Easy Ways of Eating More Fruit and Veg

Although the NHS recommends eating five a day, a new research of over 65,000 people indicated that increasing your portion of fruit and vegetables to seven a day cut the risk of dying from cancer and heart disease.

Since I heard about the new guidelines of eating seven or more portions of fruit and veg a day, I have been trying to increase our consumption and it can be easier than you think. Each portion is around 80g of fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables. Everything counts, including dried fruit, fruit juices and smoothies.

Breakfast

Starting the day with a good breakfast is important to keep your energy levels throughout the day. You can enjoy a glass of fruit juice with your breakfast, and sprinkle dried fruit on your cereal, such as raisins, dried apricots or freeze-dried fruits that can be found here. By now you’ve had 2 of your 7 a day.

Mid-morning snacks

Vegetable sticks such as cucumber, carrots, peppers and celery are great for dipping in hummus as a mid-morning snack. 

That’s another 1 or 2 of your 7 a day, depending on the portion, and it is not even 12pm.

 Lunch

By adding some salad to your sandwich, such as tomatoes and cucumber, you can boost your daily portion of veg and also add vitamins and minerals to your meals.

If you prefer salads for lunch, you could have an avocado and prawn salad, with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and sweetcorn. Finish off your lunch with a handful of berries, and that’s another 2 of your 7 a day.

Mid-afternoon Snacks

I believe we should have a balanced diet, I like chocolates and sweets, but it is all about having treats and healthy snacks too. In between meals, you can have a piece of fruit, such as an apple, banana or a handful of grapes.

You can even make a fresh fruit salad with tinned fruit, by adding peach slices and pineapple chunks in juice to your fruit salad. That’s another 1 or 2 of your 7 a day.

Dinner

Chicken and pepper stir fry is an easy and colourful dish, with lots of vegetables. If you prefer something different, simply add extra vegetables to your meals, such as extra tomatoes to your spaghetti Bolognese and sweetcorn and mushroom to homemade pizzas. You can have a treat and eat your vegetables at the same time, and that’s another portion of vegetables.

By making small changes to every meal, you can easily incorporate 7 portions of fruit and vegetables. What is your best tip to eat lots of fruit and veg?