Eat Your Greens!

Eat Five Portions of Fruit and Vegetables a Day

Eating fruit and vegetables is essential for a healthy diet as they contain vitamins, minerals and fibre as well as phytonutrients which act as antioxidants to protect the body from harmful free radicals.

All fruit and vegetables are beneficial but choose those that are bright or dark in colour (such as red peppers, beetroot, blueberries and tomatoes) as they contain higher quantities of nutrients. Another important group is the brassica family, which includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, curly kale and sprouts.

Try to eat fruit and vegetables at every mealtime and as a snack in between meals.

Also, try to eat them raw as the cooking process destroys many of the vitamins and minerals. When you do cook them, steam them rather than boil them

What is a Portion?

A portion of fresh fruit or vegetables is 80g.

 one piece of fruit you can hold in your hand (e.g.: an apple, pear, banana, orange)

 three apricots

 a handful of grapes

 a bowl of vegetable soup

 three sticks of celery

 a slice of melon or pineapple

 half a grapefruit

 a side salad

 three tablespoons of beans, peas or

sweetcorn

 two broccoli spears

A portion of dried fruit is 30g which is around one heaped tablespoon of raisins, currants and sultanas or three prunes.

A portion of fruit juice or vegetable juice is a 150 ml glass.

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