Know Your 5 A Day

March 12, 2021

You may already know that we should eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day. Let’s break down that simple rule to help make it more understandable.

– A portion should weigh around 80g to count towards 1 of your 5 a day. You shouldn’t have more than 2 portions of the same item of food, meaning we should be having a wide variety in our choices.
– Your fruits and vegetables don’t have to be fresh they can also be frozen, dried, canned or juiced.
– 100%, unsweetened juices and smoothies will count towards your daily total but only as a 150ml portion. If you drink more than this amount it will still only count as one portion due to it’s higher sugar content.
– Potatoes, vitamin pills and supplements do not count towards your total as they don’t provide the same health benefits as eating fruits and vegetables.
– Portion sizes for children vary and as a rough guide, imagine that a portion would sit in the palm of their hand.

Fruits

1 Piece = 1 Portion:
Apple, Banana, Orange, Pear, Kiwi…etc

Berries:
Approx. 4x Strawberries, 16x Grapes, 28x Blueberries

Dried Fruits:
1 portion = 30g

Vegetables

1 Piece = 1 Portion:
1 Medium Carrot, 1 Small Onion, 1/2 Sweet Potato

Salad:
4-5 Lettuce Leaves, 1 Large Celery Stick, 1/2 Pepper, 1 Medium Chunk of Cucumber, 7 Cherry Tomatoes

Frozen Veg:
5-6 Broccoli Stems, Small Bowl of Sweetcorn or Peas

Beans and Pulses:
Remember, these only ever count as 1 portion a day no matter if you have more because of their lower nutrient content
Check the label but generally 1/2 tin counts as 1 portion

I’m not expecting you to start weighing out your foods, simply use this as a rough guide to keep on track of your portions each day. 1 portion is roughly what can fit in the palm of your hand.
You don’t have to eat a whole portion of 1 variety for it to count, in fact, you are better off varying your intake so that you are receiving a range of nutrients.
For example, instead of having 1 apple you could have 1/2 apple, 1 strawberry and 4 grapes on top of your pancakes which will equate to 1 portion but from a range of flavours. The same goes for making a chilli or curry, you’ll be including many smaller portions of vegetables that then equal to 2-3 portions of vegetables per serving.