Fruit & Veg record - anybody care to join?

[Shoeshelpplease]

I have recently read How Not to Die (well, on Audible actually) and its absolutely fascinating. All the different benefits different veg have and the different benefits each has depending on raw v cooked.

It advocates a plant based diet, but that wont happen for me. I am however committed to reducing meat and increasing the amount of veg (mainly) and fruit in my diet.

Would anybody be interest in joining in recording the different veg they have managed to achieve each day and in what ways? I'm talking pretty hard core here - aiming for 9 a day with a big variety.

I'd find it really interesting to see how others are achieving it.

Yes but stil more nutrient dense.. also strawberries higher than sweet potato.

I've no clue of portions but had that linked chickpea curry w/sweey potato cubes. Added kidney beans also and used tomatoes instead of coconut. Plus a pear w/nuts and seeds and natural yoghurt afterwards . 12 for me. Will have some veg sticks w/hummus later to hit 15.:)

Breakfast: Toast with dried apricot compote (1)
Lunch: Chicken, tomato and pesto (basil) wrap, Apple (3)
Dinner: Salmon and new potato salad with lettuce, avocado and chives (3)

Total = 7
DS is really loving all this healthy food - I think it's more appealing on the eye and in the mouth.

So, another day ... and at least the sunshine is back!

Breakfast was flaxseed muffin with walnuts and pecans and

1. Blueberries
2. Goji berries

With a smoothie, usual spices plus fresh turmeric, ginger and ground pepper and

1. Celery
2. Carrot
3. Broccoli stalks
4. Beetroot
5. Berry Active

Ive prepped lunch and tea already. Lunch is a dip made from tahini, olive oil, garlic and

1. Cannellini beans

To be served with crudites of

1. Whole green pepper

10. Whole yellow pepper 11. Red chicory

Tea will be roast chicken with

12. Broccoli
13. Cavolo Nero
14. Roasted Aubergine
15. Roasted white Courgettes
16. Roasted red Onions

Sounds like a good day shoes.

I was determined to get to 15 yesterday and so I did:

B: Greek yoghurt with blackberries, raspberries and blueberries (3)
L: My mega salad with bean mix and all sorts of other things (9) plus an orange (1)
D: pork escalopes in pesto, with asparagus, purple sprouting and green beans with toasted hazelnuts and grated manchego (I stole the idea from a starter I had in a restaurant recently) (3), plus a plum (1)

= 17.

Today won't be so good as I'm going out after work and will be eating a lovely platter of meat and cheese (but nothing in the way of veg). Will try to stay hungry enough for a bowl of soup and fruit when I get in.

Breakfast
Moma plain porridge with water
3 very large tomatos sliced with lots of pepper (3 portions)

Lunch
Chicken breast with huge salad (pic attached, and I went back for more lettuce and beetroot!! (4 portions)
Greek yoghurt with one punnet of raspberries and one punnet of blueberries (4 portions)
2 apples (2)

Snack
1 raw carrot (1)

Dinner
Entire crown on steamed broccoli with soy sauce and wasabi (broccoli a my favourite veg) (4)
Bowl of steamed cabbage asparagus and leeks with a handful of cooked prawns (4)
Greek yoghurt with raspberries blackberries (4)
2 apples (2)

I am pretty hardcore but I adore veg. I would genuinely choose a bowl of steamed veg over ice cream any day of the week. I accept that’s odd but suits me!

28 portions!

I work out 6x a week so must be giving sufficient energy etc

I love this thread. Found my people!

Breakfast: toast (0)
Snack: Strawberries (1)
Lunch: Chicken and lettuce sandwich, tomatoes, satsuma (3)
Dinner: Vegan mushroom pie, new potatoes and carrots (2)

Total = 6.

Today is day one
Banana and blueberry smoothie with almond milk.

Cous cous with roasted veg and hummus
Yeo valley vanilla yoghurt with strawberries and raspberries

Chicken stew with garlic mash.
Stew had leeks, celery, onion, mushrooms, bacon.

Roasted veg had pepper, tomato, red onion, and courgette so in total I've had 13 maybe 14 if different coloured peppers count?

Great idea to include photos! That plate looks incredibly inviting.

I have lost 30lbs since Xmas now but my weight is just sticking. I think we all get there at some point. So I've decided to try a bit of fasting ... I've just listened to a couple of audio books (I am permanently attached to my headphones, my external speaker or apple carplay ... comments have been made about my antisocialnes).

The two things I said I would never compromise on were my Himalayan salt which I think makes anything taste amazing and three meals a day as I love preparing and eating really healthy stuff.

However, I'm going to try one 24 hour fast and see where that gets me. The aim is to work on insulin levels.

So I'm going to fast from lunchtime today till lunchtime tomorrow. I've chosen today as it's my busiest day and I also have a very early morning fitness class tomorrow after which I'm normally buzzing so don't get chance to feel hungry.

So my objective is to max out the veg in my breakfast and lunch today.

So, my day is looking like this.

Green smoothie for breakfast, with fresh turmeric, fresh ginger, my usual spices and also the addition of bee pollen today. I added a portion of homemade matcha yogurt, water and

1. Huge handful parsley
2. and corriander
3. Carrot
4. Beetroot
5. Brocolli stalks
6. Celery
7. Berry Active

Then my flaxseed muffin, today with brazil and hazelnuts. New addition today of maca powder.

1. Goji berries
2. Raspberries

For lunch, I am annoyed with myself. When I did my Ocado order they had immunity boxes in the flash sale and I ordered one. I am sure it is ok health wise, but technically a processed product and the veg in it was chopped ages ago, so technically not sure I should be counting it.

Its a black rice and turmeric vegan immunity box. I wish I had just made it myself at home, however

10. Portobella mushrooms
11. Curly Kale
12. Sweet potatoes

Plus lots of other stuff I'm not going to count.

So 12 today, I'm also having a latte with coconut milk and lots of green tea.

The fast will start after lunch time and overnight I made some broth with organic chicken bones I have been keeping in the freezer, so I will be having lots of that.

Also, doing a body balance class and a yoga class today.

Have a great veggie day everyone.

My flaxseed muffin with

Today:
Porridge with Apple, banana and pineapple (3)
Lunch: sweet potato and frittara w/red onion, spinach and feta and rocket and spinach and chickpeas. (5)
Snack: carrots, red and yellow peppers w/hummus (3)

Dinner: Bolognese w/carrots, pepoers, courgettes with broccoli and green beans (say 3 as small portions in bolognese)

Snack after couch 25k: pear (1)
Total: 15 wohooh!

Wonder if we could consider Inc nuts and seeds and make it a plants record or no?

Anyone any tips on cooking quinoa and how to make it tasty?

My free lidl seed pot of rocket is starting to sprout here in my windowsill :)

I forgot to count my potato as well. So makes it 15 for yesterday.

Oh don’t do it to yourself OP.

Why don’t you just have a fruit and veg day. So you don’t feel uncomfortable and you have energy. But super low cal.

Breakfast
Bowl of Bircher cereal with almond milk (0)
3 very large tomatos sliced with lots of pepper (3)

Lunch
Pic attached
Load of prawns, some sugar free sweet chilli sauce and a huge salad (3)
Greek yoghurt
Bowl of 1 punnet of raspberries and 1 punnet of blueberries (3)

Dinner
Not sure!

Sorry here’s the pics

Hello! Yesterday's plan:

B-porridge with strawberries and blueberries 2

L-innocent ready made coconut curry thingy 2

D-homemade quorn lasagne containing onions, mushrooms, tomatoes. Salad made with rocket, cucumber, spring onions, cherry tomatoes. 6

Snack-grapes, almonds, celery sticks with houmous, 2.

Total 12.

Today's plan: B-muesli with strawberries, blueberries and Greek yogurt. 2

L-spinach omelette, tomato, red onion and mozzarella salad, seeded pitta. 3

D-leftover lasagne with broccoli. 3

Snacks- nectarine, satsuma, celery and cucumber sticks with homous. 4.

Total 12. I'm loving all of the summer berries!!

Liking the photos idea. I'll start that tomorrow

Yesterday:

B: Greek yoghurt, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries (3)
L: Giant salad bowl with rocket, spinach, tomato, pepper, hummus, bean mix, blue cheese (let's say 8), an orange (1)
D: Out for sharing platter thing after work so literally none there. Came home and had bowl of home-made split pea soup though (1)

So 13. Pleased enough with that even though not enough veg for dinner. Tonight will be ok though.

@mikado, I bloody loathe quinoa and find it like eating bits of soft gravel so can't help

I'm not sure about counting nuts and seeds - I have a seed mix that I sprinkle over my salad every day at lunchtime and I always put pecans in my slaw but I haven't always been counting them.

What do you all think?

Oh, I like the addition of photos to the thread. Although the bar seems to have been set pretty high.

I'm on a go-slow with eating following surgery yesterday so not much point in logging. But it is odd, of all the meals that have been listed, I'm most envious of the salads. It's a complete about-face for me food wise and I hope that this sticks and doesn't just disappear. I think knowing - rather than having a vague idea, of how much good that some foods have on the body is really shifting my relationship with eating stuff in general. I'm going to stop now before I get evangelical about it.

Breakfast: Orange, mango and passion fruit smoothie, toast, white grapes (4)
Lunch: Moroccan hummus and lettuce sandwich, tomatoes, Apple (4)
Dinner: Roast veg (yellow & red pepper, courgette, tomato) and pesto pasta (4)

Total = 12, but probably only 7 real portions.

I've had same food today as yesterday! Only didn't have the strawberries.

I'm not counting nuts and seeds either. Love the idea of adding photos though.

Here's my pic! My delicious, highly recommended sweet potato, spinach and feta frittata! Good night all hope you're ok OP!

Today:
Porridge with cinnamon and Apple
Snack: Greek yoghurt w/strawberries, banana, blueberries, nuts and seeds (3)
Lunch: Seed wrap 'pizza' with avocado, cherry tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, courgette, cheddar and spinach and rocket (7)

Dinner: Chilli with mixed beans (1), peppers, carrots, onions and garlic (small portions say 2), with guacamole (repeated won't count) and broccoli and green beans (2)

16 :)

Might need a snavk before bed will see.

Great pictures!

So the 24 hour fast went well. I did have home made chicken broth but no food.

I was certainly ready for lunch today! Which was chicken with

1. Huge handful of corriander
2. Wild garlic
3. Red chicory
4. Pomegranate seeds
5. Shredded carrot
6. Leftover roasted aubergine
7. Leftover roasted courgette
8. A whole yellow pepper
9. Red cabbage

with a tahini and olive oil dressing which I adore and can make just about anything palatable!

I felt a bit bereft missing my smoothie and all that lovely veg this morning so I am trying to fit as much variety in as I can today.

I have prepped tea which will be fresh Albacore Tuna Steaks with a stir fry (sure way to pack it all in) consisting of

10. Beansprouts
11. Monks beard
12. Shitake mushrooms
13. Red pepper Carrot
14. Red onion
15. White onion
16. Chard stalks - green and white
17. Green beans
18. Green pepper
19. Brocolli stalks

with lots of ginger and garlic.

So I've still managed a lot of the rainbow in those two meals.

Re the nuts and seeds question. Its a good one. They are so extremely good for us that they could be included, although of course not technically a fruit or veg.

Maybe to encourage the use we should include them? But only once so a handful of mixed nuts and seeds would only be one, such as beans would only be one.

With the Veg and Fruit its the variety of colour as the different colours provide different nutrients - so a yellow and a green pepper will delivery a wider range than two yellow peppers.

Hope that's ok with all .... keep it up ladies (I assume we are all ladies) we are doing tremendously well.

Oh and my sprouts are starting to erm .... sprout!

This morning I had 40g of nut muesli (with dried sultanas and dates but tiny quantity) with two scoops of frozen berries, so strawberries, black berries and mixed currants (1 portion)

For lunch, left over home made pasta and sauce with onions, courgettes, red and orange peppers, spinach and tomatoes (2-3 portions)
A blood orange (i portion)

Dinner tonight is sweet potato and pepper curry with spinach and red lentil dahl and brown rice (3-4 portions of veg)
7-9 portions in total