23 October 2009
What counts as one of your 5-a-day?
Apple: fresh 1 medium apple
Apricot: fresh 3 apricots
Apricot: ready to eat 3 whole
Avocado Half an avocado
Banana: fresh 1 medium banana
Blackberries 1 handful (9 to 10 blackberries)
Blackcurrants 4 heaped tablespoons
Blueberries 2 handfuls (4 heaped tablespoons)
Cherries: fresh 14 cherries
Clementines 2 clementines
Damsons 5 to 6 damsons
Fruit juice 1 medium glass (150ml)
Fruit salad: fresh 3 heaped tablespoons
Fruit smoothie 1 medium glass (150ml)
Gooseberries 1 handful
Grapefruit segments: canned 3 heaped tablespoons (8 segments)
Grapefruit: fresh Half a grapefruit
Grapes 1 handful
Kiwi fruit 2 kiwi fruit
Lychee: fresh 6 lychees
Mandarin orange: fresh 1 medium orange
Mango 2 slices (2-inch slice)
Melon 1 slice (2-inch slice)
Mixed fruit: dried 1 heaped tablespoon
Nectarine 1 nectarine
Orange 1 orange
Passion fruit 5 to 6 fruit
Paw paw (papaya): fresh 1 slice
Peach: fresh 1 medium peach
Pear: fresh 1 medium pear
Pear: ready to eat 2 halves
Pineapple: fresh 1 large slice
Plum 2 medium plums
Raspberries: fresh 2 handfuls
Rhubarb: cooked 2 heaped tablespoons
Satsuma 2 small satsumas
Strawberry: fresh 7 strawberries
Tangerine 2 small tangerines
Why do I need 5-a-day?
Eating 5-a-day (400g of fruit and vegetables) provides protection against super oxide radicals; meaning that they help reduce the risk of heart disease, some cancers and stroke.
Superfoods - some fruits and vegetables are supercharged with health benefits. e.g. watercress, pomegranate and pumpkins. Vegetables provide more benefits than fruit - up to twice as much.
Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables will give you plenty of vitamins and minerals, as many of them are naturally high in folic acid, vitamin C and potassium. They’re also a good source of fibre and antioxidants. These are important for your health now and in the future.
Fruit and veg are generally low fat, low calorie foods (provided you don’t fry or roast them in lots of oil). So by choosing to eat them over less healthy foods that are high in fat and added sugars, can help you to maintain a healthier lifestyle and weight.
Eating 5 A DAY will keep you looking and feeling good inside and out.
Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in as wide a range of colours as possible provides the best health benefits. Growing your own enables you to experiment with new things - such as multi-coloured carrots.
