Maybe not UK specific but keen to know what everyone eats and if they’re getting they’re 5 a day. I don’t think I ever have.

46 comments

  1. I just add plenty of veg to every meal. I probably eat way over 5 portions, but I love vegetables.

    For example, if you are having a sandwich, add a bit of lettuce and cucumber.

    Our main meal is generally a big mix of various veg in a pot, with a small amount of meat, fish or cheese.

    Eat a bit of fruit every day.

    Have a glass of fruit juice.

    Add some raisins to your breakfast cereal.

    Have a side salad with your meal

    Eat some carrots as a snack, or some cucumber, or a stick of celery or a few tomatoes.

    Apparently, originally it was supposed to be 10 portions of vegetables per day, but they thought no one would do that, so they dropped it to 5 and made it fruit AND veg.

  6. Breakfast: Yoghurt, muesli with peacans, pumpkin seeds, chia, sultans and dates. Blueberries and dates.

    Dinner: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers, sweet potato, sauerkraut, tahini

    Tea: roasted peppers, tomatoes, courgette, onion with some pasta. Might add spinach.

  8. We’re gonna get weaker. That’s already happened. They used to say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Now they’re saying eat five fruits. That’s evidence. You can’t argue with that.

  9. I usually have one portion of fruit with breakfast (usually a banana, today was blueberries), a couple of portions of veg as a soup or salad (lentil, beetroot and goats cheese today, with two portions there), and a couple of portions with dinner (big green salad with extra cherry tomatoes, avocado and cucumber today), plus a glass of juice with one meal, and an extra portion of fruit or some cherry tomatoes. Mostly manage it, though some days I do get to the evening and find myself lining up an apple, a couple of tangerines and a pack of cherry tomatoes to slam through like I’m doing shots.

    Dunno if it’s of any use, but meals like chilli, stir fry and veg-heavy stews can be pretty good for incorporating 2-3 portions without even having any veg on the side. Lentils and beans can count as one portion, and swapping potatoes for sweet potatoes can add another. I quite like roasting a big tray of sweet potatoes, parsnips, broccoli, etc, to reheat as a side, it’s a nice alternative if you’re not a big fan of the more grassy salad vegetables.

  11. I’m vegetarian so it’s easy. Today for example, apple for a snack, sandwich and salad for lunch (so tomato, cucumber, pepper and olives) and that’s my 5 a day done.

    For dinner tonight I’m planning on cooking a Kyiv with potatoes, green beans, soya beans and peas.

  12. It depends on what kind of day I’m having and if I’ve cooked/meal prepped beforehand.

    Breakfast: If I have cereal/porridge then I add a big handful of raisins (although some days I just grab some toast and go)

    Snack: elevenses is usually a banana

    Lunch: If I’ve brought in lunch from home, it usually has 2 or sometimes 3 portions of veg in it (depending on if I’ve cooked with meat – often I just add an extra tin of mixed beans/chickpeas etc if I don’t have any meat). Things like stews, curries, stir fries etc are easy (and cheaper) to bulk out with veg.

    Snack: usually a couple of satsumas or some carrot sticks

    Dinner: As above, if I’m cooking from scratch (or reheating) then there’s usually 2 or 3 portions of veg. Served with juice (I tend to dilute the juice with water, but will drink two glasses so it’s the equivalent of two servings). Doesn’t have to be a big meal prep thing – last night I was knackered so just had jacket potato with beans and cheese, and made a quick ‘leftover veg’ salad of tomatoes, cucumber and some slightly limp looking green pepper. Salad needs some fucking dressing though – always have some nice oil and vinegar available (last night I used sesame oil and balsamic vinegar – both cheap from Lidl) and some sesame seeds (which make every salad/stir fry etc feel *fancy* and a big bag is cheap and lasts forever).

    Of course some days I just want to exist on toast and tea/a big fuck off pizza/any carbs. That’s fine too.

  13. Breakfast is nearly always carb based so that’s a bit of a write off.

    I am terrible at eating fruit unless its something exciting as a treat so try and have a glass of mixed fruit juice/smoothie a day (full of sugar I know!).

    My partner is vegan so we are quite good at eating a lot of vegetables with dinner/meals at home.

  14. I blend up a veg/fruit smoothie in the morning. Banana, blueberries, strawberries with a handful of prepackaged power greens, kale, spinach, beet greens, chard.
    Lunch usually includes some kind of fruit and veg, and dinner we always make a salad and veg with whatever we’re having.

  16. I generally do. i wont say i do every day – we all have blips, but there are other days where i eat far over that so it balances.

    **Breakfast**: muesli with yogurt in warmer months, Porridge with apple in the colder ones

    **Lunch**: either left overs, pasta pesto, or Cheese and Cucumber sandwich. I’ll usually have carrot/cucumber sticks here and maybe a piece of fruit – or i may save the fruit for a snack later on

    **Tea**: Curry, Stir Fry, Chili, Casseroles, risotto, we plan to have a few vegetarian meals each week. I always aim for the evening meal to have 3 vegetables in it at a minimum.

    We’ve been having more side salads recently (cucumber, onion, lettuce, spinach) as my boyfriend is endlessly hungry, but also trying to lose weight so it bulks the meal out a bit – its better than eating seconds anyway.

    Don’t forget that things like tinned chopped tomato’s count as 1 of your 5 a day (base of many sauces) as does half a tin of baked beans.

    Beans and lentils in general count but they are only meant to count for 1 of your portions each day as tehy good, but not as good as other vegetables. If you add a handful of red lentils when cooking mince (ie. for a chili, lasagne, cottage pie) it doesn’t change the end result much but it counts towards a 5 a day – also cuts costs which is nice.

    Frozen veg also counts – its frozen at peak freshness so has plenty of nutrition. often when people start wanting to eat more veg a big barrier for entry is the worry it will go off, or stress over the additional prep etc. frozen veg cuts out both of these. keeping a bag of frozen peas and one of sweetcorn in is handy, they go well with a lot of meals and take about 5 mins to cook.

    Remember that boiled veg needs a lot less cooking than your parents and grand parents probably did – frozen peas take about 5 mins… not 20 as my mother believed. this gives them much better flavour. roasted veg is amazing, but oil can add up if that’s a concern

    the Aldi super 6 are a great way to grab cheaper fruit – which can add up in price. We keep a fruit bowl in the middle of the kitchen/living room (open plan) so it is easy to grab as the default snack. I’m lazy so basically eat the first thing i see if I’m hungry.

  17. Banana with breakfast, 3 oranges with lunch, some salad in a wrap or sandwich for lunch, a few portions of veg with an evening meal

  20. Always have at least 1 veg item in my lunch and dinner – so that usually accounts for 2 or 3 a day. I might have a banana for breakfast and maybe an easy-peeler as a mid-morning snack. Fruit juices count as well so it’s not difficult.

  22. I buy a bunch of bananas and keep them at work. They’re cheap and filling and I bloody love them.

    Same with a little thing of satsumas. Just east to pick up and eat. Basically anything that doesn’t require much prep works for me

  23. I do most days but then destroy the benefits with booze and unhealthy snacks.

  24. Five a day is one of these things like ten glasses of water that’s has no scientific proof to back it up.

  26. I aim to get my 5 a day in as early as possible, so by midday I’m done and can eat whatever I like without worrying about getting more veg in. I usually start with a satsuma and a banana, then 2nd breakfast is usually porridge with some fruit on top, and then elevenses is something like scrambled eggs with some mushrooms, spinach or tomatoes. At that point I’ve had my 5 a day, and any other veg with lunch and dinner is a bonus.

  27. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Usually weekdays I manage it, but weekends are a bit hit & miss.

    Breakfast: Fruit with yoghurt. Typically a banana, or maybe 80g (a portion) blueberries or strawberries if they’re on offer.

    Lunch: basic salad – big bowl of leaves, with at least 80g each cherry tomatoes and cucumber, and various meat/cheese toppings. Sometimes I’ll add sweetcorn or red pepper if I’ve got some in.

    Dinner: varies, sometimes its veggie risotto or veggie chilli, so loads of veg in it. Or quiche with large portions of 2 different veg on the side. Maybe a jacket potato with a big side salad, or a veg-heavy soup.

    Snacks: always have apples and bananas in for healthier snacking.

    Basically, I aim to have at least 1 80g portion of fruit or veg with every meal, and the reality is I’ll likely have 2 or more, depending. Some days I hit 5, some days I can hit 10, other times it’s just 1 or 2. I don’t worry about hitting a specific target though, and I think eating a wide variety of fruit & veg regularly is the most important thing, not hitting a fairly arbitrary “5 portions” target and calling it a day.

  29. Honestly I’m very bad at getting enough fruit and veg. I have very sensitive tastebuds and a lot of fruits overwhelm my mouth, which sounds silly I know but it’s the only way I can describe it – almost like a very loud noise overwhelms your ears, fruits do this to my tastebuds. I find it easier in summer when berries are in season in the U.K., I’ll eat a whole punnet of raspberries, blackberries or cherries quite easily when they’re fresher and more local.

    I have the same problem when it comes to things like leafy greens etc, but I do enjoy other vegetables like broccoli, carrots, peas, corn etc. but my problem is that I live alone and work shifts so i more often than not find myself just having something quick for my meals.

    I take a multi vitamin every day because I know beyond a doubt my diet isn’t great and I don’t get the right nutrients from food.

  30. I ignore it, because it’s based on dodgy science and promotes a bad message. YoU muST EaT ThiS MuCH FruIT & vEG or DIEEE! is the usual negative framing that puts people off. Same as the 10,000 steps bs, which was pulled out his arse by a marketing manager and also promotes the negative idea that less then 10,000 steps is failure.

  31. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, it’s actually supposed to be a minimum of about 8-10 a day but it was felt that was an unmanageable target for most people and the slogan became 5 a day.

    So even hitting 5 a day you’re not actually hitting the recommended minimum of fruit and veg.

  32. so far today I’ve had some raspberries and blue berries for breakfast, and a banana and a glass or orange juice

    For tea it will either be chipotle sweetcorn and black beans, or perhaps veggie pizza with homemade coleslaw.

    Yesterday I had a banana, a clementine, cauliflower cheese with broad beans and broccoli

    I reckon I make five a day nearly every day TBH

  33. Eat an entire Terry’s Chocolate Orange. I mean oranges are fruit aren’t they?

  34. Omlette with onions, peppers and mushrooms

    Apple slices with peanutbutter

    Carrots or peppers with hummus

    Banana

    Broccoli, peppers and peas with some chicken and rice

    I usually have that every day. Works out about a fiver a week because I buy some of it frozen.

  35. It’s a myth, so I don’t, much like the “8 glasses of water per day” myth.

  36. Cereal with fruit in (today was sultana bran).

    Cook vegetables into dinner. Tonight I made Louisiana dirty rice so that was onions, red onions, peppers, green beans and sweetcorn. Dinners that are easy for multiple plant portions might include a homemade curry (onions, tomatoes, spinach) or chilli (onions, tomatoes, peppers, beans) or a stir-fry or a roast dinner. Avoid veg-free dinners such as fish finger butty!

    Don’t eat without 1 of your 5. So that means:

    When you’re feeling snackish, get a tangerine ~~as well as~~ rather than a biscuit, or hummus and carrot sticks ~~as well as~~ rather than crisps.

    If you’re getting a takeaway, always include something with vegetables in even if it’s spring rolls or samosas or something.

    And if you really want that fish finger butty, have a glass of juice with it.

  37. I stick a few handfuls of frozen broccoli and spinach in a food blender and drink it with whatever else I’m eating.

  38. Honestly it’s not that difficult if you plan and cook your meals from scratch, there’s lots of way to incorporate fruit and veg throughout your meals.

    Breakfast – some quick ideas: yoghurt with fruit, a glass of juice, vegetable omelette, overnight oats with berries

    Lunch – so many possibilities but I like to have salads, veggie soups, pittas with roast peppers and hummus, vegetable quiche, cold pasta salad with sweetcorn/peppers/spinach/tomatoes/onions, or just leftovers from dinner.

    Dinner – I usually get at least 3 veg servings into dinner. Add vegetable sides or include it in the main. For example with spag bol, there’s the tomato sauce but we’ll also add carrots, mushrooms, courgettes or aubergines. Vegetarian curries can also include lots of veg, for example, saag paneer with carrot and onion pakoras plus some raw salad of onions and tomatoes. Or how about a stir fry? Easy enough to chuck in some cabbage, carrots, sweetcorn, mange tout, sugar snaps. Even a simple oven dish like roast chicken, I’d add a traybake of vegetables, you could do Mediterranean flavors with tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes and red onions. Or chicken with lemon and garlic potatoes, green beans, courgettes and leeks. Or how about chucking in some cauliflower, broccoli and beans into your mac and cheese? A nacho tray bake with some charred corn, pickled red onions and guacamole?

    Plus a snack on an apple or grapes or carrot sticks once a day. You’re already exceeding 5 a day.

  39. A “lady” might have a different idea if you ask her if she’s “getting 5 a day”…

  40. Literally one salad at lunch 2 glasses of juice anytime and some veg with dinner.

  43. 5 a day is a completely arbitrary number, there’s no basis for it.

    Just try to eat a good amount of fruit & veg and you’ll be reet. I get most of my veg intake from soups tbh.

  44. I work in a fruit and veg distribution centre, I just steal my 5 a day, I’ve never ate so much fruit in my life since working here

  45. The easy way for me is to have an orange with breakfast and then just make a stir fry with a load of different veg in.

  46. Mostly through juice, yogurts and whole fruits.

    Like in the morning I’ll usually have a bowl of cereal with an apple, a yoghurt and a glass of mango juice. Then for lunch I’ll have a sandwich with salad and some sort of filler in it, plus a banana. That’s my five a day covered and I’m already halfway through the day. Anything after that is a bonus (I usually have some sort of veg with my dinner).

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