5 portions a day!

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Fruit & Veg...generally I have to say they are not my fav foods. So my questions are:

1) One constitutes a portion...ie a single grape or a bag of apples?

2) Is there some easy way to get enough of the the stuff inside you without killing it's effect...I have to say I hate raw veg and fruit

 

[Panter]

I've been struggling with this for months............

1 portion = small bowl of grapes, 1 large apple, 2 plums, you get the idea.

A glass of juice counts too, and vegetables can be cooked, just don't overdo them.

Only way I found to do it is:

1) With Breakfast, large orange juice

2) Mid morning snack: piece of fruit (apple, orange whatever)

3) Lunch: Something with salad (reasonable portion)

4) Tea: Something with veg

5) Supper: another piece of fruit.

HTH

Oh, there's plenty on google about it, I spent ages trying to achieve it 'cause it is quite a lot. Especially if, as me, you don't particularly like fruit.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..damm you...I was hoping 5 portions meant 5 segments of an orange or something

 

[wafflycat]

A basic guide is from WeightWatchers introductory handbook:-

"One portion is equivalent to a piece of fruit,100g of vegetables, approximately 200g tin of fruit in its own juice or a small glass of fruit juice."

See also

http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/WhatCounts/PortionSizes.aspx

Important to note that *starchy veg* do NOT count to your five a day - due to the starchy they count towards starchy carbohydrate requirements. So potatoes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, rice, bread, pasta.. don't count towards your five a day.

 

[punkypossum]

I always thought it was 80g, not 100, and I already struggled with that! Also bear in mind that no matter how much juice/smoothies you drink, they only ever count as 1 portion - same applies to pulses, so 5 tins of beans are still only 1 portion...

 

[bonj2]

A basic guide is from WeightWatchers introductory handbook:-

"One portion is equivalent to a piece of fruit,100g of vegetables, approximately 200g tin of fruit in its own juice or a small glass of fruit juice."

See also

http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/WhatCounts/PortionSizes.aspx

Important to note that *starchy veg* do NOT count to your five a day - due to the starchy they count towards starchy carbohydrate requirements. So potatoes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, rice, bread, pasta.. don't count towards your five a day.

"still eating OVER the 5 portions of fruit and veg a day - managed to reduce Jez down to one, he still thinks potatoes count, the peanut!"

 

[bonj2]

apparently according to tesco's it's "a handful".

 

[alecstilleyedye]

12 months commuting 10 miles a day. weight lost: 11kg (not allowing for fat turned to muscle). cholesterol reduced by 30%. portions per day? portions per week would be around 5.

if the government thinks it can beat obesity with this arbitrary 5 a day rubbish then they can think again. i think the current campaign to increase your heart rate for 30 mins a day is much nearer the mark.

 

[ufkacbln]

I thought you meant sex!

In which case you are doing better than I can!

 

[wafflycat]

the five-a-day fruit & veg is not just about obesity. It's about more than that it's about having enough fibre in your diet - if you don't you increase your risk of bowel cancer, you can get constipated, risk piles, increase your risk of heart disease as fibre reduces cholesterol levels. It's only in part to do with weight control.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i don't mean to say that 5 a day is in any way bad, but it's down to genetics really. some people will live to 100 on a diet of cigarettes and takeaways, others will die of cancer despite living healthily in their 50s.

@waffles: your point on cholesterol: mine has reduced from 5.1 to 3.8 as a result of 30 mins fast cycling every week day, despite having what might be described an "unhealthy" diet. i really think the government would be better encouraging a more active lifestyle, rather than relying on 5 a day.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

5 a day is easily achievable ...if you are with the right person

why is it that grapes count if they're out of a bag, but not if out of a bottle?

 

[fossyant]

Erm, sorry to upset you lot, but active cyclists are recommended to do about 7 portions a day.... I do that easy - banana with breckie, two banana's & 2 apples to snack on, bottle of orange then whatever comes with my evening meal or lunch.... easy.. 7 a day (at least)....

Active lifestyle is by far the best - I've dropped 10kg's in 10 weeks from commuting 30-40 mins each way and cut out some of the crap. My cholesterol was way to high 8.1 then dropped to 6 before I started commuting, now just need to test again - should be well in normal ranges now. Having trouble keeping the weight on as I'm now at my ideal 79-80kg's (12.5 stone) - the weight I used to race at 10 years ago.....

 

[wafflycat]

@waffles: your point on cholesterol: mine has reduced from 5.1 to 3.8 as a result of 30 mins fast cycling every week day, despite having what might be described an "unhealthy" diet. i really think the government would be better encouraging a more active lifestyle, rather than relying on 5 a day.

You're missing part of the point. Eating five a day is about more than any one individual aspect - it's about the totality of eating healthily. If you aren't getting enough fruit & veg in your diet then you aren't getting enough fibre inside you. You are missing out on the benefits of the fibre moving stuff through your innards quickly. If you don't get enough fibre, you don't sh!t often enough & when you do, it's too firm, so you risk constipation, piles, and increase your risk of bowel cancer (and that's a particularly nasty one to get). It won't do you any harm to up your fibre intake and it will do you a lot of good. As regards your cholesterol level, you may well be akin to the lucky smoker who doesn't get lung cancer but then goes on to die of a different smoking-related disease.

 

[monnet]

Waffly and alecs.. I think the truth lies in what you're both saying. Exercise is essential but diet also plays an important part. I think it is wrong to say the govt. should encourage a healthy lifestyle over eating 5 a day. In reality the government is trying to promote both (whatever you think of the cack handed way they're doing it they are trying to promote cycling, in a way).

The thing is that exercise (particularly cycling) does have fairly instant results but diet is what looks after you long term. If you do plenty of exercise but don't support it with a balanced diet then you're still putting your body at risk - in the short term the risk of injury, in the long term more terminal problems such as Wafflycat has noted.

On the five a day thing, I find it easy - I love fruit and veg (and I'm definitely not veggie either) and eat it at any opportunity. Fossyant - I'd be careful with that banana intake. The body can generally only digest two bananas a day and too much banana can mean too much potassium (in fact 9 bananas in a 24 hour period can lead to severe potassium poisoning). It's best to get as wide a variety as possible - I like to go for a banana, an apple, an orange/satsuma and one other fruit a day (whatever's in season) snacks of carrots, peppers and then I usually have a bit of lettuce and tomato with lunch and whatever I have with my tea.