Portion sizes of fruit and vegetables

The UK government advises everyone to consume a minimum of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. What does this mean in practice?

Fruit – one portion is, for example

• Half a large grapefruit
• A slice of melon
• 2 satsumas
• One portion of dried fruit counts
  •3 dried apricots
  •1 tablespoon of raisins
  •other types of fruit and vegetables should be eaten to meet the rest of the 5 A DAY target
• A glass of 100% juice (fruit or vegetable juice) counts as 1 portion
  •But you can only count juice as 1 portion a day , however much you drink. This is because it has very little fibre. Also, the juicing process 'squashes' the natural sugars out of the cells that normally contain them, which means that drinking juice in between meals isn't good for your teeth.

Vegetables – one portion is, for example

• 3 tablespoonfuls of cooked carrots (6-7 baby carrots) or peas or sweetcorn, 6 asparagus spears
• 1 cereal bowl of mixed salad
• Beans and other pulse vegetables - such as kidney beans, lentils and chick peas - count only once a day, however much you eat
• While pulses contain fibre, they don't give the same mixture of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as fruit and vegetables
• Because they are considered a 'starchy' food, potatoes don't count towards 5 A DAY.
• However, starchy foods are also an important part of a balanced diet.
• These portion sizes are for adults. Children should also eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day, but the portion sizes may be smaller.

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Easy tips for eating more fruit and vegetables

We all know that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is vital for our health and well-being.

It just isn't always that easy to do.

So here are some ideas and tips to help you reach your 5-a-day and maybe even in time your 10-a-day - please CLICK to tweet.

The vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytonutrients contained in fruit and vegetables are essential for all bodily functions, such as digestion, detoxification, immunity, mood regulation and our hormone system. The more fruit and vegetables we eat, the better we look and feel.

Government dietary guidelines in the UK and the USA suggest eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Cancer experts say that consuming 8 to 10 portions of fruit and vegetables per day is even better for protecting our health.

The last National Diet and Nutrition Survey in the UK revealed that the majority of the population is not even managing to eat the minimum guideline of 5 portions per day - only 13 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women met this goal.

Average intake of fruit and vegetables was 2.7 portions for men and 2.9 portions for women. Of the men surveyed, 21 per cent ate no fruit in the survey week and 2 per cent ate no vegetables.

Women did a little better, with 15 per cent eating no fruit and 2 per cent eating no vegetables. One per cent reported eating no fruit or vegetables in the survey week.

Mean daily consumption was lowest in the youngest group (19–24 years) at 1.3 and 1.8 portions for men and women respectively, and was highest in the oldest group (50–64 years) at 3.6 and 3.8 portions.

Here are some tips for increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet

1.            Buy many kinds of fruits and vegetables when you shop so you have plenty of choices 2.            Stock up on frozen vegetables for easy cooking, so that you always have a vegetable dish with every dinner 3.            Use the fruits and vegetables that go bad easily (peaches, asparagus) first. Save hardier varieties (apple, squash) or frozen goods for later in the week 4.            Keep fruits and vegetables where you can see them. The more often you see them, the more likely you are to eat them. 5.            Keep a bowl of cut-up vegetables on the top shelf of the refrigerator 6.            Cut up a selection of fruit and leave the plate on the table when the children come home from school - you will find that it all miraculously disappears 7.            Choose fresh fruit for dessert or make a simple fruit compote (e.g., apple and apricot). Cooking apples can be steamed in a matter of minutes and served with a simple sauce, e.g., peanut butter and rice malt syrup, or dried pears, cinnamon and tahini. 8.            Keep a fruit bowl on your kitchen counter table, or desk at work. 9.            Pack a piece of fruit or some cut-up vegetables in your briefcase or backpack; carry moist towelettes for easy cleanup. 10.       Add fruits and vegetables to lunch by having them in a soup or salad, or cut up raw. 11.       Soups are an excellent way to combine a wide range of different vegetables. Simple combinations allow you to create variety throughout the week. 12.       Experiment with fruit smoothies. Use a simple hand blender to blend a selection of fruits, e.g., blueberries, strawberries, banana with rice milk and some ground seeds. 13.       Experiment with home-made vegetable juices prepared using a juicing machine. 14.       Make a carrot and apple base and add vegetables such as cabbage, cucumber, celery, fennel, beetroot, radish and red cabbage. Herbs such as mint and parsley can also be added. Numerous combinations can be created, such as apple, cucumber and mint; carrot and beetroot; apple, red cabbage and beetroot; carrot, apple and celery; apple, celery and lime. 15.       Experiment with cooking vegetables in different ways: stir-frying, steaming and sautéing are quick and easy methods. Vegetables can also be baked – although the cooking time is longer, the preparation is quick. 16.       Add extra varieties of vegetables when you prepare soups, sauces and casseroles (for example, add grated carrots and courgettes to spaghetti sauce) 17.       Take advantage of salad bars, which offer ready-to-eat raw vegetables and fruits and prepared salads made with fruits and vegetables 18.       Use vegetable based juices such as carrot juice when preparing sauces.

Here is a handy guide I wrote suggesting over 50 ways to add portions of fruit and vegetables to your dishes.

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Naturally fermented home made vegetable pickles

Pickles are one of the most widely used forms of fermented foods. Many ancient cultures developed various pickling methods as a way of preserving vegetables through the winter.

Pickles increase the appetite, aid digestion, and strengthen the intestine by enhancing the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

During the fermentation process, enzymes and bacteria change the sugars in foods into lactic acid. Lactic acid strengthens the flora in the intestines.

Whilst many modern people are familiar only with highly spiced and vinegary cucumber pickles, an assortment of root, round and greeny leafy vegetables may be pickled as well as some sea vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, and even flowers.

In addition to salt, pickles may be aged in tamari soy sauce, miso, umeboshi vinegar and other substances.

Pickles come in several strengths.

Short pickles can be made in a few hours to a few days or weeks. These light pickles are especially good in hot weather or for those who need to limit their consumption of salt.

Long pickles take from several weeks to several months to make and they can keep for several years. They are good all year round but are especially helpful for those who are weak or lacking in vitality.

If pickles taste too salty they can be soaked in cold water for half an hour before using.

Making pickles at home is great fun as there are so many combinations of ingredients and pickling solutions that you can let your imagination run riot.

When making pickles, use fresh vegetables that are firm, crisp and bright in colour.

Radish pickles

10-12 radishes, finely sliced
¾ cup water
¼ cup red plum (umeboshi) seasoning
½ tsp fine sea salt

1. Wash and sterilize some jam jars
2. Mix the water, red plum seasoning and sea salt until dissolved
3. Place sliced radishes in jar. Pour in the liquid until the radishes are covered.
4. Cover the jar with muslin and leave in a cool dark place for 2-3 days
5. Remove muslin and put on lid of jam jar
6. Store in the fridge for at least a week

Carrot pickles

2 medium carrots, cut into thin slices
1 cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
½ tsp salt
2 thin slices fresh ginger root

1. Place all ingredients in a clean, sterilised glass jar

2. Repeat the same process as for the first recipe

White cabbage pickles

3 cups white cabbage, finely cut
2 cups water
2 tsp fine sea salt

1. Place all the ingredients in a clean, sterilised glass jar. Mix well.
2. Repeat the same process as for the other recipes. Pickle for 10 days.

After pickling the vegetables should still be as firm and crunchy as when raw but with a pleasant sour flavour from the pickling.

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Encourage children to eat more vegetables by growing your own

Preschool children in rural areas eat more fruits and vegetables when the produce is homegrown.

"It was a simple, clear finding," said Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., director of Saint Louis University's Obesity Prevention Center and a study author. "Whether a food is homegrown makes a difference. Garden produce creates what we call a 'positive food environment.'"

Researchers interviewed about 1,600 parents of preschool-aged children who live in the countryside. They found that preschool children who were almost always served homegrown fruits and vegetables were more than twice as likely to eat five servings a day than those who rarely or never ate homegrown produce.

The UK government recommends a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Children who grow up eating fresh-from-the-garden produce also prefer the taste of fruits and vegetables to other foods, the parents told researchers.

The study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found the garden-fed children were more likely to see their parents eating fruits and vegetables.

A greater variety of fruits and vegetables -- more tomatoes, cantaloupe, broccoli, beans and carrots -- also were available in the homes of families who nearly always had homegrown produce.

The implications of the research are important because they point to a simple way of getting kids to eat more healthily, Haire-Joshu said. Plant a garden or encourage your school to do so.

For more ideas on how to encourage your children to eat more fruit and vegetables, come along to a Cooking for Health course on Healthy Cooking for Your Children, in Somerset, UK.