another breakfast is mushrooms and tomatoes on toast or with eggs again 2 portions, poached egg with spinach, 1 portion. It is quite easy to get veg in at breakfast.
Lunch can be anything from a sandwich to left over cottage pie from dinner. If having a sandwich I will always have cherry tomatoes, and cucumber or carrot sticks on the side, along with an apple or pear. I would count this as a total of 2 portions.
Dinner is where I would get most of my veg for the day, if having say cottage pie I would serve, brocolli, carrots and peas along side, I would estimate that the veg in the cottage pie works out at one portion per serving, I would make it with onion, carrot and celery, the veg served with the cottage pie will be at least 80 grams per veg so for that meal we have 4 portions.
I may have a handful of strawberries or blackberries or a couple of figs after dinner so another portion there
So an average day for us would be around 8-9portions of veg, sometimes less and sometimes more.
One way to eat more veg is to have a smaller portion of the non veg component of the meal, so a third less cottage pie or lasagna on the plate leaves space for another portion on veg.
We also try and have at least one meat free meal a week which could be veg curry, veg and bean chilli, a large salad of chopped pepper, tomato, cucumber, celery, spring onion, grated carrot, lettuce, rocket and spinach. I would count as 2-3 portions depending on the ratio of veg to salad leaves. A stir fry is a great way of getting more veg, I made one last night with sugar snap peas, baby corn, carrot, pepper and water chestnuts, easily 3 portions there.

I take a multivitamin.

I dislike the Nanny State intensely. So I eat what I really like, which does include some fruit and veg but nothing like the dictats we are told about, which has now risen to TEN a day.

But I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell us all about the humungous amounts of rabbit food they consume with absolute delight and a dribbling mouth at the thought of it. LOL.

Used to do ten a day, til I got post-infectious IBS. Have clawed by way back to 5-7 on a good day, with the help of low fodmaps diet and probiotics, but it's a nightmare.

@orchidaceous.

Why do you put yourself through that nightmare?

I cannot understand why people do this, only to make an underlying condition worse. Apologies if there is an imperative to you having five a day that makes your IBS worse....

Flowers It doesn't make the underlying condition worse if I pick the right fruit and veggies. When I said it was a nightmare, I meant it's been complicated and a lot of reading up etc, and that I miss being able to eat freely, as I love fruits and vegetables, not that it aggravated the condition. I'm not stupid.

Why do I take the trouble? Erm, vitamins and minerals? I feel better if I managing to eat a reasonable amount of fresh produce, it's just a tricky balancing act. I was worried about the long-term health implications of a diet that contained almost no fruits or vegetables. Vitamin pills are often housed in some form of cellulose, which definitely aggravates the IBS. In any case, I'm not totally convinced that vitamins in pill form as beneficial as nutrients from whole foods- things like freshness, bioavailability, dependence on the availability of other nutrients to help absorption etc, plus also elements or benefits that aren't wholly understood yet (e.g. There is some evidence that vit D is important for more than bone development, calcium supplementation is bad for cardio vascular health).

I have tried just eating chicken and white rice or baked potatoes, and it's ok, still do it for a couple of days but I do prefer managing to eat a bit of fresh stuff. Like carrots, cucumber, pineapple, olives, celeriac, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, chard, salsify, rocket, parsley, aubergines, courgettes.

It makes life less boring food wise, and my health/energy/general health are better. My doctor also told me "well done" for taking the trouble to find to way to ensure that I eat more fruits and veggies and with more variety than most people without IBS do.

I have also found that introducing new, previously problematic foods infrequently, in tiny amounts, alongside courses of probiotics does increase my tolerance. This gives me a margin of error that is really useful in avoiding flares.

My approach is that I am still a whole person, not just one condition. So I need to address all my health needs, not just manage one condition whilst being terrified to live.

There is also a lot of evidence that post-infectious IBS does clear up in most people after 6+ years, and that the likelihood of being in the lucky half is linked to overall health. I reckon that not having scurvy etc will likely stand in my favour on that front!

orchid.

I don't envy you. I hope you understand that I was not being personal in my post.

You have now explained things. I hope you will be ok.

Two things.

How can one portion be only 2 broccoli spears but 8 cauliflower florets?

And how can I, as a 5'2" middle-aged woman, possibly need to eat the same weight of vegetables as a 6'4" young man? Or even as my 5'11" middle-aged husband...

The thing about it not counting unless it's different is just to stop people eating only carrots and apples, not because it's true.

flowers I am struggling to reconcile Orchidaceous. Why do you put yourself through that nightmare? I cannot understand why people do this, only to make an underlying condition worse with your post not being personal.

I can understand you making such a comment when faced with someone with e.g. Lung cancer who continues to smoke...even then I would think you somewhat lacking in sympathy. But really to not see why someone might have a valid point in wanting to continue eating fruits and vegetables?

Ontop I struggled with the portion thing too, then a colleague told me to start thinking of a portion as what would fit in the palm of my hand, rather than a certain weight/quantity. That made a lot more sense to me than some arbitrary amount, which I agree is ridiculous.

Orchid, did you read my last post?

Now that you have explained it to me, all is good.

The first post of yours I responded to was vague as to your reasons. Not anymore!

I had tuna sandwich for lunch with handful of carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and tomatoes. Was going have jacket potato with more salad tonight plus lettuce but it will only count as one more portion if I practical eat half a lettuce. If I eat any more tomatoes cucumber or carrot it's not counted. What's the point I just give up and have loads cheese with it!

Ditto as a single person on small budget the cheapest way for me to buy fruit s in bags. So 9 bananas for
£1 I'd have to eat 3 bananas a day for 3 days to get through before went to mushy. But only count as 1 a day. If I then buy bag of 9 apples and do same thing that's 6 days =3 portion fruit each day. "Technical" I've only eat 6 in 6 days not 18. don't get it!

That was in direct response to your last post flowers. You might be all good with what I have said to you, that doesn't mean I am all good with why you have said to me.

Your remarks continue to be insulting, patronising and arrogant- I may have been a little vague but you also made unwarranted assumptions, jumped to conclusions and made condescending remarks before you understood the situation.

Orchid. I am sorry you feel that way. A post is as much as one sees at a particular time. You did not give any explanations in your original post did you? So how could I have understood the situation if you did not articulate it until your long second post directed at me?

It's OK, I understand now. But this is an open message board. We can only respond to the information we are given at a certain time.

Glad you are working on your food and other health issues. I hope it all works out for you. Best wishes.

I admit I am rubbish at eating 5 a day. My daughter always eats hers and I do better on days she's not at nursery as we have similar meals and share fruit.

If it were 5 portions of cheese a day it'd be no problem.

Fruit is expensive and goes off quickly. So to try and get a variety to eat within that period is hard. If you can afford plums, berries etc its easier.
I do my best but probably average 3 a day, mainly veg. I love fruit but its just out of my price range.

Since buying a bigger freezer and getting in on a 'mix and match ten bags of frozen veg for X' deal I've been managing better on the days I actually cook. I don't meal-plan enough for fresh fruit and veg to be particularly convenient, plus I went off fruit last spring/summer when I kept seeming to get oral allergy symptoms in hayfever season from e.g. apples. Getting packs of apples and using them as snacks each day would be very convenient - if I don't get symptoms from them again. Sometimes I get cherry tomatoes and have them alongside things, again, I seemed to get symptoms from them at one point last year.

The fist size makes more sense but doesn't tally with the NHS website or the latest study which is in grams. I just think if I ate 10 a day in those quantities I'd never be able to eat meat, fish, dairy, pasta, rice etc as I'd be too full.