Fruit and vegetables

One of the simplest and tastiest ways to make your diet more healthy is to up your intake of fruit and vegetables.

Fruit and veg contains natural, healthy compounds like vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, as well as phytochemicals like betacarotene. Most are extremely low in fat and calories, so you can eat as many as you like without worrying about your weight.

As a guide, you should aim to eat fruit and veg of as many different colours as you can.

Strange as it might sound, the colour on the outside is a good indication of what kind of good stuff is contained on the inside, with different colours corresponding to different types of vitamins and minerals to help keep you healthy in different ways.

How much is a portion?

You’ve probably heard of the ‘5 a Day’ rule for fruit and veg; by eating five different portions of fruit and/or veg each day, you can guarantee you’ll be getting the right amounts of all the health giving vitamins and goodness you need.

But how much is a typical portion? A couple of lettuce leaves or a few slices of cucumber obviously don’t count as a portion in their own right, but you may be surprised to learn that portion is not always as big as you might have imagined.

Here’s a rough guide to the average amount that makes up a portion of the most popular fruit and vegetables:

• Vegetables, raw, cooked, frozen or canned – 1/2 cup, about 80g.
• Salad - 1 cup.
• Medium fruit e.g. apple, orange, banana, pear - 1 fruit.
• Very large fruit e.g. melon, pineapple - 1 large slice, about 100g.
• Small fruit e.g. plums, apricots, satsumas - 2 fruit.
• Raspberries, strawberries, grapes - 1 cupful, about 100g.
• Fresh fruit salad, cooked or canned fruit - 2-3 tablespoons.
• Dried fruit, e.g. raisins - 1 heaped tablespoon.
• Fruit or vegetable juice - 1 glass (150mls).
• 2 tablespoons of cooked beans or pulses e.g. lentils.

Fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruit and vegetables count toward your ‘5 a Day’ target. So do 100% fruit and vegetable juices. Although you can only count juice as one portion a day, however much you drink.

Easy ways to reach your ‘5 a Day’ target

Get a fruit boost at breakfast

Breakfast is the perfect time to boost your intake of healthy fruit. Why not try adding some fresh fruit like blueberries or a sliced banana to your cereal each morning? Or how about a sprinkling of dried fruit like apricots or raisins?

If you have a glass of fruit juice as well, you’ve already ticked off two of your five servings even before you leave the house.

Don’t forget frozen and canned

Frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables can all help get you to your ‘5 a Day’ target. Frozen vegetables are convenient, quick and easy to use and keep for a lot longer than fresh. Perfect if you’re too busy to go shopping for fresh on a regular basis.

More than a bit on the side

When you’re cooking for yourself or the family, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of thinking about veg as more than just a side dish to the meat and potato ‘main event’.

Instead, try planning main meals with your veg as a starting point and then deciding what meat or fish might go well with it.

Similarly, try thinking of vegetables as another ingredient that you can use to add interest to your favourite recipes. A handful of peas, sweetcorn or spinach to dishes like spaghetti bolognaise, shepherds pie or lasagne for instance can really help lift the flavour as well as your quota of fresh vegetables for the day.

Other simple ways to boost your intake

• Homemade vegetable soups are quick and easy to make and count towards your ‘5 a Day’ target.
• Ready-to-eat dried fruits, such as figs and apricots, make a tasty and satisfying mid morning snack.
• Serve fruit puree as a sauce for ice-cream.
• Mix grated carrot with hummus for a tasty sandwich filling.
• Serve vegetable crudities with a dip instead of crisps or nuts with drinks.
• Pile pizza high with vegetables like spinach, peppers, sweetcorn and mushrooms.
• Stewed or fresh fruit makes a great filling for pancakes. For savoury pancakes try adding spinach and feta, stir-fried vegetables or ratatouille.
• Blend soft fresh fruit (such as berries, banana and mangoes) or canned fruits such as apricots and peaches with low fat yoghurt and skimmed milk to make a healthy smoothie.
• Mix fruits into salads; try adding chunks of apple, pineapple or slices of pear to a green salad and dried fruits like ready-to-eat apricot or raisins to rice or pasta salads.
• Use freshly squeezed fruit juice to make jelly.
• Add ready-to-eat apricots or prunes to casseroles, stews or couscous.
• Mix cooked pureed spinach, carrots or shredded cabbage into mashed potatoes.
• Use freshly squeezed fruit juice to make ice lollies.