Fruit and vegetables - take five
We grown-ups are notorious for not eating enough fruit and veg – in fact, only a measly 30 per cent of us achieve the five-a-day goal.
And we’d probably all agree that it can be a daily battle to get the kids to eat their greens too. Children need fruit and vegetables just as much as we do, to help balance their overall diet with vitamins, minerals and fibre.
What’s in a serving?
There is a clear guide for helping us work out what one of the five-a-day looks like. For an adult, one serving is:
- three serving spoons of a small vegetable, eg peas or sweetcorn
- a small bowlful of salad
- one medium-sized banana or apple
- two small fruits, eg satsumas or apricots
- a large slice of big fruit, eg melon
- three serving spoons of tinned or stewed fruit
- small glass (150 ml) of unsweetened fruit juice or smoothie
- half a serving spoon of dried fruit.
A serving for kids is usually a bit smaller – roughly the amount that would fit in their hand.
Frozen, tinned, dried and juice count too
Fresh is not the only option. Frozen, tinned, dried and juices all count too, making it easier to reach the all-important target of at least five a day.
Mix and match fruit and veg to make sure you are getting as wide a range of vitamins and minerals as possible.
Exceptions to the rules
- Potatoes don’t count towards the five-a-day target because they count as a starchy food.
- Fruit juice will only count as one portion regardless of the quantity you drink.
- Beans and pulses vegetables, such as kidney beans, lentils and chick peas, only count as one portion, regardless of your serving size.
Reviewed February 2009.