A great campaign has started this week ‘Veg Power’ an initiative to get children eating more vegetables, I am a huge supporter of this and really think more work needs to be done to make fruit and veg seem cool to kids! So in light of this I thought it would be a good time to go back to a basics and talk about why and how we can achieve 5 a day…

The 5-a-day message has been around for years, it sounds simple ‘eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day’. Evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that there are significant health benefits to eating 400g (5 portions) of fruit and vegetables a day, yet only 8% of teenagers and around a third of adults are achieving this number. The WHO state that reaching 5-a-day can lower the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. So, why does the UK do so poorly on meeting this recommendation? We are here to help identify what counts towards your 5-a-day and give you some top tips on how to add them in to your daily diet.

Why 5-a-day?

Not only can fruit and vegetables help reduce your risk of diet related diseases but they help contribute to a healthy, balanced diet. Fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, potassium and folate, and eating a variety of foods can help you meet your recommended daily intake. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of dietary fibre and can help maintain a healthy gut and prevent digestion problems. In the UK, the guidelines for fibre are set at 30g per day however, we are only hitting around 18g. A high fibre diet has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of bowel cancer, check out my blog post on fibre here.

What is a portion?

A recommended portion is approximately 80g. Here are some examples of one 80g portion from the British Dietetic Association:

• One banana
• Half an avocado
• Two satsumas
• Two handfuls of berries
• One heaped tablespoon of dried fruit
• Three heaped tablespoon of fruit salad
• Three heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned all count!)
• Three heaped tablespoons of beans, peas, lentils however, these pulses only count as one portion even if you have more than 80g.

Fruits and vegetables do not have to be fresh or organic to count towards your 5-a-day. Canned, frozen, dried fruit and 100% fruit juice all count. It is important to note that if you have more than 150ml fruit juice a day it does not count to more than one portion. The UK government recommend the 150ml limit due to fibre being removed in the juicing process. Dentists also recommend having fruit juices with a meal, for example having a small glass of fresh orange juice with your breakfast. This is to prevent possible tooth decay due to the sugar released once fruit is juiced.

Achieving your 5-a-day

Five a day is a minimum target for fruit and vegetables. Adding fruit to your breakfast, extra vegetables to your meals and switching some salty snacks for carrots, peppers or cucumber with dips such as hummus can be easy ways to up your intake. Once you have comfortable reached 5-a-day see if you can sneak some more in, the more vegetables the better.

Top Tips

1. As mentioned above, your fruit and vegetables don’t have to be fresh all the time. A top tip is to ensure that you have frozen and tinned options to hand for those last-minute meals and to also prevent food waste. Broccoli, onions, butternut squash and berries are easy, convenient foods to have in the freezer. Tomatoes, sweetcorn, peas, roasted peppers and mixed beans are great to have in your cupboards. Chickpea stews are a great ‘go to’ meal and which can be made with all cupboard/freezer ingredients.
2. Switching meat for beans, lentils or pulses can be a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and get closer towards your 5-a-day. Loading up stews, curries or chilli with beans and variety of vegetables can be a cheap, tasty and a nutritious way to cut down on meat (maybe even start halving the meat content if you do not want to cut meat out completely.)
3. Seasonal fruit and vegetables can be easier and cheaper to get your hands on, so try to hunt down a great local farmer market (this can also reduce your plastic usage as they do not tend to come pre-packaged) to see what is in season, they may even taste better than those that have been brought over from Peru.
4. Variety is key. Nutritionists always talk about a balanced diet but that is not another word for ‘healthy.’ The BDA recommend ‘eating the rainbow’ choosing each portion of fruit and vegetables from the following colours: red, green, yellow, white, purple and orange. The different coloured fruit and vegetables contain their own combination of vitamins, minerals and of course, fibre.

The key message is to make eating 5-a-day easier and more accessible. The NHS and Change 4 life have great resources when it comes to making swaps, and the internet has great recipe ideas. Adding one portion of fruit or vegetables to your day for a couple of weeks is a great start if the thought of 5 a day is too overwhelming. Think of it as adding nutrients to your existing diet, not restricting or cutting nutrients out.

Carbohydrates tend to have a bad reputation, with crash diets and catchy sayings such as ‘no carbs before marbs’ it can be nutrient people are afraid of. However, carbohydrates are essential for our body as they are converted in to glucose which is used by our body for energy and keeps our organs and muscles functioning. So, why do we get so scared of them when they are our bodies main source of energy?! Knowledge is power and so before you start to cut the bread out or think fruit is just as bad as a chocolate bar lets find out more about them.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates come in two overarching forms, there are simple carbohydrates (free sugars) and complex (starchy) carbohydrates.

Simple Carbohydrates sources are fruit, vegetables, milk and milk products.

Complex Carbohydrates sources are beans, wholegrains (bread, pasta) rice and vegetables.

All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in our body. However, the simple/free sugars break down more quickly whilst complex carbohydrates break down over a longer period.

If we cut carbohydrates out of our diet or cannot get enough from our diets due to being malnourished our bodies turn to other sources. This may mean our bodies start converting fatty acids into energy. Using fatty acids as energy may increase ketone levels which in some circumstances can be harmful. Our brains preferred energy source is glucose and so when this is not available it has to adapt to using the ketones, whilst this is happening protein is broken down therefore potentially resulting in muscle loss.

Sources of carbohydrates:

Starchy, wholegrain foods are a great source of carbohydrates, they can be high in fibre and carry health benefits when consumed in a healthy, balanced diet. Foods such as wholegrain pasta, rice, grains, cereals, and wholemeal bread contain additional nutrients such as fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins too. Teaming complex carbohydrates with protein, fruit/vegetables and healthy fats are a great way to leading a healthy, balanced diet.

Sugars can be a confusing topic and has been covered by a previous blog but here is a little recap. Free sugars are sugars that are added to food or can be found naturally in honey or fruit juices. The government have recently made recommendations that we try to be aware of free sugars and try to limit our intake. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) state that an adult should be having around 30g free sugars per day which is around 7 teaspoons as they are high in energy however, have very little nutrient value.

It is important to note that free sugars do NOT include sugars naturally found in milk, fruit or vegetables.

Portion Sizes:

Portion sizes tend to cause confusion amongst the general public, everybody is different and so will need different amounts. The BDA state “As a general rule, a portion about the size of your fist is an appropriate meal time portion of carbohydrate. This can then be adjusted depending on your activity levels. According to scientific experts around half of our energy intake should come from carbohydrate”

Low carbohydrate diets:

Carbohydrates are one of the first nutrients people turn to when looking to lose weight, at first people may see weight loss but this is often associated with water loss (as carbohydrates bind to water molecules) however, maintaining a low carbohydrate diet is rarely sustainable and is not recommended for a healthy, balanced diet. As after all we eat food, not nutrients so cutting foods that contain carbohydrates out may lead to deficiencies in micronutrients. It is always worth looking at portion sizes, but this is the same for all nutrients, as carbohydrates gram for gram have less calories than fat.

What is glycaemic index?

The GI (glycaemic index) is a measure of how fast glucose from food is released into the bloodstream. Carbohydrates can be rated on their GI level due to how quickly they affect the sugar levels in the blood.

Low GI foods cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall slowly and are more likely to be foods such as some fruit and vegetables, beans and wholegrains. High GI foods release sugars a lot quicker however, it is important to note that just because a food is considered low GI it doesn’t necessarily mean it is healthier. Bupa use the example of how parsnips have a higher GI than chocolate and ice-cream even though parsnips are the healthier option so, it is important to bear that in mind when using the GI measure of carbohydrates.

In summary there is place for carbohydrates in the majority of diets, of course there are people who have to monitor their intake due to conditions such as diabetes but for the general public carbohydrates should not be a scary food source. They contain lots of other nutrients such as fibre which is great for a healthy gut and heart. Being mindful of the portion sizes is important but this goes for all foods and finding what works for you, your lifestyle and activity levels.

To find out more on carbohydrates and achieving a balanced diet, the British Dietetic Association have a great website or you can seek advice from a Registered Dietitian or Nutritionist.

References:

Bupa, British Dietetic Association, NHS

Photo Credit – The Pulse