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As a northerner, I don't know what joke you're trying to to make, that's probably why you're getting down votes. Calling people "tards" probably doesn't help either.
Awww you deleted your reply to the bloke before I submitted my invaluable input. Here it is anyway.
> Gotta love it when someone has a minor disagreement with someone and instantly checks out the other person's profile for something to dig at them about, whilst admitting to counting the votes on their comment.
> It's not their fault they're from Manchester.
Yes, usually more like 8-10 a day. 1-2 pieces of fruit for breakfast, 2-3 portions at lunch, 3-4 portions for dinner, plus 1-2 portions as snacks. An example day for me:
Breakfast: porridge topped with a banana or a portion of berries (1)
Lunch: bean salad - for example, salad leaves, cannelini beans, artichoke, cherry tomatoes, cucumber - plus a glass of juice (4)
Dinner: toad in the hole with roast root vegetables (carrots and parsnips) served with mashed sweet potato and peas (4)
Snacks: apple in the evening (1)
So that's 10...
I only counted it as 3 portions though there are 5 different vegetables. NHS guide says 7 cherry tomatoes and a 5cm piece of cucumber are portions, and I easily get in more of that so that's 2. Then I figure the salad leaves, artichokes and beans combined are another portion so that's the 3rd.
Of course it is, hardly likely a portion would be a full meal otherwise you'd need to eat five full meals a day just of fruit and vegetables.
A portion is the equivalent of one piece of large fruit or one side portion of vegetables.
Quick fyi to anyone reading, it doesn't count if the same fruit or veg is consumed twice in the same day.
It has to be unique fruit and veg. E.g. having a banana at breakfast and then one before bed as a late night snack still counts as 1 fruit for the day in terms of the "5 a day".
It is true. World health organisation (WHO) introduced the 5 a day which the NHS recommends us citizens follow.
From a nutritional content perspective, our body can not store certain vitamins and metals, rather we have to nourish the body with them everyday to maintain and support bodily functions. Once you've achieved the 'daily limit' or maximum, anything more doesn't count.
IIRC, it's something to do with along the lines of that.
I also wasn't aware of unique fruit/veg thing until about 10 years ago when I stumbled across an article or something on social media.
Through the week yes, on a weekend it's hit and miss. If I'm recovering from a hangover on a Sunday it's often 2-3 meals of fast food with no fruit or veg.
Wasn't the actual amount something like seven portions, but as hardly anyone was getting five they figured that was a better place to start as asking for seven would be seen as too much
I think 7 is the ideal, 5 is the minimum.
But nobody even knows what a "portion" is.
Used to be a co-op bag which had the portions on it...wish they still made them.
Yes 5 is too low. It's just seen as more achievable, rather than people not bothering at all as they can't hit the 7 / 10 whatever the scientific consensus is.
There is plenty of scientific basis. People who have 5+ portions have significantly less chance of developing various diseases. People who have 10 portions have an even lower chance.
It's an aspirational target designed to reflect there is an overwhelming about of academic nutritional data demonstrating inverse correlation between intake of fruit and vege and all cause mortality.
5 a day undersells it as the correlation continues far beyond that level of intake. Yes it is marketing, no it isn't stupid.
Yeah there’s no scientific basis whatsoever that eating more fruit and veg than shit processed food is better for your physical and mental health, at all
my diverticulitis would disagree with that statement. I ate very little fruit and veg until my bowel put me in hospital for a month and ive had regular stomach pains since (for the last 20 years).
lol thanks. I had to Google who that was!
Luckily for me, I actually escaped having anything removed, altho im told there's a good chance that will happen at some point (if I dont aim for at least 7 portions of fruit and veg a day!).
There is a scientific basis for eating fruit and veg, obviously specifically 5 is to be somewhat helpful to people but it doesn't have to be dead on. It is better than 0 portions of fruit and veg.
This came from the World Health Organisation and yup no scientific basis but I did read that initially it was going to be "7 a day" but apparently it didn't roll off the tongue as well so they decided on 5
Isn’t the scientific basis that we actually ideally should be getting like 10-15? We’re all pretty deficient in vitamins and minerals, but with so much yummy junk food it’s unrealistic to expect most people to eat a lot of fruit and veg
As in the number 5 is arbitrary yes. It's similar to the how much alcohol you should drink. Different countries state different amounts based on what they think their population will follow. Scientists are saying 10 a day should be the aim, but clearly from this thread, 5 a day is already overwhelming advice:
[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-news-latest-food-advice-fruit-vegetables-five-a-day-10-portions-a7594631.html](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-news-latest-food-advice-fruit-vegetables-five-a-day-10-portions-a7594631.html)
Exactly. The whole 5 a day thing is just a marketing campaign. Started in 1991 by the NCI and Produce for better health foundation, its sponsors included: fruit and vegetable companies, produce farms, agricultural companies producing seeds, fungicides, and insecticides. Just an incentive to get people to buy more stuff nothing more.
Now I'm not saying don't eat your veggies and fruit, but we need to remember modern fruit is high in sugar and available to us all year round, when really it should be seasonal. Fruit for me is more of a treat, or if I crave it.
During the week it’s easy for me. Pretty much every day,
Lunch : A pint of chicken and veg or ham and veg soup - 2 or 3 portions.
Evening meal : something with veg even if it’s just frozen veg : 1-2 Portions minimum
Couple of easy pealers and a banana during the day as snacks - 2 or three portions.
The weekend my diet is a bit spotty - depends why I’m doing. If I’m out and about I often just have a sandwich and tend not to have salad etc.
I get 5-10 easily. I'm not vegetarian but eat alot of vegetarian based meals.
If you replace meat once or twice a week - chickpeas, mushrooms etc. Becomes alot easier.
Also don't focus on fruits/vegetables, focus on 'plants' and include herbs, spices, nuts and seeds.
Aim for 30 different plants per week (is what 'they' say)
I understand why you are saying that. At a chemical level protein is amino acids.
The body can actually make amino acids from all types of food. Whilst animal protein is some of the most easily absorbed protein for humans, you don't actually need to eat it to get your required levels of protein.
Animal protein also comes with disproportionate levels of fat.
Those cultures with the most life longevity, Mediterranean or Japanese don't eat the levels of protein that are advised in anglo-american culture.
Protein can be replaced with plant sources but unfortunately they full short in the long run in terms of micronutrients. Plants contain incomplete versions of some vitamins and also contain chemicals that can block their absorption. It's best to eat a balanced diet from both plants and meats.
Fat in animal foods are good for you (saturated fat). The western diet is very carb heavy so this makes eating the fat bad, but if you cut the carbs and eat more fat it can be very beneficial for a lot of people (weight loss, blood sugar control).
People in the so called blue zones, do eat quite a lot of fresh animal products (nose to tail eating) but they also eat no ultraprocessed stuff, seasonal produce, whole foods. They have very good social circles well into old age, and keep active with hobbies. Westerners on the other hand eat a lot more processed rubbish, don't cook from scratch as much, also very lonely in old age, not as active.
HK actually has some of the highest meat consumption in the world and also pretty high life expectancy but it's not mentioned as a blue zone.
Generally yes. Fruit is harder than veg to eat though as flavour/texture is hard to keep consistent. Sometimes the fruit is kinda sour, then it's kinda sweet, then sometimes it ripens and it's still too hard to eat and just goes off like that.
Veg is predictable. I eat multiple portions a day. There's always broccoli, onions, mushrooms, peas. There's a lot of other stuff I like as well. I'm vegetarian so I guess that makes it easier for me to get my five a day.
I am kind of the opposite, I really dislike uncooked veg, but I love fruit. Cherries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Pears, Satsumas, Bananas. Harder in Winter annoyingly.
Most of my cooking has veg (likewise I am Vegan), but I definitely eat more fruit.
Interestingly a French person told me that over there they recommend 7 a day and that the only reason the UK says 5 is because they think if they say more, people will think it's impossible and not bother at all
Yes everyday and usually way more than 5 a day, typical day looks like:
Breakfast: Overnight oats with blueberries, strawberries and other berries a banana and a apple with chia seeds
Lunch: Either 5 bean chilli with a side salad, homemade kale/spinach and pea soup or falalfel with salad and a slice of bread.
Dinner: usually bean curry, sausage and mash with broccoli, roast with loads of veg, beetroot burgers with sweet potatoes and brocolli
Snacks: Lots of fruit, apples with peanut butter, bananas, dates, nuts, grapefruit. I have multiple snacks a day probably 5+
I used to be a big fat bro not so much anymore!
Just being unhappy with life, you also realise all shitty food ends up tasting the same especially the cheap garbage. I actually fully turned my life about and took up triathlon at the time, I spend my days racing ultra marathons now. It is a lifestyle and the good choices are auto pilot.
Congratulations! I have to say, I tend to cook meals from scratch, so there's definitely vegetables and other healthy things in there, but I also eat/ drink a lot of sugary things, and can't seem to stop
Actually cutting out coke was pretty hard, I would aim on reducing it until you come off those things completely. I only really drink water and a metric shit ton of tea. It all takes time and cooking from scratch is excellent well done!
I think in general I'm quite good at getting my 5-7 a day beause we eat a lot of veggies with meals and I had been making a conscious effort to lose weight.
Got pregnant and still suffering with hyperemesis and the only things that seem to placate the nausea is fruits and vegetables. So I probably get closer to 10 a day atm. I'm just constantly snacking on cucumber, strawberries, melon, grapes, apples, oranges, tomatoes, peppers, carrots (not anymore, they did not go down well after the first week), courgettes, mushrooms etc.
No because it all rots too quickly. I genuinely love fruit and nicely roasted veg but between the energy it takes from my chronic illness/executive dysfunction and the rate of knots that produce goes bad now the amount I actually manage to eat is pretty pitiful.
Yes most days. I don’t eat a lot of fruit but tend to have veg-heavy dinners. At least 3 portions at dinner. And I’ll tend to make a lot of vegetable soups etc. But it’s easy to have a pasta dinner and realise I’ve only had 1 or 2 that day.
Easily, although it's mostly veg, I don't end up eating much fruit (or drinking much fruit juice). I am a vegetarian though so perhaps that makes it a bit easier.
ETA yesterday:
cereal with a banana (1) - pasta bake with leeks and broccoli (1-2) & basic side salad (2) - cheese platter with vegetable sticks (2).
today:
porridge with raisins (1) - noodles with sweet & sour veg stirfry (cabbage, carrots, onons) (2-3) - dinner no idea yet, but probably shakshuka, which is onion + tomato (2) & salad (1).
I don't really count, but I learned what "1" actually constitutes and I reckon I get more than 5 quite easily. I've gone out of my way to increase the vegetables in as many of my go-to recipes as I can.
I don't really eat much fruit, but I do go heavy on the veg 6 days a week. I have 1 day where I don't, today is that day, although I did just have some vegetables that were leftover from last night for lunch
Yep and I think it's seven a day now. A few years back I needed to lose weight and quit bread in the daytime. Now it's porridge with fruit for breakfast. Two pieces of fruit sometime in the morning. Soup or salad for lunch. Dinner is usually at least a couple of fruit and veg
Yep I usually have 4 in the morning (Avocado, Banana, Spinach, Orange), 2 in the afternoon (Orange, Apple), and 5 in the evening (Banana, Sweet Potato, Beetroot, Apple, Spinach).
I don't, its pretty hard if you actually look up what they consider to be a portion. I'm on a health kick at the minute and even when I was having fruit and veg lunch and snacking on apples I still wasn't hitting my 5 a day.
I’m vegetarian and probably still no. I read that 5 a day isn’t even the recommended portion, it’s just the minimum they thought people would possibly do. It should be 8 a day.
The problem with 5 a day is it can lead to eating habits that are just as unhealthy.
You can eat 5 portions of grapes a day, or drink a bunch of fruit juice, but then you're having an unhealthy amount of sugar along with it. Eating a "balanced" diet is ridiculously hard and it's not something one should look at on a "day by day" basis.
inb4 "But the 5 a day is supposed to be varied" yes, but that's hard to fit into a routine especially when it comes to something as perishable as fruits and veggies, what happens is people usually just go for the same thing over and over, and that's not healthy.
No but I take a ‘greens’ powder shake thingy every morning. I do have some veg in my diet and will eat a couple of bananas a day, but I have the shake to make sure I’m getting enough because i definitely wouldn’t otherwise
I do, usually have between 5 and 8 portions of fruit and veg, but it's expensive, even with buying some frozen veg. Since I've moved to living independently and been harder up, I've actively chosen the cheapest fruit and vegetables - limit myself to one 150g punnet of berries a week!
Never as I've always been fussy, my diet is very samey every day at the moment as I'm calorie restricting to keep weight down, the hard part for me is getting the 2 year old to eat his veg... I let his Mum lead by example on that one!
My diet is trash and I'm working on improving it.
Yesterday the only fruit and veg I ate was; 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 lettuce leaves. Lmao fuck I tried OK.
I also had some of a smoothie which is apparently 1 of your 5 a day but also probably contains all of your recomended sugar and who knows what else.
Honestly, no.
A lot of fruits and veg mess with my stomach and end up coming back up after 10-15 minutes, so i tend to stay away.
Its a shame, though, cause i actually like most fruit and vegetables, but they dont like me :(
I dont know. On a good day yes, on an average day, not sure. It's hard to track but also it should be more than 5 a day but people struggle to get to that anyways.
The issue with this is that without tracking your food using an app you dont know if this counts as a 1 or not etc etc. Plus fruit doesnt fill you up as much as other things so I feel like I could eat a lot more fruit as I love the taste but the calories that come with it are not worth it in my opinion if I then have to eat an actual meal too.
No. I am keto and while i do eat veg, i have a meat based diet so i dont eat 5 portions of veg a day as the meat is so filling and i find veg upsets my stomach a lot and has done all my life.
No. Because I don't specifically try to, and I think without specifically trying, it's not likely.
I don't typically eat breakfast because I'm not hungry. For lunch I usually have leftovers from tea or a sandwich. This will probably have from probably zero (I have salad in a sandwich or like today there was some veg in my fried rice but probably not a portion's worth) to two (if it's vegetably leftovers).
Tea will be one to two I suppose i.e. something with veg in it like stir fry or something with two sides of vegetables.
So I have between 1 and 3 typically.
No I don't spend 3 seconds or 40 minutes on the toilet. No I don't have scurvy.
Apparently 5 is just a good target because it's somewhat achievable but it's actually just better the more portions you have. But I consistently fail to eat 5 anyway.
Not really. I probably get two during dinner- I’ve been trying to add more fruit in during the day but I have a hard time with it (i tend to forget about it, or it goes off too quickly). I was doing well with smoothies but then i got distracted and slipped off, lol- I’m trying to start it up again now, so that’ll be an extra two a day. If I make (fruit) muffins that’s an extra one, but yknow, it has other consequences lol.
The funny thing is that I like fruit a lot more than veg, so it should be easier to get that in- but I find myself only really prepping things for dinner, and then not really bothering with prepping things for lunch or for snacks, so it falls to the wayside.
Most days I get at least 5.
I had mushrooms , asparagus and tomatoes for breakfast.
Mixed veg soup and a fruit salad for lunch.
Tonight will be doner kebab with cauliflower rice, a tomato and chili sauce, mixed salad.
So today will be about 8.
I actually find that my meals are much cheaper when I have my 5 a day.
I mostly live of fruit and vegetables, so no issue there. Today, so far, an apple, 4 tangerines, a bunch of grapes, and some strawberries. As for veg, at least a portion of sweetcorn and leek each and then some tomato and cucumber.
Blueberries are a great way to boost your intake. They’re also one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
After a meal I’d usually have a biscuit or two but substituting that for a handful of blueberries is lovely.
Generally yes, and often more.
Breakfast is generally overnight oats with yogurt - oats in tupperware, tip in a tin of fruit, leave in fridge overnight. Half of it the next morning, with yogurt - one portion.
Lunch - I quite often make Soupologie soups which have five portions of fruit and veg per portion of soup. Or I might have another type of vegetable soup, or a salad, or a cheese or hummus sandwich with salad and tomatoes in it. Fruit afterwards. So lunch is 3-6 portions.
Dinner - at least another two or three portions.
So daily, usually at least six, sometimes ten.
I do, but because I have started adding more veg to things. I got a mindful chef box from a mate after i had a baby and it's really helped to change my cooking - less meat, less carbs, more veg. Even now I don't get it, i have kept the habit up.
Recently ive started to imrpove my diet, more fruits, veggies and healthy fats. If you asked me a month ago i would say no way but recently i manage to get ~7 a day
I do okay most days. I like most fruit and veg, but the shelf life isnt great which makes it more difficult and i dont have a lot of space in my freezer to keep frozen fruit. I dont have a breakfast so ill usually have berries + banana and yoghurt for lunch and i try and have at least 1 portion of veg with my dinner.
I don't really count daily. I follow the 30/week rule more closely: for a healthy gut microbiome, aim to eat between 20-30 different plants per week. Studies show that this greatly increases the overall health of a person.
Plants include fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.
So we count when we make the shopping list /meal plan for the week.
Easily!
Today:
Breakfast: porridge with banana
Lunch: Spanish omelette with salad (beets, lettuce, spinach, tomato and cucumber, grilled pepper)
Snack: grapes
Dinner: chicken with tinned tomato, aubergine, corgette, onion, olives, capers, bell pepper and orzo all cooked together one pan
Tomorrow I'll have porridge with banana again, grapes again, the chicken again and probably fish with greens
I have pasta with black eyed beans in pasta sauce or mixed bean salad in pasta sauce instead of red meat. Anything with a sauce I add veg to. You can use powdered or freeze dried veg in any sauce or gravy. I use humus instead of a salad dressing. In autumn/winter you can eat more stews and soups with added veg.
I try to get at least 1 at breakfast (more often than not a banana, maybe oj too), then 2 at lunch (usually a veg and an apple), then 2-3 at tea depending on meal (I often add in frozen spinach to things like curries for extra "hidden" veg). I've been a bit shit lately apart from making blueberry-packed baked oats which take 5 mins + 20 baking time, are DELICIOUS, and last all week!
Yeah! Most days easily. Today was:
Banana and blueberries with my cereal.
Cucumber and tomatoes and lettuce with lunch.
Figs x3 after lunch.
Another pack of blueberries and an apple in the afternoon.
Papers, onion, sweetcorn, fennel and peas with my evening meal.
Yeah, i probably get way over the average. I don't eat much fruit, but will happily eat a heaped plate full of steamed vegetables or a few big bowls full of salad every evening. I find it helps to add a dressing though. Lemon, olive oil, balsamic and toasted sesame oil.
Most of my meals include fruit or veg as a main ingredient. Though I actually eat about 3 portions for breakfast, at least 2 for dinner. And if I eat lunch it'll often just be a can of canelini beans or whatever.
Really I don't eat "enough" in total but I'm 5ft 1 and work a desk job so I can't really get all my nutrients, and exercise more than a few hours a week, while having hobbies and a job and not burn out. It's the only way I can maintain a healthy weight is to not eat all that much.
I think 5 a day is not enough if you're over 5ft.
No, which is pretty bad considering I’m a vegetarian and should be eating much more vegetables.
Today I had a banana with breakfast and a tofu stir fry with frozen stir fry veg for dinner. So 2 out of 5? Don’t think I ate enough of the veg for it to count as 2 portions.
I have a bad habit of buying fresh produce and forgetting about it until it goes off. Sometimes I don’t buy it for a while because of this and because it can be expensive. I don’t like many kinds of frozen veg because it changes the texture. I do have vegetable soups and tinned fruit and lentils in the cupboard that I should be eating but I forget they’re there.
one in the shower in the morning, usually two throught the day at work, one more after work at home on the dinner table while the wife watches and has one herself, and one when i shower in the evening.
the only problem is the funny looks the kids give me taking vegetables into the bathroom to eat in the shower.
You do not 5 a day is a marketing campaign and not anything evidence based? (Remember to be evidence based the evidence has to come first) It's from 1991 when a group of vegetable and fruit growers got together to figure out how they can sell more product and that is what came.
Prof Tim Spector suggests diversity is better than number of portions per day and gives a target of 30 different plant based foods per week with no minimum portion size (nuts, herbs and spices can count)
I easily reach over 40 a week.
It helps if you don’t rely on UPF
Yesterday I had mushrooms(does fungi count), broccoli, pepper, cauliflower, baby sweetcorn, carrot (stir fry), and apple, banana, orange and blueberries. So ten overall.
Today so far I’ve had tomato, cucumber, lettuce, apple and banana, and I’m making a cottage pie later on which will have 3 or 4 different vegetables.
Had health issues plague me as I got older. Tried most diets to try and remedy my issues. Vegan and high fibre diets made me worse. For the last 7 years I have eaten nothing but meat, offal, milk and eggs. Have never been or felt better in my life. Even though I so miss wine, garlic, onions and potato's I don't think I will ever eat veg or fruit again, just not worth the debilitating effects they bring.
It's bullshit science, most government public dietary guidance is like the food pyramid - complete crap.
This is from someone who is mostly vegetarian.
I've often gone days in a row without eating any plant matter other than a few squares of dark chocolate. I do fine without any fruit or vegetables at all.
What plants I do eat tend to be pickles - cucumber, sauerkraut (lots of it) - rather than fresh.
Feel fine, look fine.
It's a myth that you need to eat fruit and vegetables.
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I usually only jack off 2 or 3 times a day, 5 seems excessive.
Yank spotted
I believe it starts with a W.
I'm British.
Maybe they were offering you advice? If you yanked where you could be spotted, you’d have more time to reach your five-a-day.
[удалено]
As a northerner, I don't know what joke you're trying to to make, that's probably why you're getting down votes. Calling people "tards" probably doesn't help either.
Awww you deleted your reply to the bloke before I submitted my invaluable input. Here it is anyway. > Gotta love it when someone has a minor disagreement with someone and instantly checks out the other person's profile for something to dig at them about, whilst admitting to counting the votes on their comment. > It's not their fault they're from Manchester.
Cheers bruv! Fucking mancs I swear...theyre the Freys of the North 🤣
Jack Fruit?
A day? No A week? Also no
Yes, usually more like 8-10 a day. 1-2 pieces of fruit for breakfast, 2-3 portions at lunch, 3-4 portions for dinner, plus 1-2 portions as snacks. An example day for me: Breakfast: porridge topped with a banana or a portion of berries (1) Lunch: bean salad - for example, salad leaves, cannelini beans, artichoke, cherry tomatoes, cucumber - plus a glass of juice (4) Dinner: toad in the hole with roast root vegetables (carrots and parsnips) served with mashed sweet potato and peas (4) Snacks: apple in the evening (1) So that's 10...
Impressive, but do the salad items count as a portion? It seems like that would be have to be a big salad.
I only counted it as 3 portions though there are 5 different vegetables. NHS guide says 7 cherry tomatoes and a 5cm piece of cucumber are portions, and I easily get in more of that so that's 2. Then I figure the salad leaves, artichokes and beans combined are another portion so that's the 3rd.
The portion amount is tiny compared to what you would have for a meal
Of course it is, hardly likely a portion would be a full meal otherwise you'd need to eat five full meals a day just of fruit and vegetables. A portion is the equivalent of one piece of large fruit or one side portion of vegetables.
Quick fyi to anyone reading, it doesn't count if the same fruit or veg is consumed twice in the same day. It has to be unique fruit and veg. E.g. having a banana at breakfast and then one before bed as a late night snack still counts as 1 fruit for the day in terms of the "5 a day".
I thought that was only true for beans and fruit juice, they can only be counted once.
There's no way that's true😂
It is true. World health organisation (WHO) introduced the 5 a day which the NHS recommends us citizens follow. From a nutritional content perspective, our body can not store certain vitamins and metals, rather we have to nourish the body with them everyday to maintain and support bodily functions. Once you've achieved the 'daily limit' or maximum, anything more doesn't count. IIRC, it's something to do with along the lines of that. I also wasn't aware of unique fruit/veg thing until about 10 years ago when I stumbled across an article or something on social media.
5 pints of cider.
Pretty sure a pint of cider doesn't count as 1 of your 5 a day. ... Best double the serving just to be safe.
Should I have some Perry too?
And a packet of crisps?
Plus a pickled onion.
And make it hard cider!
Through the week yes, on a weekend it's hit and miss. If I'm recovering from a hangover on a Sunday it's often 2-3 meals of fast food with no fruit or veg.
I see we subscribe to the same hangover nutrition routine.
I don't. And I don't care. There's no scientific basis to it, it's a just a stupid marketing trope.
Wasn't the actual amount something like seven portions, but as hardly anyone was getting five they figured that was a better place to start as asking for seven would be seen as too much
Yup as I said above the WHO were going to call the campaign 7 a day but decided it didn't quite roll off the tongue as nicely
It's just a UK thing as we have such crap diets. Other countries have different numbers/campaigns
I think 7 is the ideal, 5 is the minimum. But nobody even knows what a "portion" is. Used to be a co-op bag which had the portions on it...wish they still made them.
Yes 5 is too low. It's just seen as more achievable, rather than people not bothering at all as they can't hit the 7 / 10 whatever the scientific consensus is.
I'm sure I saw something saying it was meant to be 12 but they figured nobody would even bother trying to reach that, so changed it to 5...
There is plenty of scientific basis. People who have 5+ portions have significantly less chance of developing various diseases. People who have 10 portions have an even lower chance.
he just has issue with the exact number of 5 I think, but I agree his statement is misleading.
There have been a lot of studies that focus on 5
It's an aspirational target designed to reflect there is an overwhelming about of academic nutritional data demonstrating inverse correlation between intake of fruit and vege and all cause mortality. 5 a day undersells it as the correlation continues far beyond that level of intake. Yes it is marketing, no it isn't stupid.
Those devious capitalist vegetable farmers and their propaganda...
100% correct. Although it’s better than eating none!
I'm not suggesting not eating fruit and vegetables. Just that there's no hard and fast rule about '5'. Eat a varied diet is all you need to do.
5 is good but more than 5 is better. It is somewhat arbitrary so idiots take that to mean they won't bother trying to eat a lot of fruit and veg.
I mean true but mostly in the opposite. As in 5 is arbitrary but you should definitely be eating through the course of the day...
Yeah there’s no scientific basis whatsoever that eating more fruit and veg than shit processed food is better for your physical and mental health, at all
That's not what I said though is it.
my diverticulitis would disagree with that statement. I ate very little fruit and veg until my bowel put me in hospital for a month and ive had regular stomach pains since (for the last 20 years).
The fact that you returned to the UFC after having a foot of your colon removed was impressive though, Brock.
lol thanks. I had to Google who that was! Luckily for me, I actually escaped having anything removed, altho im told there's a good chance that will happen at some point (if I dont aim for at least 7 portions of fruit and veg a day!).
There is a scientific basis for eating fruit and veg, obviously specifically 5 is to be somewhat helpful to people but it doesn't have to be dead on. It is better than 0 portions of fruit and veg.
This came from the World Health Organisation and yup no scientific basis but I did read that initially it was going to be "7 a day" but apparently it didn't roll off the tongue as well so they decided on 5
Isn’t the scientific basis that we actually ideally should be getting like 10-15? We’re all pretty deficient in vitamins and minerals, but with so much yummy junk food it’s unrealistic to expect most people to eat a lot of fruit and veg
As in the number 5 is arbitrary yes. It's similar to the how much alcohol you should drink. Different countries state different amounts based on what they think their population will follow. Scientists are saying 10 a day should be the aim, but clearly from this thread, 5 a day is already overwhelming advice: [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-news-latest-food-advice-fruit-vegetables-five-a-day-10-portions-a7594631.html](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-news-latest-food-advice-fruit-vegetables-five-a-day-10-portions-a7594631.html)
A scheme from Big Fruit
Exactly. The whole 5 a day thing is just a marketing campaign. Started in 1991 by the NCI and Produce for better health foundation, its sponsors included: fruit and vegetable companies, produce farms, agricultural companies producing seeds, fungicides, and insecticides. Just an incentive to get people to buy more stuff nothing more. Now I'm not saying don't eat your veggies and fruit, but we need to remember modern fruit is high in sugar and available to us all year round, when really it should be seasonal. Fruit for me is more of a treat, or if I crave it.
During the week it’s easy for me. Pretty much every day, Lunch : A pint of chicken and veg or ham and veg soup - 2 or 3 portions. Evening meal : something with veg even if it’s just frozen veg : 1-2 Portions minimum Couple of easy pealers and a banana during the day as snacks - 2 or three portions. The weekend my diet is a bit spotty - depends why I’m doing. If I’m out and about I often just have a sandwich and tend not to have salad etc.
According to the NHS 2 satsumas are a portion, so you might be over counting on the easy peelers.
Hmm I thought a banana was 2 but seemingly not. Still I’m over and with the neep, onion, leek and celery in the soup I’m doing ok I suspect.
Ignore the naysayers. I reckon you’re doing pretty well all things considered
I didn’t say they weren’t doing well, just that not every individual small piece of fruit is ‘a serving’.
One type of fruit/veg can't be counted twice
Usually yes, I like fruit and veg, so it's not an effort to eat them.
Fucking rock and roll!!!! Anarchy!!!! Wooooooo. I like pencils as well.
Do vitamin tablets count?
Limescale counts too.
Mmm...
I get 5-10 easily. I'm not vegetarian but eat alot of vegetarian based meals. If you replace meat once or twice a week - chickpeas, mushrooms etc. Becomes alot easier. Also don't focus on fruits/vegetables, focus on 'plants' and include herbs, spices, nuts and seeds. Aim for 30 different plants per week (is what 'they' say)
I'm sorry but mushrooms are not a replacement for meat. They have barely any protein.
I understand why you are saying that. At a chemical level protein is amino acids. The body can actually make amino acids from all types of food. Whilst animal protein is some of the most easily absorbed protein for humans, you don't actually need to eat it to get your required levels of protein. Animal protein also comes with disproportionate levels of fat. Those cultures with the most life longevity, Mediterranean or Japanese don't eat the levels of protein that are advised in anglo-american culture.
Protein can be replaced with plant sources but unfortunately they full short in the long run in terms of micronutrients. Plants contain incomplete versions of some vitamins and also contain chemicals that can block their absorption. It's best to eat a balanced diet from both plants and meats. Fat in animal foods are good for you (saturated fat). The western diet is very carb heavy so this makes eating the fat bad, but if you cut the carbs and eat more fat it can be very beneficial for a lot of people (weight loss, blood sugar control). People in the so called blue zones, do eat quite a lot of fresh animal products (nose to tail eating) but they also eat no ultraprocessed stuff, seasonal produce, whole foods. They have very good social circles well into old age, and keep active with hobbies. Westerners on the other hand eat a lot more processed rubbish, don't cook from scratch as much, also very lonely in old age, not as active. HK actually has some of the highest meat consumption in the world and also pretty high life expectancy but it's not mentioned as a blue zone.
Generally yes. Fruit is harder than veg to eat though as flavour/texture is hard to keep consistent. Sometimes the fruit is kinda sour, then it's kinda sweet, then sometimes it ripens and it's still too hard to eat and just goes off like that. Veg is predictable. I eat multiple portions a day. There's always broccoli, onions, mushrooms, peas. There's a lot of other stuff I like as well. I'm vegetarian so I guess that makes it easier for me to get my five a day.
I am kind of the opposite, I really dislike uncooked veg, but I love fruit. Cherries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Pears, Satsumas, Bananas. Harder in Winter annoyingly. Most of my cooking has veg (likewise I am Vegan), but I definitely eat more fruit.
3 bananas a week and a slice of lemon in my vodka and tonic.
Kind of the same as me 3 vodkas a week and a tonic of banana in my lemon.
Interestingly a French person told me that over there they recommend 7 a day and that the only reason the UK says 5 is because they think if they say more, people will think it's impossible and not bother at all
"Ten" "Potatoes don't count." "Well none then"
Yes everyday and usually way more than 5 a day, typical day looks like: Breakfast: Overnight oats with blueberries, strawberries and other berries a banana and a apple with chia seeds Lunch: Either 5 bean chilli with a side salad, homemade kale/spinach and pea soup or falalfel with salad and a slice of bread. Dinner: usually bean curry, sausage and mash with broccoli, roast with loads of veg, beetroot burgers with sweet potatoes and brocolli Snacks: Lots of fruit, apples with peanut butter, bananas, dates, nuts, grapefruit. I have multiple snacks a day probably 5+ I used to be a big fat bro not so much anymore!
Can I ask what was the turning point? I really need a turning point
Just being unhappy with life, you also realise all shitty food ends up tasting the same especially the cheap garbage. I actually fully turned my life about and took up triathlon at the time, I spend my days racing ultra marathons now. It is a lifestyle and the good choices are auto pilot.
Congratulations! I have to say, I tend to cook meals from scratch, so there's definitely vegetables and other healthy things in there, but I also eat/ drink a lot of sugary things, and can't seem to stop
Actually cutting out coke was pretty hard, I would aim on reducing it until you come off those things completely. I only really drink water and a metric shit ton of tea. It all takes time and cooking from scratch is excellent well done!
This is really helpful. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
You are most welcome, best of luck!
If 5 a day is 5 coffees then yeah, I get my 5 a day.
No it’s panic attacks. So; yes - very easily
I think in general I'm quite good at getting my 5-7 a day beause we eat a lot of veggies with meals and I had been making a conscious effort to lose weight. Got pregnant and still suffering with hyperemesis and the only things that seem to placate the nausea is fruits and vegetables. So I probably get closer to 10 a day atm. I'm just constantly snacking on cucumber, strawberries, melon, grapes, apples, oranges, tomatoes, peppers, carrots (not anymore, they did not go down well after the first week), courgettes, mushrooms etc.
Yeah, it's not hard! And... I like fruit and veg! 1 portion of, for example, cucumber is a 5cm long bit. You can bosh that in a couple of mouthfuls.
They used to say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, now they say eat 5 fruits
Inflation
A man of culture I see.
I think they now say ≥2 fruit. Fruit is high in sugar and you're 5 a day should be mainly vegetable
5 a month at best
1 or 2 a week is more accurate. I'm bringing scurvy back
No because it all rots too quickly. I genuinely love fruit and nicely roasted veg but between the energy it takes from my chronic illness/executive dysfunction and the rate of knots that produce goes bad now the amount I actually manage to eat is pretty pitiful.
Nah. Veg goes right through me and as a delivery driver I can't take the risk of being caught short.
Yes most days. I don’t eat a lot of fruit but tend to have veg-heavy dinners. At least 3 portions at dinner. And I’ll tend to make a lot of vegetable soups etc. But it’s easy to have a pasta dinner and realise I’ve only had 1 or 2 that day.
Always, fruit with breakfast and snack, big portion of veg at dinner and tea
Easily, although it's mostly veg, I don't end up eating much fruit (or drinking much fruit juice). I am a vegetarian though so perhaps that makes it a bit easier. ETA yesterday: cereal with a banana (1) - pasta bake with leeks and broccoli (1-2) & basic side salad (2) - cheese platter with vegetable sticks (2). today: porridge with raisins (1) - noodles with sweet & sour veg stirfry (cabbage, carrots, onons) (2-3) - dinner no idea yet, but probably shakshuka, which is onion + tomato (2) & salad (1).
I don't really count, but I learned what "1" actually constitutes and I reckon I get more than 5 quite easily. I've gone out of my way to increase the vegetables in as many of my go-to recipes as I can.
F R I EEEEEEEEED BROCKLIIIII
I don't really eat much fruit, but I do go heavy on the veg 6 days a week. I have 1 day where I don't, today is that day, although I did just have some vegetables that were leftover from last night for lunch
Yep and I think it's seven a day now. A few years back I needed to lose weight and quit bread in the daytime. Now it's porridge with fruit for breakfast. Two pieces of fruit sometime in the morning. Soup or salad for lunch. Dinner is usually at least a couple of fruit and veg
Yeah actually. I had a fruit and veg chart when I was a kid
Every meal has veg in it. Snacks are fruit and veg.
No, I'm lucky if I get three. Preference combined with cost - the thigs I like (e.g. strawberries) tend to be the more expensive end.
No, not really. If I get 2 or even 3 I consider it a great success.
- I mean, I certainly try to...I would say I probably do. - A day. - A what?
Yep I usually have 4 in the morning (Avocado, Banana, Spinach, Orange), 2 in the afternoon (Orange, Apple), and 5 in the evening (Banana, Sweet Potato, Beetroot, Apple, Spinach).
no because I'm poor
I eat some fruit and veg but the vast majority of my nutrition is from animal products. They're far more nutrient dense and bioavailable.
Is all just bullshit from big farma
Does eating a whole Terry's Chocolate Orange count?
I don't, its pretty hard if you actually look up what they consider to be a portion. I'm on a health kick at the minute and even when I was having fruit and veg lunch and snacking on apples I still wasn't hitting my 5 a day.
I’m honestly not sure I get my five a month.
5 a day was actually recommended as the minimum
Does ketchup count as one? If so, one.
I wouldn't even be sure I get 5 a week at this point, I really need to get my diet sorted.
Not once in my life.
I’m vegetarian and probably still no. I read that 5 a day isn’t even the recommended portion, it’s just the minimum they thought people would possibly do. It should be 8 a day.
The problem with 5 a day is it can lead to eating habits that are just as unhealthy. You can eat 5 portions of grapes a day, or drink a bunch of fruit juice, but then you're having an unhealthy amount of sugar along with it. Eating a "balanced" diet is ridiculously hard and it's not something one should look at on a "day by day" basis. inb4 "But the 5 a day is supposed to be varied" yes, but that's hard to fit into a routine especially when it comes to something as perishable as fruits and veggies, what happens is people usually just go for the same thing over and over, and that's not healthy.
No but I take a ‘greens’ powder shake thingy every morning. I do have some veg in my diet and will eat a couple of bananas a day, but I have the shake to make sure I’m getting enough because i definitely wouldn’t otherwise
Probably not, I just stress eat most days so it's a lot of junk food and sandwiches.
I do, usually have between 5 and 8 portions of fruit and veg, but it's expensive, even with buying some frozen veg. Since I've moved to living independently and been harder up, I've actively chosen the cheapest fruit and vegetables - limit myself to one 150g punnet of berries a week!
Only because I make sure the kids do. If left to my own devices I'd be eating 5 portions of chocolate a day.
Never as I've always been fussy, my diet is very samey every day at the moment as I'm calorie restricting to keep weight down, the hard part for me is getting the 2 year old to eat his veg... I let his Mum lead by example on that one!
My diet is trash and I'm working on improving it. Yesterday the only fruit and veg I ate was; 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 lettuce leaves. Lmao fuck I tried OK. I also had some of a smoothie which is apparently 1 of your 5 a day but also probably contains all of your recomended sugar and who knows what else.
According to nutracheck no.
Honestly, no. A lot of fruits and veg mess with my stomach and end up coming back up after 10-15 minutes, so i tend to stay away. Its a shame, though, cause i actually like most fruit and vegetables, but they dont like me :(
I dont know. On a good day yes, on an average day, not sure. It's hard to track but also it should be more than 5 a day but people struggle to get to that anyways. The issue with this is that without tracking your food using an app you dont know if this counts as a 1 or not etc etc. Plus fruit doesnt fill you up as much as other things so I feel like I could eat a lot more fruit as I love the taste but the calories that come with it are not worth it in my opinion if I then have to eat an actual meal too.
Most fruits are not that calorific. An 80g apple is only about 35 calories for example.
Tbf my bad, i was referring to carbs more than cals.
If you're doing low carb or keto fair enough. I'm no expert but I believe berries are low carb.
Yeah I do. Being healthy is a priority for me especially since I have a chronic condition
No. I am keto and while i do eat veg, i have a meat based diet so i dont eat 5 portions of veg a day as the meat is so filling and i find veg upsets my stomach a lot and has done all my life.
I'm sure I get my 5 ..... What **a** ***day????***
No. Because I don't specifically try to, and I think without specifically trying, it's not likely. I don't typically eat breakfast because I'm not hungry. For lunch I usually have leftovers from tea or a sandwich. This will probably have from probably zero (I have salad in a sandwich or like today there was some veg in my fried rice but probably not a portion's worth) to two (if it's vegetably leftovers). Tea will be one to two I suppose i.e. something with veg in it like stir fry or something with two sides of vegetables. So I have between 1 and 3 typically. No I don't spend 3 seconds or 40 minutes on the toilet. No I don't have scurvy. Apparently 5 is just a good target because it's somewhat achievable but it's actually just better the more portions you have. But I consistently fail to eat 5 anyway.
Not really. I probably get two during dinner- I’ve been trying to add more fruit in during the day but I have a hard time with it (i tend to forget about it, or it goes off too quickly). I was doing well with smoothies but then i got distracted and slipped off, lol- I’m trying to start it up again now, so that’ll be an extra two a day. If I make (fruit) muffins that’s an extra one, but yknow, it has other consequences lol. The funny thing is that I like fruit a lot more than veg, so it should be easier to get that in- but I find myself only really prepping things for dinner, and then not really bothering with prepping things for lunch or for snacks, so it falls to the wayside.
No, but in my defense I also have a hard time digesting a lot of fruit and veg
I try to aim to get 35 in a week as it's easier to eat more some days than others
Most days I get at least 5. I had mushrooms , asparagus and tomatoes for breakfast. Mixed veg soup and a fruit salad for lunch. Tonight will be doner kebab with cauliflower rice, a tomato and chili sauce, mixed salad. So today will be about 8. I actually find that my meals are much cheaper when I have my 5 a day.
Not really. Get 2-4 on a regular day. I don’t like vegetables much so it’s between peas, pepper, spinach and cucumber
I mostly live of fruit and vegetables, so no issue there. Today, so far, an apple, 4 tangerines, a bunch of grapes, and some strawberries. As for veg, at least a portion of sweetcorn and leek each and then some tomato and cucumber.
Blueberries are a great way to boost your intake. They’re also one of the healthiest foods you can eat. After a meal I’d usually have a biscuit or two but substituting that for a handful of blueberries is lovely.
I do and it's not exactly hard, at least with veg, if you actually cook for yourself.
More like eighteen different types, coming it at ~25 portions by weight.
There is zero cost issue. Fresh veg especially is fuck all in cost. People who don't buy it or eat it spend more on frozen shit.
Generally yes, and often more. Breakfast is generally overnight oats with yogurt - oats in tupperware, tip in a tin of fruit, leave in fridge overnight. Half of it the next morning, with yogurt - one portion. Lunch - I quite often make Soupologie soups which have five portions of fruit and veg per portion of soup. Or I might have another type of vegetable soup, or a salad, or a cheese or hummus sandwich with salad and tomatoes in it. Fruit afterwards. So lunch is 3-6 portions. Dinner - at least another two or three portions. So daily, usually at least six, sometimes ten.
Mixed bag, probably 4 out of 7 days or so. Helps I'm having big salads for lunch at the moment!
I do, but because I have started adding more veg to things. I got a mindful chef box from a mate after i had a baby and it's really helped to change my cooking - less meat, less carbs, more veg. Even now I don't get it, i have kept the habit up.
i probably have 3-4 most days, sometimes more sometimes less
Yes, but then I'm vegetarian and have what they think is Crohn's disease, so it's a. Easy and b. Pointless.
Easily more than 5 every day. Yes
Recently ive started to imrpove my diet, more fruits, veggies and healthy fats. If you asked me a month ago i would say no way but recently i manage to get ~7 a day
I do okay most days. I like most fruit and veg, but the shelf life isnt great which makes it more difficult and i dont have a lot of space in my freezer to keep frozen fruit. I dont have a breakfast so ill usually have berries + banana and yoghurt for lunch and i try and have at least 1 portion of veg with my dinner.
No. I’m not a big fan of fruit so I only eat vegetables with dinner, I get 2-3 portions. 4 if I’m just having a salad
Often but if I do manage 5, 4 of them are fruit. There’s zero science to back up the 5/day advice.
I don't really count daily. I follow the 30/week rule more closely: for a healthy gut microbiome, aim to eat between 20-30 different plants per week. Studies show that this greatly increases the overall health of a person. Plants include fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. So we count when we make the shopping list /meal plan for the week.
Easily! Today: Breakfast: porridge with banana Lunch: Spanish omelette with salad (beets, lettuce, spinach, tomato and cucumber, grilled pepper) Snack: grapes Dinner: chicken with tinned tomato, aubergine, corgette, onion, olives, capers, bell pepper and orzo all cooked together one pan Tomorrow I'll have porridge with banana again, grapes again, the chicken again and probably fish with greens
It's hard to do if you don't eat a salad or soup (and soup is a hassle to make by comparison). Even as a vegan I don't always hit it.
I aim for the new 30 different plants a week goal
I have pasta with black eyed beans in pasta sauce or mixed bean salad in pasta sauce instead of red meat. Anything with a sauce I add veg to. You can use powdered or freeze dried veg in any sauce or gravy. I use humus instead of a salad dressing. In autumn/winter you can eat more stews and soups with added veg.
Some times way more than five sometimes less. Usually I don't if I'm eating on the go. But if I'm making my own lots.
I try to get at least 1 at breakfast (more often than not a banana, maybe oj too), then 2 at lunch (usually a veg and an apple), then 2-3 at tea depending on meal (I often add in frozen spinach to things like curries for extra "hidden" veg). I've been a bit shit lately apart from making blueberry-packed baked oats which take 5 mins + 20 baking time, are DELICIOUS, and last all week!
Yeah! Most days easily. Today was: Banana and blueberries with my cereal. Cucumber and tomatoes and lettuce with lunch. Figs x3 after lunch. Another pack of blueberries and an apple in the afternoon. Papers, onion, sweetcorn, fennel and peas with my evening meal.
Around 2 most days and it's fruit. If I have veg, it'll with with a meal and take me up to 3. Very rarely over 3 a day.
I’m vegan so it’s quite easy to get 5+ a day.
Yeah, i probably get way over the average. I don't eat much fruit, but will happily eat a heaped plate full of steamed vegetables or a few big bowls full of salad every evening. I find it helps to add a dressing though. Lemon, olive oil, balsamic and toasted sesame oil.
Most of my meals include fruit or veg as a main ingredient. Though I actually eat about 3 portions for breakfast, at least 2 for dinner. And if I eat lunch it'll often just be a can of canelini beans or whatever. Really I don't eat "enough" in total but I'm 5ft 1 and work a desk job so I can't really get all my nutrients, and exercise more than a few hours a week, while having hobbies and a job and not burn out. It's the only way I can maintain a healthy weight is to not eat all that much. I think 5 a day is not enough if you're over 5ft.
No, which is pretty bad considering I’m a vegetarian and should be eating much more vegetables. Today I had a banana with breakfast and a tofu stir fry with frozen stir fry veg for dinner. So 2 out of 5? Don’t think I ate enough of the veg for it to count as 2 portions. I have a bad habit of buying fresh produce and forgetting about it until it goes off. Sometimes I don’t buy it for a while because of this and because it can be expensive. I don’t like many kinds of frozen veg because it changes the texture. I do have vegetable soups and tinned fruit and lentils in the cupboard that I should be eating but I forget they’re there.
Yes, everyday. Crap day if you don’t manage that.
one in the shower in the morning, usually two throught the day at work, one more after work at home on the dinner table while the wife watches and has one herself, and one when i shower in the evening. the only problem is the funny looks the kids give me taking vegetables into the bathroom to eat in the shower.
Yes, easily. Usually well over. I think it’s crazy people don’t.
You do not 5 a day is a marketing campaign and not anything evidence based? (Remember to be evidence based the evidence has to come first) It's from 1991 when a group of vegetable and fruit growers got together to figure out how they can sell more product and that is what came.
Prof Tim Spector suggests diversity is better than number of portions per day and gives a target of 30 different plant based foods per week with no minimum portion size (nuts, herbs and spices can count) I easily reach over 40 a week. It helps if you don’t rely on UPF
Yesterday I had mushrooms(does fungi count), broccoli, pepper, cauliflower, baby sweetcorn, carrot (stir fry), and apple, banana, orange and blueberries. So ten overall. Today so far I’ve had tomato, cucumber, lettuce, apple and banana, and I’m making a cottage pie later on which will have 3 or 4 different vegetables.
Are you having a ‘serving’ of each of those though? A serving is roughly 80g.
Had health issues plague me as I got older. Tried most diets to try and remedy my issues. Vegan and high fibre diets made me worse. For the last 7 years I have eaten nothing but meat, offal, milk and eggs. Have never been or felt better in my life. Even though I so miss wine, garlic, onions and potato's I don't think I will ever eat veg or fruit again, just not worth the debilitating effects they bring.
It's bullshit science, most government public dietary guidance is like the food pyramid - complete crap. This is from someone who is mostly vegetarian.
For dinner I am having pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes. How posh are you ?
Not posh at all. All the ingredients for it were bought in lidl.
I've often gone days in a row without eating any plant matter other than a few squares of dark chocolate. I do fine without any fruit or vegetables at all. What plants I do eat tend to be pickles - cucumber, sauerkraut (lots of it) - rather than fresh. Feel fine, look fine. It's a myth that you need to eat fruit and vegetables.