Weight loss

Studies have shown that weight loss is quicker if fruit or vegetables make up a third of the food consumed each day. This is because fruit helps fill the stomach faster but is low in calories and fat. It is also thought that eating plenty of fibre and eating a wide variety of food will help us burn more energy.

To live a healthy and energetic life our bodies must be fit for the job. This requires a balanced diet that incorporates plenty of fresh fruit.

Five-a-Day
For fruit to have a positive impact on your weight loss you need to eat around five portions of it each day. This can be dried squeezed, bottled or fresh. Try sprinkling dried fruit over your breakfast cereal, eating an apple, banana or pear as a mid-morning snack, or feasting on a punnet of grapes or strawberries instead of heading for the chocolate.
Not only are fruits loaded with minerals, vitamins and antioxidants to keep the body healthy, but they also contain no fat, and very few calories. This means that you can fill your stomach with fruit, and help your body repair itself with all those nutrients, minerals and antioxidants. Because there is no fat involved, your body will start to lose weight naturally.

Water Weight
Fruit also contains no sodium, which is thought to increase what’s known as ‘water weight’. Sodium in the body is mainly found in the fluids around the body's cells, including the lymph fluid and blood. When sodium intake is greater than what the body can deal with, it accumulates in the intestinal region. The kidneys then work harder to flush this excess sodium out of the body, and the body stores the extra fluids in the blood and around the cells. This leads to increased blood pressure and excess weight gain from water.
Western Diets
The average diet in the west is made up of convenient, packaged or fast food. These always consist of high levels of salt, or sodium, as well as fat, calories and artificial chemical preservatives. It is estimated that many people in the UK and USA may carry up to 2.5kg of extra weight due to the effects of a high sodium diet.


Energy
Our bodies need energy to function properly. Traditionally, this energy was absorbed from dietary fibre consumed, but in recent years, this has shifted, and now over 50% of the energy absorbed in the average western diet is taken from sugar, dairy products, alcohol and vegetable oils. None of these foods contains any dietary fibre. This can result in poor bowel movements, but also sluggish behaviour, a lack of concentration and motivation, and an increased risk in developing heart disease and cancer.
Fruit contains plenty of dietary fibre to wake you up and provide you with plenty of energy. This has the double benefit of giving you more energy with which to exercise and burn excess calories, which will help you lose weight even faster.

Fruit is a fantastic source of all things good for you. Vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and antioxidants are all important in our diets and should be consumed regularly. Eating plenty of fruit can help achieve the ideal weight, and make you feel more alert and energetic too. So what’s stopping you!

Tropical Fruit Recipes

Avocado, Apple and Feta Salad With Mustard Dressing
Ingredients:
2 avocados (peeled, stoned and cut into slices)
2 apples (cored and cut into slices)
4 tomatoes (quartered)
100g (4oz) feta cheese (cubed)

For the dressing
1 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp sunflower or light olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

• Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
• Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small jug and drizzle over the salad
• Serve immediately

Serves four

Banana Wraps
Ingredients:
2 bananas (peeled)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp caster sugar
2 x 2.5cm (1 in) strips of puff pastry, rolled out
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas mark 7
• Sprinkle bananas with cinnamon and sugar
• Wrap strips of puff pastry around bananas
• Whisk egg yolks and salt together and brush over the pastry
• Place the wraps on a baking tray in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden

Serves 1

Griddled Mango Pieces
Ingredients:
1 mango (peeled and cubed)
2 tbsp sugar
2tbsp white wine
Icing sugar
Sprig of mint
Dollop of whipped cream or Greek yoghurt

Method

• Heat a non-stick griddle pan on high heat
• Add the mango pieces and sprinkle with a light dusting of icing sugar.
• Cook until the mango pieces begin to caramelise
• Pour in the wine to release the mango from the pan
• Garnish with the sprig of mint and serve hot

Serves one

Kiwifruit Jam
Ingredients:
2kg (4lb) kiwi fruit (peeled and chopped)
1 box fruit pectin or 2 apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
1.5 kg (3.3lb) sugar

Method

• In a large pan, heat the fruit for 3 minutes with a dash of water
• Add the pectin or apple pieces and mix well
• Add all of the sugar and bring to the boil, then boil for 1 minute
• Take off the heat, skim any foam from the top of the mixture and place the hot mixture in sterilised jars

Barbecued Pineapple Pieces
Ingredients:
1 pineapple (peeled and cut into chunks)
Rind and juice of 1 orange
1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

• In a bowl, mix the orange rind and juice together, and add the sugar
• Stir in the pineapple chunks, making sure they are coated in the mixture (add more orange juice if necessary)
• Cover the bowl and leave to marinade for one hour in a cool place, such as a fridge
• Spoon the cool mixture into a foil parcel, and place on the barbeque grill for 10 minutes
• serve hot

Serves six

Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 banana
2 passion fruits
1 mango, cut into small pieces
1/2 a pineapple, cut into small pieces
100ml pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime

Method

• Scoop out the pulp from the passion fruits
• Combine all of the ingredients in a blender until the mixture is smooth
• Add ice cubes if the consistency is too stiff, and another banana if the consistency is too runny
• Serve immediately

Serves one

Portion Sizes

Fruit portions

Fresh fruit
Small-sized fruit: one portion is two or more small fruit, for example two plums, two satsumas, two kiwi fruit, three apricots, six lychees, seven strawberries or 14 cherries.

Medium-sized fruit: one portion is one piece of fruit, such as one apple, banana, pear, orange, nectarine or sharon fruit.

Large fruit: one portion is half a grapefruit, one slice of papaya, one slice of melon (5cm slice), one large slice of pineapple or two slices of mango (5cm slices).

Dried fruit
A portion of dried fruit is around 30g. This is about one heaped tablespoon of raisins, currants or sultanas, one tablespoon of mixed fruit, two figs, three prunes or one handful of dried banana chips.

Tinned fruit in natural juice
One portion is roughly the same quantity of fruit that you would eat for a fresh portion, such as two pear or peach halves, six apricot halves or eight segments of tinned grapefruit.

Vegetable portions

Green vegetables
Two broccoli spears or four heaped tablespoons of kale, spinach, spring greens or green beans.

Cooked vegetables
Three heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables, such as carrots, peas or sweetcorn, or eight cauliflower florets.

Salad vegetables
Three sticks of celery, a 5cm piece of cucumber, one medium tomato or seven cherry tomatoes.

Tinned and frozen vegetables
Roughly the same quantity as you would eat for a fresh portion. For example, three heaped tablespoons of tinned or frozen carrots, peas or sweetcorn.

Pulses and beans
Three heaped tablespoons of baked beans, haricot beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, butter beans or chickpeas. However much you eat, beans and pulses count as a maximum of one portion a day.

Potatoes 
Because they are considered a starchy food, potatoes don't count towards your 5 A DAY. Potatoes should form the starchy carbohydrate part of your meal. Starchy foods are foods like potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.

Juices and smoothies

One 150ml glass of unsweetened 100% fruit or vegetable juice can count as a portion. But only one glass counts, further glasses of juice don’t count toward your total 5 A DAY portions.

One smoothie containing all the edible pulped fruit or vegetable may count as more than one 5 A DAY portion, but this depends on the quantity of fruits or vegetables and/or juice used, as well as how the smoothie has been made.

For a single smoothie to qualify as being two portions, it must contain either:

at least 80g of one variety of whole fruit and/or vegetable and at least 150ml of a different variety of 100% fruit and/or vegetable juice, or
at least 80g of one variety of whole fruit and/or vegetable and at least 80g of another variety of whole fruit and/or vegetable.
Smoothies count as a maximum of two of your 5 A DAY, however much you drink.

Fruit Recipes

Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients:
250g (9oz) blackberries
400g (16oz) cooking apples

For the topping
225g (8oz) plain flour
175g (6oz) butter
55g (2oz) Demerara sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) gas mark 6
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the butter and sugar and rub it all together until it is in tiny, crumbly pieces
Peel, core and cut the apples into small pieces (it’s important that you do this after making the crumble mixture as you don’t want the apples to go brown)
Mix blackberries and apples together and place in a shallow baking dish
Use a spoon to gently spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit
Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until crisp and golden
Leave to cool and serve with cream or ice cream
Serves six

Blackcurrant Fool
Ingredients:
450g (1lb) blackcurrants
175g caster sugar
150ml (1/4pt) whipped cream
150ml (5fl oz) plain yoghurt

Method
Place blackcurrants in a non-stick pan
Add the sugar and a little water
Bring to the boil and stir them gently until the sugar is completely dissolved
Push the blackcurrant puree through a sieve to get rid of the pips
Add the yoghurt to the cream and mix together
When the blackcurrant puree is cool, stir it into the cream mixture gently
Pour the mixture into glasses and chill in the fridge for 2 hours
Serves four

Plum Cheesecake
Ingredients:
110g (4oz) plums (halved and stoned)
55g (2oz) unsalted butter
6 digestive biscuits, crumbled
110g (4 oz) low fat cream cheese

For the garnish:

4 orange segments
1 sprig of fresh mint
Icing sugar to dust

Method
Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the biscuits until thoroughly mixed
Take off the heat and spoon the biscuit mixture into a large circular dish or chef’s ring
Place the plums on top of the biscuit mix
Top with the cream cheese and smooth the top using a palette knife
Garnish with orange segments and mint and lightly dust with icing sugar
Serves six

Strawberry Cake
Ingredients:
4 eggs (separated)
175g (6oz) sugar
175g (6oz) self raising flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp boiling water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
284ml double cream
500g (20oz) fresh strawberries
100g (4oz) hazelnuts (chopped and toasted)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) gas mark 4.
Grease and line the base of a 20cm (6in) cake tin
Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff
Add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is smooth, then add the egg yolks
Sieve the flour over the mixture and fold in with a metal spoon
Drizzle the oil, boiling water and vanilla essence into the mixture and fold in
Pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes
Cool the cooked cake on a rack then cut it in to two horizontal pieces
Top one of the cake pieces with half of the cream and half of the strawberries and sandwich the pieces together
Spread the remaining cream over the top and sides of the cake and sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts. Cut the remaining strawberries and arrange them on the surface of the cake
Serves eight

Berry Nice Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 banana
A handful each of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries (or whatever else you have in your garden)
50ml apple juice
A dollop of ice cream (optional)

Method
Slice the banana into pieces and add the ingredients to the blender and mix until smooth
If the mixture is too runny, add another banana
Serve immediately
Serves one

Food for your man

1. Get your partner to cook vegetable or fruit kebabs on the barbecue – men love barbecueing!
LAUREN GODDARD, SOUTHAMPTON

2. JANETTE MARSHALL, AUTHOR OF THE
NEW EAT FOR LIFE RECOMMENDS:
“Courgettes, marrows and aubergines are all good choices for curries because they absorb the flavours and spices and add texture to sauces.” You could also add cauliflower, tomatoes and peppers to add variety. Chop them into cubes, boil them for 4 minutes and then add spice and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add tinned tomatoes and heat for a further 2 minutes

3. LUCILLE WONG FROM
LEICESTER RECOMMENDS:
“Get your partner’s taste buds tingling with Mexican tacos with refried beans and a spicy salsa dip with tinned tomatoes, peppers and onion”

4. “If you’re ordering a pizza, encourage your partner to add extra toppings like mushrooms, peppers or onions. I like Hawaiian pizzas because they have fruit as well as the tomato sauce”
MRS EMMA LANE, EXETER

5. AS A FINAL RESORT, TAKE A LEAF
OUT OF CATHERINE SHILTON FROM
BEDFORD’S BOOK:
“Make him feel guilty and tell him he should be eating a variety of at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day to set a good example to the children!”

Making Juices with Fresh Fruit

Scientists have shown that fresh fruit juices, especially those from grapes, cranberries and apples, are high in antioxidants that are especially beneficial to our health. And a glass of fruit juice counts as one of your 5-a-day.

Fresh fruit juices and smoothies can be made very easily at home with just a little extra kitchen equipment.

What equipment do you need?
You probably have a blender or liquidiser in your kitchen already. A blender is ideal for whizzing soft fruits to make a smooth fruity drink, or to combine soft fruits with yogurt, milk or ice cubes for a healthy milkshake or smoothy. You get the whole fruit and all its fibre and goodness in a form that’s palatable to even the fussiest child.
If you want to make apple or pear juice, carrot or beetroot juice, then you need a juicer. The juicer will take the raw ingredient, such as a carrot, and separate it into the vitamin- and mineral-rich juice and raw pulp. You may drink the juice as it is or combine it with other ingredients in your blender to make a health-giving cocktail.

Grape Juice
fresh grapes, washed
Fill a colander with grapes, stalks and all. Pour a cup of water in the bottom of a saucepan and place the colander on top. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the water to the boil and then let it simmer very gently for about 30 minutes. Check now and then to make sure the juice is flowing and the pan’s not drying out. Remove from the heat and mash the juice out of the colander into the saucepan. Discard the skins and stalks.

The juice is now ready to drink as it is or diluted with water. While it’s still hot add honey to taste if required. Keep in the fridge.

Preparing Fruit for Juicing and Blending
Use fresh fruit that is ripe, don’t be tempted to use old fruit and vegetables! Wash all fruit and vegetables first unless you are confident that the products are organically grown and pesticides have not been used (you may want to remove the peel.) You should peel oranges, waxed lemons, grapefruits, pineapples, melons and kiwi fruits and remove seeds and stones – except from a watermelon. Cut into pieces that will fit easily into your juicer. Cut the fruit into teaspoon-sized pieces for the blender.

Juicer Recipes
Simply pop the fruit and vegetables through a juicer and serve with ice if required.

Wake-up call

• ½ cup fresh raspberries
• 1 orange
• 1 nectarine

Cranapple

• 2 apples
• 1¼ cups cranberries

Orchard Harvest

• 1 pear
• 1 peach
• 1 apple

Slimmer’s Delight

• handful of lettuce leaves
• handful of spinach leaves
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ cucumber
• 6 carrots
• 1 courgette
• 2 oranges
• splash of lime juice

Blender smoothies
Whizz solid ingredients for a few seconds first and then add liquids and/or ice and blend until smooth.

Blueberry smoothy

• 1 banana
• handful blueberries
• 1 cup milk

Cranberry smoothy

• 1 banana
• 4 oz fresh cranberries
• 2 canned peaches plus their juice (choose peaches in grape juice rather than syrup)
• orange juice
• Blend the banana, cranberries, peaches and their juice until smooth. Add orange juice until the consistency suits your taste.

Children and Juice
While juice is good for children in moderation, taken in excess, the acid and sugar in it can contribute to obesity, tooth decay and gastrointestinal problems. Babies under six months shouldn’t be given juice without the advice of the doctor, and those under 6 years should have a maximum ¼ pint of juice a day. Try to encourage them to eat fruit instead.

10 Money Saving Tips

• Buy fruit and vegetables loose rather than pre-packaged. Loose fruit and veg can be as little has half the price. 
• Look for supermarket deals on fruit and vegetables, such as buy one get one free offers.
• Fruit and vegetables are usually cheaper if they're in season.
• Fruit and vegetables are often cheaper at your local street or farmers' market. You can find your nearest one in this directory of farmers' markets.
• Replace your morning or afternoon snack with a piece of fruit. A banana or an apple costs around half the price of most chocolate bars or packets of crisps. The savings add up and so do the health benefits.
• Don’t throw away vegetables that are about to go out of date. Use them in stews, soups and casseroles, which you can freeze and eat another time.
• Stock up on canned fruit and vegetables. They count towards your 5 A DAY and won’t go off, so you can buy them in bulk. Buy those canned without added salt or sugar. Supermarket own-brand varieties are usually the cheapest.
• Look for good deals on frozen and dried fruit and veg, such as frozen peas and dried pulses and beans. They are often cheaper than fresh varieties.
• Swap ready meals for homemade alternatives. Vegetables in dishes such as stews, bakes, casseroles and curries count towards your 5 A DAY, and cooking these dishes yourself is cheaper than buying them ready-made. 
• Cook in bulk and freeze portions to eat another time.

The One Pot Roast

It’s all in the timing…

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Cost per serving: $2.50
5 A DAY portions per serving: 3

What you’ll need
8 chicken pieces (thighs, legs, breasts – whatever you fancy)
5 carrots
3 parsnips
2 red onions, peeled
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

And on the side:
4 potatoes (for mashing), peeled
1 small swede, peeled
2 teaspoons margarine
100ml hot milk
4 handfuls of green beans

Get cooking
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / gas mark 6
Put the chicken pieces in a large roasting tin
Peel and chop carrots, parsnips and red onions (it doesn’t really matter how you do this – big chunks will make your dish seem more rustic) and add to the roasting tin
Peel and crush the garlic and add to the tin or simply add the whole cloves
Pour a bit of olive oil over the chicken and vegetables and put the whole lot in the oven
Cook for around 40 minutes or until the juice runs clear when you put a skewer in the chicken pieces
For the mash
Peel and chop the potatoes and swede and put together in a large pan of boiling water for 20 minutes or until they are soft
Drain the water from the potatoes and swede
In the same pan (for minimum washing up) mash the potato and swede together with a little hot milk, a small knob of butter and seasoning

Why not?
Add some green beans on the side – either steam them or add them to boiling water for a few minutes. They’ll brighten up your dish and add to your 5 A DAY
Add some finely chopped spring onions or some chopped fresh herbs to the mash
Serve the mash, chicken and vegetables all together

Juice it up!
To make real gravy pour the juices from the roasting tin into a saucepan (try to
skim off any excess fat) and stir in about a tablespoon of flour. Once the flour is
mixed in, slowly add about 2 cups of the leftover water from your vegetables
and a stock cube. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring,
until it starts to thicken.

ENJOY!

Things you never knew about fruit

A fruit is the seed-bearing part of a plant so a tomato is a fruit not a vegetable.

Fruit contains no cholesterol but is high in all sorts of minerals, vitamins and fibre that help the body work as it should, and fruit’s also great for helping to fend off disease.
And it’s good to mix and match your colours, the greens and oranges, red and yellows, as different coloured fruits contain different elements.
Fruit juice counts as one of your 5-a-day fruit and vegetables.

Apples

In Greek mythology the apple was the symbol for love; in the Bible in the Garden of Eden it was the symbol  for knowledge. According to archaeologists and historians, apples originated in the Middle East more than 5,000 years ago and have been grown in the UK for at least 1,000 years.
More than 80% of an apple is water. Carbohydrates make up about 10% while minerals and vitamins take up 4%. There are about 40 calories in an average apple but no fat. While most of an apple’s fibre content is in the peel there’s also some in the core. However, if you eat the core, remember that apple pips contain traces of cyanide – but not enough to poison you! But that explains the bitter taste. Another reason to eat the peel of an apple – after washing it – is that most of the apple’s vitamin C is just under the skin.


Royal Gala, Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippins and Granny Smiths are amongst the most popular varieties in the UK but specialist greengrocers and supermarkets are beginning to stock a far wider variety of British apples, giving consumers greater choice and helping to preserve some of the old-fashioned flavoursome varieties.

Bananas
A banana tree isn’t a tree but a herb, Musa sapientium, that originated in Asia some 4,000 years ago. The name comes from the Arabic for finger, banan.
Bananas are so good for you that it’s a wonder the government haven’t passed a law making us all eat at least one a day! Eating just two bananas will give you the energy for a 90 minute aerobic workout. Eating a potassium-rich banana for breakfast helps wake your brain up and the potassium in a banana is also good for calming you down when you’re stressed. A banana is high in iron, fibre, vitamin A and vitamin B. Eating a banana is recommended if you have heartburn or an ulcer because of its antacid effect. Bananas also contain tryptophan, which the body converts to serotonin – the happy hormone! See what we mean about how good it is?!

It’s even said that sticking a piece of peel, yellow side out, on a wart will get rid of the wart. But it’s not all good: there are, on average, 300 banana-related accidents a year.

Oranges
Strictly speaking an orange is a berry, consisting of several segments, each with seeds. Orange trees originated in South Asia but are now grown commercially throughout warm regions of the world, producing sweet, navel and bitter oranges.
Fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free, oranges have a high level of antioxidants, which combat ageing. High in fibre, a medium-sized orange will supply you with 130% of your daily requirement of vitamin but once you’ve cut or squeezed an orange, eat it soon as it will quickly lose its vitamin C content.

Ripe oranges sometimes draw green chlorophyll back into themselves from the leaves, giving the orange a green colour. This doesn’t affect the taste; it just proves that the orange is ripe and might even make the fruit sweeter than it would have been.

Melinda Messenger shares her thoughts and top tips

Melinda Messenger, British TV Presenter, Comments:

“Having three children has made me really conscious and aware of the positive health benefits of eating a variety of at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Its great to work with fellow mums to understand what counts towards your 5 A DAY and makes a portion.‘’
“Sharing tips with other mums involved in the campaign we’ve discovered that, roughly 80grams of fruit or veg equates to one portion – e.g. for 80g of tomatoes that’s roughly 4 medium sized fresh tomatoes or half a can of toms! Yes, canned fruit and veg count too, – as do frozen and dried fruit and veg which can be just as nutritious as fresh and tend to be cheaper
“Getting involved with the 5 A DAY campaign to encourage people to eat more fruit and veg is really important and exciting to me.
“Working with other mums to discover what counts as a portion of 5 A DAY has been particularly enlightening. I didn’t realise that canned, frozen and dried fruit and veg all count – which is great news – especially for keeping the costs down on your weekly shop.
“We can be made to feel guilty for using canned and frozen fruit and veg – but to discover they are just as nutritious as fresh is great news.
“I was gutted to find out that potatoes don’t count! While the starchy food is an important part of a balanced diet – it doesn’t count towards your 5 A DAY – so don’t forget the broccoli with your chips!
“My daughter Evie loves Broccoli – raw fresh broccoli spears are one of her favourite snacks – great news as Broccoli contains folate and carotene. As you need a handful of broccoli to make up one portion – its great that a little gentle persuasion has helped Evie to snack on fresh veg and fruit. One of the best ways is to involve her in the kitchen – something she does both at nursery school and at home – seeing adults tasting and enjoying fruit and veg and involving them in preparation has helped Evie become a true vegetable fan.
“Evie doesn’t really have a favourite fruit, as she likes most fruit – as long as it is prepared! She will happily tuck into a banana she has watched me cut for her but wouldn’t take a banana from the fruit bowl – although she would take broccoli if I put it there! If you asked her what her favourite fruit is she’d actually say broccoli (although it’s a vegetable!)
“Sharing tips with mums and dads is an important part of the work of 5 A DAY – the web site is packed with top tips to help encourage our children to enjoy eating more fruit and veg. I have learnt so much by sharing with other mums – so I’d encourage
you to log on and share what tips works for you and your family – you might even find out a new idea or tasty recipe to get your get eating more fruit and veg.
“Food can affect our bodies in negative and positive ways. Fruit and veg help to increase energy, help our kids to concentrate better and can reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease and stroke. A healthy diet rich in fruit and veg can even put a stop to obesity.
Here are some tips I use at home with my kids for fun, delicious meal times
• We love making and eating healthy fruit lollies by freezing 100% pure juice and fruit puree. The kids love making these as well as eating them.
• Frozen grapes and pieces of melon make a tasty treat – popular with my older children.
• A tasty vegetable soup is a real favourite – you can cook up a mix of fresh, frozen, tinned and even dried veg for a meal of a soup – an instant vitamin fix – that can contain three or more portions of your five a day. A handful of frozen peas or half a tin of sweetcorn are both one portion that add great taste and flavour to soups – whether home made or straight out of a can.
• Spaghetti bolognaise is a great family favourite that we enjoy at home – as a vegetarian I make this with soya or quorn mince mince packed with canned tomatoes, fresh carrots and frozen peas.
• Just cutting up fruit, makes a real difference to how much my children will eat and enjoy! You can also try adding fresh cut apple, raisins and grated carrot on a salad for a little sweetness and great flavour.
• A little dried fruit is a great snack alternative to sugary sweets – although I’m careful to make sure this is seen as a treat – as dried fruit is still high in sugar.
• A glass of 100% fruit juice (150ml) or smoothie with breakfast is a great way to start the day with one portion of your 5 A DAY – add fruit to your breakfast and you can start the day with two portions!
• Growing fruit and veg is a great way to excite children about food, strawberries and tomatoes are great for growing in small spaces – from hanging baskets to a small garden. We have a small tub outside that we fill with strawberry plants. My youngest Evie loves being able to pick and eat the fruit straight from the plant.
• We try to eat meals together as a family, it means we get to spend more time together and the kids respond to seeing their mum tucking in and enjoying fruit and veg. My kids love to mimic me so I hope I can help teach them some really good habits that will help them for life!

One Pot Wonder

The best thing about this meal is that you can use whatever vegetables you have to hand. The ingredients below are just a guide.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 1 hour

Cost per serving: $2.50

5 A DAY portions per serving: 2

What you’ll need

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

1 small swede

2 medium parsnips

2 medium leeks

1 clove garlic, crushed or

finely chopped (you could

cheat and buy some garlic

granules or paste, or simply

leave it out all together)

1 tablespoon dried mixed

herbs

300ml vegetable stock

1 tablespoon plain flour

4 large potatoes, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon margarine

Freshly ground black pepper

Get cooking

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190 °C / gas mark 5. Chop the vegetables into

chunks and arrange in layers in a large casserole dish (except the potatoes).

If you don’t have a casserole dish, you can put them into a saucepan and

cook on the hob

Season the vegetable layers lightly with black pepper and sprinkle them with

garlic and chopped herbs as you go

Step 2

Boil 300ml water and add the stock cube. Add the flour to the stock and pour

over the vegetables

Arrange the potatoes in overlapping layers on top. Dot with a small amount of

butter and cover tightly

Step 3

Cook in the oven (or on the hob) for about an hour, or until the vegetables

are tender

Remove the lid from the dish and cook for a further 15 minutes until the top

layer of potatoes is golden and crisp at the edges

Serve and enjoy!

Top Tip:

If you want to add meat to this meal, gently

brown the diced meat first, then add to the

casserole dish with the raw vegetables. The meat

will be very tender if cooked slowly and will soak up

all the flavours from the vegetables

Tips for Children - from the experts

Encouraging your children to eat more fruit and vegetables can be hard work, often making you resort to bribing or forcing them to eat their greens.
It doesn’t have to be so difficult. There are some simple things you can do to encourage children to eat a range of fruit and veg as part of their daily diet.

1. “If your child will not eat vegetables on their own, create things like a vegetable sauce for pasta. Use vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms and red pepper blended into the sauce. What children cannot see they cannot pick out!”
ANNABEL KARMEL, FOODWRITER

2. “Try making soup – chop up any leftover vegetables (including brussel sprouts!) and boil them altogether. Add stock for flavouring and process the whole lot until it is an appealing consistency. My daughter loves this soup and is getting many vegetables all at once without knowing what she is eating!”
HELEN BRUNTON, HERTS

3. FOOD WRITER, OLIVER GILLIE SUGGESTS ADDING OTHER VEGETABLES TO MASHED POTATO.
Although the potato doesn’t count as a portion, the vegetable you add will: “Children love mashed potato. I have found that they also enjoy mashed potato with swede or parsnip mashed in as well”

4. FOOD WRITER MAGGIE PANNELL SUGGESTS HAVING PREPARED SNACKS:
“Make up little goodie bags of mixed dried fruits to pack into lunch boxes or to take on outings and picnics. Raw vegetables are generally preferred to cooked ones and kids usually like finger food so cut up a selection of veg to serve with dips”

5. Or try making ‘Traffic Light Fruit Salad’ which consists of strawberries, kiwi fruit, yellow melon, yellow plums and mango. This is all chopped up very small.” You can use tinned or fresh fruit for this and experiment with different fruit and vegetables in the same colours.
HELEN BRUNTON, HERTS

The health benefits of fruits and vegetables.

Increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. It has been estimated that eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day could reduce the risk of deaths from chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer by up to 20%.

It has been estimated that diet might contribute to the development of one-third of all cancers, and that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is the second most important cancer prevention strategy, after reducing smoking. In 1998, the Department of Health's Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy and Nutrition (now called the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) reviewed the evidence and concluded that higher vegetable consumption would reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. There was also weakly consistent evidence that higher fruit and vegetable consumption would reduce the risk of breast cancer. These cancers combined represent about 18% of the cancer burden in men and about 30% in women.

Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables also reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. A recent study found that each increase of 1 portion of fruit and vegetables a day lowered the risk of coronary heart disease by 4% and the risk of stroke by 6%. Evidence also suggests an increase in fruit and vegetable intake can help lower blood pressure.

Research suggests that there are other health benefits too, including delaying the development of cataracts, reducing the symptoms of asthma, improving bowel function, and helping to manage diabetes. Some fruit and vegetables are also good sources of folate (such as green leafy vegetables and oranges). All women of childbearing age are recommended to increase their consumption of foods naturally rich in folate and foods fortified with folic acid. Women who are trying to conceive or who are likely to become pregnant are advised to take a daily 400microgram supplement of folic acid until the 12th week of pregnancy.

As well as the direct health benefits, eating fruit and vegetables can help to achieve other dietary goals including increasing fibre intake, reducing fat intake, help maintain a healthy weight, and substituting for foods with added sugars (as frequent consumption of foods with added sugars can contribute to tooth decay).

The message at the heart of the 5 A DAY programme - to eat at least 5 portions (400g) of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day - is consistent with dietary recommendations around the world, including those from the World Health Organization.

The reason why fruit and vegetables are so beneficial is because of their array of compounds. As well as vitamins and minerals, fruit and vegetables also contain many complex plant components (called phytochemicals), including flavonoids, glucosinilates and phyto-oestrogens. Some of the vitamins and phytochemicals are also antioxidants, destroying free radicals in the body. These free radicals are known to have a role in causing cancer as well as other harmful effects.

It appears that the benefits of fruit and vegetables stem not only from the individual components, but also from the interactions between these components. Dietary supplements containing isolated vitamins or minerals do not appear to have the same beneficial effects as fruit and vegetables themselves. Indeed, in some studies, supplements caused more harm than good.

10 Tips

1. Add flavour to a sandwich - throw in some lettuce and sliced tomato.
2. Have a glass of orange juice with your lunch.
3. Make your breakfast fruity by slicing a banana into your cereal.
4. Feel like a snack? Reach for an apple instead of chocolate.
5. Try dipping veg sticks into a tomato salsa.
6. Keep a fruit bowl in the living room so it's easy to snack from.
7. Invest in a smoothie maker or juicer.
8. Need to lose weight - lots of fruit and veg in your diet fills you up and is low in calories.
9. Don't peel that apple - most of the vitamins are in or just under the skin.
10. Having a family day out - take small bags of dried fruit, bananas, carrot, celery or pepper sticks with you, instead of buying expensive snacks once you’re out.

If you have any good tips please let me know.

Fruit Quiz

A little quiz to get you into a fruit frame of mind. Answers in a couple of days. Have fun.

1. Where was the kiwi fruit first grown?

a) New Zealand
b) China
c) Australia
d) Chile

2. Which fruit has the highest oil content? 
a) Peach
b) Avocado
c) Olive
d) Mango

3. What percentage of the watermelon is water?
a) 34
b) 80
c) 66
d) 92

4. The flower of the cherry tree is the national symbol of which country?
a) India
b) Canada
c) China
d) France

5. Apple pips contain:
a) juice
b) Vitamin H
c) sodium
d) Cyanide

6. Every year there are, on average, how many banana-related accidents?
a) 20
b) 300
c) 100
d) 50

7. Chinese Gooseberry is another name for:
a) Cherry
b) Plum
c) Kiwi
d) Lime

8. In the Hindu culture, the leaves of which fruit are hung at weddings to ensure fertility?
a) Mango
b) Papaya
c) Banana
d) Lychee 


9. Papain is a natural digestive aid that is found naturally in:
a) Mango
b) Papaya
c) Banana
d) Lychee 


10. There is a museum in Belgium dedicated to:
a) Chocolate
b) Detective Poirot
c) Strawberries
d) Beer


11. The only fruit to have seeds on the outside is:
a) Pineapple
b) Raspberry
c) Lychee
d) Strawberry


12. Because it has a high quercitin content this fruit may help relieve hayfever.
a) Raspberry
b) Strawberry
c) Melon
d) Grape


13. A loganberry is a cross between a blackberry and a:
a) Blueberry
b) Raspberry
c) Blackcurrant
d) Strawberry


14. According to American research, which fruit is No. 1 when it comes to antioxidants?
a) Blueberry
b) Orange
c) Pear
d) Cherry


15. In January 2009, what was named as the state fruit of Ohio?
a) Blueberry
b) Cranberry
c) Paw paw
d) Apple


16. The fruit of the physalis plant is also known as:
a) Kiwi
b) Fig
c) Olive
d) Cape gooseberry


17. Kumquat is Chinese for:
a) Gold orange
b) Green orange
c) Tangerine
d) Satsuma


18. In Greek mythology, in the stories of Persephone, what is said to be the fruit of the underworld?
a) Grape
b) Pineapple
c) Pomegranate
d) Orange


19. Which of these fruits is not native to North America?
a) Blueberry
b) Apple
c) Cranberry
d) Grape


20. The stones from which fruit were once used in bed-warming pans?
a) Plum
b) Avocado
c) Cherry
d) Peach 


21.Dame Nellie Melba, a famous Australian opera singer, had a fruity dessert named after her; which fruit is used in the making of it?
a) Strawberry
b) Peach
c) Pear
d) Plum

22. What is a nectarine? Is it:
a) A cross between a peach and a plum
b) A cross between an an apple and a peach
c) A type of peach
d) A type of orange

23. There is a fruit juice that can increase the potency of some medication, even causing an overdose. Which fruit juice is this?
a) Apple
b) Orange
c) Grapefruit
d) Pineapple

24. And finally, if you have 4 bananas in one hand and 5 mangoes in the other, what do you have?

How much is a Portion?

This is a little table I've set up to show a selection of common fruit and veg and how much you have to eat to count as one portion in your five portions a day.

Apple / Banana / Pear / Orange	1
Satsumas / Plums	2
Cherries / Grapes	12
Dried Fruit (Raisins / Apricots)	1 Tablespoon
Melon	1 slice (5cm)
Cooked Carrots / Peas or Sweetcorn	3 Tablespoons
Mixed Salad	1 cereal bowl
Cherry Tomatoes	7
Tomato (medium sized)	1
Pepper	half
Onion	1
Sliced Mushrooms	3 handfuls
Glass of 100% Fruit / Vegetable juice	1 glass (150ml)
Celery sticks	3
Courgette	half
Cauliflower florets	8
Broccoli	2
Brussel sprouts	8
Pineapple	12 chunks
Kiwi fruit	2
Avocado	half
Kidney beans	3 Tablespoons
Apricots	3 whole dried
Okra	16
Leek	1

Welcome

Most people know that to keep healthy you should eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

But:
How easy is it to do that?
How big is a portion exactly?
Isn't that going to be boring?
Have you any good ideas how I can do that?
Do you have any good recipes to help me?

Over the next days and weeks I will answer all these questions, and more, and show you exactly how to get your 5 a day, and enjoy it!