NOW CLOSED Share your thoughts on eating your 5-a-day with innocent and win a £150 Amazon voucher

[TheOtherHelenMumsnet]

We've been asked by innocent, the smoothie makers, to find out how you hit the five portions of fruit and veg a day goal. Do you religiously munch on carrot sticks and apples or do you rustle up more imaginative healthy dishes? Or does the whole thing pass you by and you want to find out how to fit the recommended five portions of fruit and veg into your diet?

innocent want to hear your hints and tips on how to pack the fruit and veg in, whether it's recipe ideas or quick and easy snacks. They'd also love to hear how you go about getting your DCs to eat their 5-a-day - have you emerged victorious from any difficult battles with veg? Do you have any top tips for sneaking fruit and veg into what they eat? What hints/advice can you give other MNers facing the same problems?

Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win £150 Amazon vouchers. Your hints and tips may feature on innocent's mini-site on Mumsnet here.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

My family probably don't get anywhere near the recommended five a day most days - it's definitely not something I 'calculate'.

We do always have veg (usually child-friendly ones) with our evening meals though, and the DC love fruit so I always keep the fruit bowl well stocked. Beans count as well don't they? If so we're probably not as far off as I thought...

Like others, luckily it not really a problem.

The dc eat lots of fruit (especially apples) and usually have at least 2 types of veg (in some form) with their main meal.
I eat a lot less fruit but will happily add extra veg or salad to my plate (I always have some ready cut up in the fridge) or sandwich.

We grow about half of our veg and the dc are much more open to trying stuff that we've grown.
I also use up a lot of 'bottom of the fridge' veg by adding it to casseroles, spag bol, cottage pie, etc, as others have said.

I am cringing as I read this thread and write this message as I am terrible with my 5 a day. I am not really a veg (especially raw) or fruit lover. I'll have the occasional apple or grapes. And although I do a mixture of veg with meals for tea (for DP & DD) I only tend to have potatoes, carrots and cauliflower myself.

I'm keeping an eye on this thread. Hopefully I can get some inspiration from everyone else. -- A late new years resolution!!

I eat mostly veg for my 5 a day - its a mixture with the kids - usually 2-3 portions veg with main mealk then snacks of friut and a smoothie each a day.
dont tolerate fussiness by not discussing food like and dilikes - if you dont like it dont eat it but it goes on your plate. No battles to be won or lost that way and all 3 eat most fruit and veg

We did BLW and so far we have not had an issue with eating vegetables. There are some dislikes - mushrooms and cabbage, but we just cut them up fine.

I think the "5 a day" is a piece of marketing genius, rather than a golden rule to live by. As a vegetarian who loves vegetables and salad, we get more than 5 a day in our family because vegetables will always be the core part of the meal.

The biggest tip I have found to encouraging healthy eating is for the adults to lead by example and to not make a big deal if DD doesn't want to eat certain vegetables on one day, because she will probably eat them the next.

Fruit doesn't do it for me. I can tolerate an apple now and again, maybe a couple of seedless grapes and the odd bite of a pear, but that's about it.

Veg on the other hand I love. I could happily eat a plate of mixed veg with no sauce/gravy/meat - if there's some grated cheese to pop on the top even better.

DS (14mo) is easy - he will eat pretty much anything so I don't have any trouble with his fruit/veg intake thankfully.

I tend to eat at least 5 portions a day - I snack on fruit between meals (cherries, grapes, satsumas) and aim for a soup at lunch (one or two portions) and veg with my dinner (sometimes go totally veggie for dinner) I'm generally around 8 portions a day.

Its harder to get my eldest son (aged 5) to eat as much fruit and veg - his younger brother (aged nearly 3) loves fruit and vegetables and will happily live on them but his brother is a fan of meat, bread and carbs. We've found veggies in rice or pasta sauce with veggies added in helps - and apple juice and berries in packed lunch with some carrot sticks helps too - and he loves smoothies (shop bought or homemade). The fruit bowl is out at all times for the kids to help themselves to between meals - sometimes DS1 follows DS2's example and helps himself to an apple or banana.

I rarely manage 5 a day for myself unless kopparberg mixed fruit cider counts? but my dd's love fruit and will easily eat 3 or 4 portions plus veg with their evening meal. Giving it to them from weaning is my tip, if it's just a normal food they are regularly served they eat it without blinking an eye.

I usually manage 5 a day; apple juice with breakfast, 1 or 2 veggies with lunch whether its salad or something with my sarnie or in a soup, and then 2 or 3 veg sides with dinner. Unfortunately its only me and my youngest DD who will eat these. My husband and DD1 are both anti-veg ; DD1 will refuse virtually all veg whether obvious or hidden (it can't be hidden well enough to get past her!), while OH would eat it hidden but not as a side dish . Luckily they are both fruit fans so its not all bad.

Generally we all get 5 a day (me, DP, 3 DC - 8, 5 and 18m)

Some days maybe not, but balance over a week means (to me) I think we do alright fruit and veg wise

The DC will eat most fruit. The eldest isn't fussy veg-wise, the youngest 2 are more selective... but if they are happy to only eat carrots, brocolli or peas then IMO that's good enough!

The baby LOVES soup so I can get quite a variety of veg in him that way (homemade soup so easy to do, as well)

A bowl of cherry tomatoes always on the kitchen counter

Always have a cucumber in the fridge - my dc love it and it's very easy to serve

The fruit bowl is kept topped up (oranges, apples, bananas) and in easy reach of dc so any whinging about being hungry is met with an order to take a piece of fruit.

I buy the less 'common' fruit (like pineapple, kiwi, mango) on special offeres and sce them as pudding after meals, either plain or with yoghurt.

Grapes disappear very quickly here so I have given up battling their inevitably speedy consumption and just put a big bowl of them out after getting them home, but first I grab a handful for the next day's lunchboxes.

99% of meals include fresh vegetables so there must be some five a day getting consumed there too!

DD manages 5 a day as school provide fruit as a snack and she eats the veg at school lunches too. She will also eat most fruits happily, though shows a distressing tendancy to like the more exotic ones, like watermelon and mango.

We grow huge amounts of strawberries and raspberries in the summer, and she will eat these straight off the plant till I make her stop. Same with peas - DH didn't actually think we'd had a pea crop last year as DD had eaten them all before they'd made it into the house.

Since starting school she has started to eat far more veg, asking for carrots and broccoli at mealtimes. Peer pressure is a marvellous thing.

I also make sure that she has a smoothie or juice carton on the way home

I eat less fruit and more veg - always veg soup at lunchtimes, and either vegetables in the meal (like a stir fry) or as a side dish. We still have some veg from the garden last year in the freezer, which helps. If we aren't having veg at night I try and make sure to offer carrot sticks, cucumber etc before the meal.

Having read that back, I should point out that DD won't eat salads or tomatoes, and will only eat 5 types of veg so far. Room for improvement. O

Overall my tips would be to grow fruit and veg where possible or go to PYO places, and to have seasonal veg soup, again if possible.

DS loves most fruit, but only if it is peeled and arranged nicely on a plate, so he can eat in front of the TV. Sometimes he will have a whole apple, a pear, and some tomatoes or dried apricots in one sitting.

I however, eat mainly chocolate.

As a rule of thumb i know that i should be eating fruit and vegetables every day. I try not to think about it daily (i.e. 5 portions a day) , but rather over a week (that on most days I have eaten fruit and veg) so there might be a day when I (and my daughter) eat about 3 portions, but will eat significantly more on another day.

I do make soups once or twice a week which are all vegetables and I feel add a punch to our overall diets. My daughter is addicted to tomatoe soup so she has this at least once a week, and another soup like butternut which i make for her.

I take fruit with me to work to munch on as when i am hungry I can reach for these.

I also buy weekly lots of fruit and vegetables that I am intersted in and plan my cooking around these. I try and have at least 2 days a week when we only eat vegetarian meals as it makes me more adventurous in making salads and coming up with ideas, instead of just cooking sausages for example and adding a vegetable to this.

I use red peppers and carrots etc as dips for houmous etc - and often cut up vegetables and put them on the table for munching and dipping on.

I always offer my daughter fruit, and put together bowls of berries, chopped fruit etc. I try and vary our diet to try what is seasonal, and try it in different ways.

If we are travelling, or out and about i take with me smoothies; fruit juices bananas and other fruits that atravel well etc which add to our overall intake.

I often add berries; chopped bananas to porridge

I also use dried fruit, raisons, apricots, prunes etc.

I rarely manage 5 a day, though am endeavouring to improve. I think DD probably eats about that, though could be slightly under.

Problem for me is that in terms of fruit, I only really like soft fruits (strawberries, raspberries, nectarines - and grapes), which cost a small fortune when they're out of season. I try and have muesli with berries or something, but often don't. I only rarely find an apple that I really enjoy (I hate any kind of woolly apple - only like really crisp ones), don't like bananas, not keen on fruit salad. I drink a lot of orange juice though. DD usually has juice or smoothies and eats apples a lot and most fruits.

Veg-wise, I like most vegetables, but rarely find time to cook or eat them. I may have some at work with lunch (baked beans, salad with a baked potato) but I normally only eat a bowl of cereal for dinner as don't have the energy to cook when I get home (which is normally 8pm or later).

If I plan ahead, then I could get organised enough to ensure that I got 5 a day, but I never seem to be able to do that.

We're a big fruit eating household so regularly get five from them alone, but I also do a lot of slow cooker stews and cassoulets into which throw lots of veg.

My DS is a big vegetable fan and tends to eat them first, but my DH often whinges that I put too much veg in things. He does love an innocent smoothie though, so always has a carton on the go in the fridge!

Have just started weaning DD, so she is getting a lot of fruit and veg purees, though poss not 5 a day!

I try to make sure every meal includes some fruit and veg. I hide lots of veg in pasta dishes, eg lasagne always includes peppers, courgettes and mushrooms and tomatoes, spag bol the same, if I make a shepherds pie I will add carrots, mushrooms, sweetcorn etc. I also serve a side salad or veg with meals such as lasagne, sandwiches, etc. Soups are a good way of hiding veg with lots of bread to soak it up with. I try to include fruity puddings every day that we all like- crumbles, smoothies, apricot upside down cake etc and I put fruit into breakfast cereals.

Tips for hiding veg in pasta sauce - courgettes, celery and brocolli don't blend very well. Peppers, onions, tomatoes and carrots do just fine.
Take lunch to work - saves money, you get fresher, nicer veg and it's healthier.
Make sure you have checked out your entitlement to Healthy Start vouchers if you could be eligible. Free milk, fruit and veg.
I hardly eat any fruit - I only like naice fruit like strawberries/raspberries but I try not to buy them out of season. So the rest of the time I'm limited to apples and grapes. Luckily they also make great snacks/packed lunches.

ds1(6) is fussy (about all food, not just fruit and veg) but has his favourites he likes so I do try to make sure there are those around and new bits for him to try too. I also take him along with me to costco when I need to shop there - bizarrely whilst he often hates trying new things at home, at costco he adores trying samples of new things so I have managed to sneak a few new foods into his repertoire through that route. we often have hummus meals with lots of different things to dip which he likes too, as well as being allowed to choose weird veg from our local fab greengrocer stall at the market which has a fantastic range of stuff.

Out and out lying 'Oh you don't want this - oh what a shame, I thought you'd at least want to try it seeing as it is [best friend/Ben10/etc] 's favourite food, I didn't think you would want them to think you were a baby for not even having tried it...' can also be quite effective if used not too frequently . as is bribery - 'you can have an olive (his favourite food) when you have eaten xxx'

ds2 (3) adores fruit and veg to the point that if I am chopping up a load of dippy things like carrot, cucumber, chicory, peppers etc I can't put it down on the table before the meal as he will eat the whole lot before everyone else even gets there. his problem is not eating enough protein or carbs rather than fruit and veg!

things like apples and satsumas - cutting them up into little slivers and arranging them on a plate into a pattern or thing (butterfly, dinosaur, etc) and having a game of who can eat the thing the fastest vs you add more slivers on to keep the pattern there. works especially well with granny doing it!

asking if they want raw stuff as i'm about to cook it - seen as a treat and outside of normal meal times, usually works, especially for carrot sticks and frozen peas. frozen peas are incredibly popular here - usually served in a little bowl or one of those cheap ikea picnic beakers.

I've always done pretty well at dinner time, I was a vegetarian for years so learned how to pack my cooking with goodness. I tend to fall down when it comes to the rest of the day, and here's where having a toddler helps! She will generally want whatever I'm eating, so I "share" my fruit/veg with her and she will scoff quite a lot! We both get our daily goodness, then.

I keep meaning to borrow some vegetarian cookbooks from the library. We are pretty good on the fruit and veg front but it would be nice to have some variation from the plain old stuff we usually dish up. Dd is good too although a bit faddy and goes "off" veg that she's previously liked Why?

I go to the special offers on the online supermarket site when I'm doing a delivery shop and try a new typeo f fruit or veg when it's discounted.

We like to have a pot of melted brie to dunk bread and sticks of veg into.

We like Innocent smoothies but also bung in a load of chopped fruit and whizz up our own smoothies perhaps with a scoop of ice cream.

For my 'fussy' DS:

Tinned spaghetti or beans on toast, with fresh orange juice.

Get a dash of V8 vegetable juice into that orange juice whenever you can.

Try orange and pineapple juice.

He also likes banana smoothies.

I eat as much fruit and veg as my temperamental digestive system can handle - in the average day I would have portions of two fruits and three veg (though smaller than the recommended size).

I've never had any trouble getting the DC to eat veg. Once they could understand what I was saying I used to put the veg on their plates - and then take some off muttering "that's too much, you can't have that much". As a result they tended to beg for more veg.:)

Our office buys in boxes of fruit every Monday morning so I help myself to a few plums, apples, oranges during the day. As a vegetarian, don't find it hard at all and as I cook, the family all get to reap the green rewards!