5 A Day

We all know that eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day is important for our health, but you might be surprised how easy it can be. The great thing is, you don't need to radically change your diet or do without the things you love. Just add a portion of veg here, sprinkle a portion of fruit there – and you'll hit your 5 before you know it!

Add fruit and veg to breakfast, lunch and dinner

Breakfast one

Add fruit to cereal, porridge or lower fat yoghurt – a handful of berries or a chopped banana is lovely. Check out our healthy breakfast recipes.

Lunch one

Add some crunch to your sandwiches with cucumber, grated carrot or tomato, and have a piece of fruit. Try one of our lovely lunch recipes.

Defrost one

Frozen fruit and veg count, it only takes a couple of minutes to microwave some frozen peas for your omelette.

Open one

Canned fruit and veg count too. Choose canned fruit in juice and vegetables in water.

Sprinkle one

Try sprinkling pepper, onion, mushroom, sweetcorn or pineapple chunks on top of a thin-based pizza. Try making our delicious Four Seasons pizza.

Pulse one

Add beans, lentils and pulses to stews, bakes and salads – remember, only 1 of your 5 a day can come from pulses.

Side-dish one

Have a salad or veg with your main meal. If it's roast dinner make sure you've got some carrots or broccoli on your plate.

Add fruit and veg to snacks

Dip one

Dunk veg in lower fat dip, lower fat cheese spread or salsa - sticks of cucumber, peppers, carrots or even cauliflower are delicious. We've got a yummy recipe for carrot dip and crunchy vegetables for you to try.

Drink one

One 150ml glass of 100% unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice can count as a portion (but remember only 1 glass counts).

What's a Portion?

A portion of vegetables (80g) is roughly equivalent to:

  • ** 3 heaped tablespoons of peas, beans or pulses.
  • ** 2 broccoli spears.
  • ** a dessert bowl of salad.

A portion of fruit (80g) is roughly equivalent to:

  • ** a slice or half a large fruit e.g. a slice of melon or half a grapefruit.
  • ** 1 medium size fruit e.g. an apple.
  • ** 2 small size fruits e.g. 2 plums or satsumas.

A portion of dried fruit (30g) is roughly equivalent to:

  • ** a heaped tablespoon of dried fruit

For more information visit 5 A DAY site