And by giving leeway to individual manufacturers and retailers, it has opened up space in which ambiguity and imprecision can flourish. I only fear that it's being exploited and manipulated, not so much devalued but misrepresented, so that it ultimately starts to confuse people, and they start to question the message.
People are confused by the mass of information out there now. The confusion arises the moment consumers start to read labels. Although these are meant to conform to the government's specification of 80g portion sizes, tremendous disparity prevails. At Waitrose , one kiwi is one of your five a day. There are discrepancies even within the same retailer.
The mathematics of this last one do not bear examination, as the entire pack weighs g and contains 17 tomatoes, making three tomatoes only half the requisite 80g. Tesco even sells own-label pitted prunes that promise "half of one of your five a day". Tomato puree advertises one of your five in just a teaspoon: tempting. Five-a-day labelling, in short, is all over the place. How should we label it? She went to the British Standards Institution to try to understand what a portion might be.
Spoons change with fashion. But why are the differences between shops so great? Consider a shopper at an out-of-town retail park who wishes to buy some pineapple to satisfy one of her five a day. Next, she goes into Waitrose and finds that if she buys her chopped pineapple here, she need eat only eight chunks to have eaten a portion of fruit. At Asda , she can buy a tiny slice of pineapple for 50p, weighing exactly 80g, and one of her five a day.
At all these stores, a whole, fresh pineapple — the more economical purchase — carries no five-a-day marketing at all. Not on the fruit — understandably — but not on the shelf either. Retailers use the five-a-day labelling more routinely on products with a higher profit margin — prepared fruits and salads, packaged vegetables and so on.
Loose fruits and vegetables — usually the cheapest option — are rarely labelled as one of your five a day, whether you shop at Iceland or Tesco. At Waitrose, the link between higher-cost products and the five-a-day labelling is even more apparent. The store's cheaper Essentials range contains almost no five-a-day labelling. Plus, you can serve them in any sort of recipe to make things extra tasty. A ml glass of V8 original vegetable juice counts towards your 5 a day.
Some portions only count once per day. Vegetable juice, smoothies and fruit juices only count once per day towards your 5 a day. Plus, crushing fruit and vegetables into juice and smoothies releases the sugars they contain, which can damage your teeth.
While a good source of fibre, beans and pulses contain fewer vitamins and minerals than other portions of fruit and veg. As such, they only count once per day as well. The same is generally true for yarns, cassava and plantain. There are plenty of ways to cut the cost and eat healthy on a budget. For example, bananas cost less than 25p in a supermarket, which is far less than the average chocolate bar.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are also cheaper when they are in season, and they taste better too. Quick and easy ways to get more of your 5 a day include drinking vegetable juice such as V8 , which provides 1 portion of your 5 a day. Our juice can also be used to whip up quick and easy family meals such as this delicious 7 Ingredient Chunky Chilli. You can also stock up on tinned and frozen fruits and packaged dried fruit which lasts longer than fresh varieties.
This can make getting your 5 a day a serious challenge. If you persevere, you might find something you like. Have fun trying lots of different foods and discovering new flavours. For a quick and easy way to start getting your 5 a day, try our tasty V8 Original juice!
The problem for some of us, however, is that within this expanse of food lie some less nutritious options - and sometimes we simply aren't getting the nutrients we need. In an attempt to reinforce the importance of unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods - the 5 a day campaign was officially backed by the UK Government in The campaign advised that eating 5 portions of fruit and veg in total every day would help protect against common health problems like heart disease. So why exactly is fruit and veg so important?
Here are some key nutritional benefits:. Because different fruit and veg have different nutritional benefits, try to enjoy a variety of types to get the most from your 5 a day. On top of the health benefits, making your diet more plant-based is great for the planet.
Upping your vegetable intake and reducing your meat intake decreases the amount of water and land needed for food production whilst decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Read up on the flexitarian approach and the planetary diet to learn more. A common question for those trying to fit 5 portions of fruit and veg in their diet is: what counts towards the 5 a day guide?
The answer is, almost all fruits and vegetables. As well as fresh varieties, the following also count towards your recommended daily amount:. This question has been hotly debated. The reason juice has been debated as part of your 5 a day is due to the high levels of sugars that are released when the fruit is juiced.
Because of this, when it comes to fruit juices and smoothies it's recommended that you enjoy those with no added sugar and not to rely on these as your main source of fruit and veg. Red meat and the risk of bowel cancer What is a Mediterranean diet? How to prepare and cook food safely How to store food and leftovers 10 ways to prevent food poisoning Why you should never wash raw chicken Cooking turkey How to wash fruit and vegetables The truth about sweeteners Sprouted seeds safety advice. Calorie checker.
Healthy recipes Healthy breakfasts Surprising calorie snacks. Common digestive problems and how to treat them Good foods to help your digestion 5 lifestyle tips for a healthy tummy Beat the bloat Should you cut out bread to stop bloating?
Video: how much is 5 A Day? Media last reviewed: 1 May Media review due: 1 May
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