Now that we’ve cleared that up, how do you know when
you’ve managed to get a full serving? As a general rule, a
portion is around 80 grams. We’ve listed some of the most popular
fruits and vegetables here for your reference:
1. Small fruits: two plums, satsumas or kiwis; three apricots; six lychees; seven
strawberries; or 14 cherries.
2. Medium fruits: one banana, pear, orange, nectarine, or apple.
3. Larger fruits: half a grapefruit; one, two-inch slice of mango, papaya, or
pineapple; or two, two-inch slices of mango.
4. Dried fruit: one tablespoon of raisins, currants, sultanas or mixed fruit;
two figs; three prunes; or one handful of banana chips.
5. Tinned fruits: these should be measured more or less the same as their fresh
counterparts.
6. Juices: one 150ml glass of 100% juice counts as a portion – however,
juice only counts as one portion of fruit/veg each day.
7. Green vegetables: two spears of broccoli; four tablespoons of kale, spring
greens or green beans; or eight Brussel sprouts.
8. Cooked vegetables: three heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables such as carrots,
peas or sweetcorn.
9. Salad vegetables: three sticks of celery; one two-inch slice of cucumber;
one medium tomato; or, seven cherry tomatoes.
10. Tinned and frozen vegetables: these are measured more or less the same as
their fresh counterparts.
11. Pulses and beans: three heaped tablespoons of baked beans, haricot beans,
kidney beans, cannelloni beans, butter beans or chick peas. Remember that beans
and pulses only count as one portion of fruit/veg each day, no matter how much
you eat.
So, how do you get five portions of fruit and veg into your daily diet without
rushing back and forth to your local greengrocer? Below are a few quick, easy
steps you can take to add more fruit and vegetables to your diet:
1. Remember to count fruit and vegetables, and even herbs, in all your dishes – from
pineapple on your pizza to vegetables in soup, they all add up.
2. Drink a glass of 100% juice or a fruit/vegetable smoothie each day.
3. Add a handful of peas, carrots or sweet corn to your soup.
4. Slice a banana or a few strawberries over your cereal in the morning.
5. Replace your mid-morning snack with an apple.
6. Swap celery or carrot sticks for crisps in the afternoon.
7. Add sliced cucumber or tomato to your sandwich.
8. Put extra chopped vegetables into your pasta sauce.
9. Throw a large handful of fresh herbs into your pasta, salad or homemade bread.
When you’re trying to add fruits and vegetables to your existing
diet, remember that the best nutritional benefit comes from eating
a variety of fruit and veg. One way to ensure you consume a good variety
is to sort your fruits and vegetables by colour, and aim to eat at
least one item from each group every day.
The groupings are:
1. White/yellow: onions, garlic, lemon and parsnips.
2. Orange/red: peppers, tomatoes, carrots, apricots, mango and satsumas.
3. Purple/red: aubergine, dark grapes, red cabbage, blueberries, plums
and raisins.
4. Green: spinach, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, watercress,
parsley and mint. |
