Eating Healthy Food
How to make sure you eat five fruit and veg a day

Are you getting enough vitamins and minerals?

What is a portion?

One portion is about 80 grams, which could be half a grapefruit, a slice of melon, a handful of grapes, an apple, two satsumas, three dried apricots or a tablespoon of raisins. One portion of veg could be three heaped tablespoons of peas, carrots or sweetcorn or a bowl of salad. A medium-sized glass of 100% fruit juice also counts.


What counts?

Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables.
Pure fruit and vegetable juices.
Veg in ready meals, takeaways, pasta sauces and soups.
Fruit in puddings.
But watch out for added salt/ fat/ sugar in takeaways and ready meals - check out the labels.


What doesn't?

Potatoes, because they are considered a 'starchy' food like bread and pasta, but these are all important parts of a healthy diet.
More than one glass of juice - even if you drink lots of it during the day, juice has hardly any fibre and has loads of sugar which is bad for your teeth.
More than one portion of beans or pulses a day, because they don't give the same mixture of vitamins and minerals as fruit and veg.
Jam.  Vitamin pills and supplements, as they don't contain fibre.
Munching your favourite fruit or vegetable five times a day. You need to eat a variety to get the maximum benefits from all the different nutrients.


Are there any shortcuts?

Slice banana into your cereal.
Snack on an apple, banana, handful of grapes or raisins rather than a packet of crisps.
Have a glass of orange juice.
Dip veg sticks (e.g. carrots, celery) into salsa sauce.
Stuff salad bits such as cucumber, lettuce and tomato into your sarnies.
Add extra vegetables to pizza, pasta sauces and soups.
Stir fries, stews and casseroles are any easy way of combining up to nine vegetables in one go.
Replace stodgy puddings with a hunk of melon or a fruit salad.
Make a smoothie - blend low fat natural yoghurt with two handfuls of blackberries, blueberries or raspberries.
Make fruit kebabs by threading bite-sized chunks of apples, pears, strawberries and pineapple onto wooden skewers - you could even grill or barbeque them.

So how can we make sure we all get our quota.


Finger foods are popular with adults and children.  Encourage fruit to be eaten at breakfast. Either on cereal or as finger food.

Any left overs can be saved for afternoon snacks later or packed up to be eaten later at lunchtime.   (Banana's and apples may need a squeeze of lemonjuice to stop them discolourng.)

 Chops up bananas, apples, or seasonal fruits.  Supermarkets also sell a wide range of frozen fruit like pineapple.

What to do with that rotting fruit.



SAM'S TOP TIP

I have a very simple suggestion that I have found to work at getting pretty much ANY kid to eat fruit! Thankfully my little boy is not a fussy eater at all but some of his pals are!

If like me you find yourself chucking out fruit that goes off before anyone gets round to eating it, instead chuck it all in the blender - soft fruits & the juice from oranges work best if you are wanting something quick & easy but other fruit like apples can be cooked first.

I mix in a little honey if it needs sweetening but usually find that with pineapples, mangos, peaches and such like it is sweet enough. If I have yoghurts that are nearly out of date then they go in too. Basically make a smoothie or a juice drink out of anything you fancy.

Then pour the mixture into lolly moulds & freeze.

FRUITY POPS are the most fave pudding in our house!

Hope that might be useful - very simple I know but then I always find that best