Why is it important to eat your 5 a Day?

A balanced Diet is important for an energized lifestyle and healthy body. This is why it is important to integrate as much fruit and vegetables into your day as you can in order to obtain vitamins, minerals and fibre, contributing to the wellbeing of your body. This may also reduce the risk of disease and some cancers. There is a large variety of food available, even for picky eaters.

What counts as a 5 a Day?

For adults, one portion is 80 g, meaning a large slice of fruit, medium apple, banana and a handful of grapes. If fresh fruit is something you are struggling to get used to, 30 g of dried fuit such as raisins, cherries or date also count as one portion of your 5 a Day. Even if you integrate your vegetables in your meals such as a veggie lasagne, it still counts.

To me, it is very important to add a portion of vegetables to my meals such as tomatoes for Breakfast, broccolie for Lunch and a salad for Dinner. 80 g of Vegetables are classed as one portion and this can include three heaped tablespoons of peas, sliced carrots or mixed corn, four heaped tablespoons of cooked greens such as cabbage or a desert bowl of salad greens.

Fruit juice can also be classed as a 5 a Day but only once in the form of 150 ml. It doesn’t matter how much fruit juice you consume, only the said amount counts. This is because of the side effects the fruit sugar has on the body such as damaging teeth. Diluting this with water will make it go further and does not take a huge amount of the taste. I personally prefer water added to my juices because it feels too sweet to me.

Many think that potatoes are part of the 5 a Day diet but truth is, they are not. The starchy food is a great source of energy, fibre, B Vitamins and Potassium but unfortunately doesn’t count as a portion. When eaten, these are usually used in place of pasta, rice or bread which identifies them as a side dish. In comparison, sweet potatoes, parsnips, swedes and turnips do count towards a more balanced diet and therefore provide a portion of your 5 a Day.

Benefits:

1. Eating a healthy diet packed with your 5 a Day ensure the intake of the necessary nutrition to stay healthy and lower the risk of various diseases. The World Health Organisation has found that 85 % of adult cancers are avoidable due to half of these being related to nutrition deficiencies.
2. During winter time, the flu is the most annoying health issue everywhere. If eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, minor infection such as colds and flu are less likely to occur, particularly if kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, red peppers, and citrus fruits are integrated into the diet. This is due to their high levels of Vitamin C which helps your immune systems fights these infections before even occurring.
3. A diet containing blueberries at least 3 times a week can stimulate the additional growth of brain cells, significantly decreasing the risk of memory loss at old age. This can withhold and prevent memory deterioration.
4. Dairy products are known to build strong and healthy bones but darl green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale can have the same effect on the human skeleton. These also provide calcium, while only 1 gram of onion a day contribute to strengthening the bones.
5. There are so many ways of creating healthy and very delicious meals with a variety of fruit and vegetables. It has been found that it aids in weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. Fruit and vegetables contain the lowest amount of calories, making it so much more satisfying to eat and feeling better in your own skin.
6. Fruit and Vegetables have a major benefit on healthy skin, nails, and hair. I have suffered from acne all my life and my skin always gets worse when I eat fast food or foods filled with fat and carbs. If I eat just a small portion of fruit or vegetables, my skin feels less oily and my acne gradually clears up.

Remember, just because you manage to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, doesn’t mean you should stop. If it is possible to consume more, eat more because the more the better.

How I integrate my 5 a Day into my Diet:

Breakfast:

I think in the morning it is so easy to integrate a huge portion of fruit and vegetables. I often struggle to eat Breakfast because I tend to feel quite sick after getting up, so a loaded smoothie is my go to snack. I usually add oats and whatever I can find in my fridge and freezer, such as spinach, banana, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and much more. Whatever fits, I put in there.

Yogurt mixed with fruit is also a great way to have a light and energizing breakfast. My all time favorite yogurt is Greek yogurt with honey. It has a bitter, but also sweet taste, creating a perfect mix of flavour with the fruit.

If you feel like a bigger Breakfast with a lot more fibre, fry some scrambled eggs with tomatoes and some beans on toast. Some meats such as bacon and sausages can be added, giving extra flavour and creating a more filling Breakfast.

Lunch:

When you are at work, it is often easier to take a pack up such as a sandwich. Believe it or not, it is so easy to integrate a huge variety of fruit and vegetables into a simple pack up. Put some lettuce in your sandwich with sliced tomato and some egg, or create some fajitas loaded with vegetables and a type of meat. In addition a handful of grapes can help fill you up or if you like to snack on cucumber or carrots, take some of them. Create a colourful lunch box, then lunch isn’t as boring as you might think.

Taken soup to work in which you can add some vegetables such as peas, carrots, sliced mushrooms, sweetcorn or asparagus is another great way to brighten up your lunch.

I like to keep a pouched filled with mixed nuts and dried fruit in my bag as a snack just in case I get slightly hungry. This doesn’t fill me up much but it is a great bridge between Breakfast and Lunch and Dinner.

Dinner:

After working 12 hours, I am often so tired and want someting quick for Dinner. A pizza therefore often sounds tempting hence it is so much fun to load it with a massive variety of vegetables such as mushrooms, peppers, onions and spinach. Watch your calories though because a Pizza alone can contain up to 900 calories, taking up almost half of your daily calorie goal.

A stir fry mixed with delicious herbs, some meat and vegetables is another quick and easy way to eat healthy for Dinner. I absolutely love soya sauce and Rice noodles mixed into my stir fry. It fills me up and gives my body all the nutrients needed.

Mashed potatoes or chips are also a popular Dinner choice. Make sure you have at least one portion of vegetables on your plate. This can either be Cabbage, carrots, broccolie, green beans etc. This way you and your body are not missing out on important vitamins.