Top 10 Tips To Help You Get Your Five Fruit And Veg A Day

Ensure you eat your five fruit and veg a day

For a balanced, healthy diet it's important that you have a minimum of five fruit and veg a day; whether it be from a smothie in the morning, a piece of fruit at lunch, or peas for tea - there are hundreds of different ways to ensure that you get your five-a-day. Here are realbuzz's top ten tips for eating a healthy mix of fruit and veg...

• Chop up some carrots, peppers and/or cucumber and keep it in the fridge for when you feel hungry. If you have some reduced fat humous or low fat soft cheese, dip your crudites in!

• Always have a store cupboard full of tinned vegetables and fruit such as chopped tomatoes, baked beans, sweetcorn, peaches and grapefruit. Look for fruit in its own fruit juice; this is a better choice than ones in syrup.

• If you like dried fruit; keep raisins, prunes and apricots in your kitchen. Chopped up, you can add them to a can of rice pudding for a nutritious dessert.

• If you are in a rush and depend on ready meals, add some frozen vegetables to the meal to balance it out. Try to have a piece of fresh fruit for dessert.

• Quick food needn’t be unhealthy food; stir-fries are an excellent way to increase the amount of vegetables you eat.

• Try making a list of meal ideas and a shopping list for the week, keeping in mind which days you’ll have time to cook from scratch and which days you may want something easier to assemble. You will be amazed how much easier it is to achieve your ‘five-a-day’ as you’ve planned in advance your week's fruit and vegetable intake.

• Pure fruit juice is becoming increasingly popular. But before you reach for the pint glass, remember that one portion is 150ml. It can be counted as one portion of your five-a-day and ideally should be consumed at the same time as a meal. The UHT tetrapaks (on the supermarket shelves) are as nutritious as the ‘fresh’ juices you see in the refrigerators, this is handy as you can always keep some in the cupboard.

• Use pulses. One portion of your five-a-day can come from pulses such as lentils, baked beans or peas. Try adding a tin of baked beans to the next shepherd’s pie you make.

• Got some fruit lying around? Make a smoothie! Bananas are an excellent base for a smoothie, but any fruit will do. Add semi-skimmed milk and use a hand blender to whiz it all up.

• Have you ever had bored children at home wanting to do something in the school holidays? Why not get them involved in the kitchen, ask them to help you with something fun like baking a fruit cake or making a dessert such as a fruit crumble. Eating the end product together is great fun.