Why 5 a day?

 

Why eat 5 a day?

 

Fruit and vegetables help set you up for a healthier lifestyle. Best of all, there is so much variety to choose from, all year long, there's enough to keep even the fussiest eaters happy.

To get the best health benefits, your 5 A DAY portions should include a combination of a variety of fruit and vegetables. That's 5 portions altogether, not 5 portions of fruit and 5 portions of veg.
Here are 5 great reasons to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables A DAY

  • They're packed with vitamins and minerals.
  • They can help you to maintain a healthy weight.
  • They're an excellent source of fibre and antioxidants.
  • They help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
  • They taste delicious and there's so much variety to choose from.

 

What counts and how much is a portion?

 

Quick guide to fruit portions: Fresh Fruit

  • Small-sized fruit: 2 or more, for example 2 plums, 2 satsumas, 3 apricots, 2 kiwi fruit, 7 strawberries, 14 cherries, 6 lychees
  • Medium-sized fruit: 1 medium fruit, such as 1 apple, banana, pear, orange, nectarine, or 1 sharon fruit
  • Large fruits: half a grapefruit, 1 slice of papaya, 1 slice of melon (2-inch slice), 1 large slice of pineapple, 2 slices of mango (2-inch slices)

Quick guide to vegetable portions: Green vegetables:

  • 2 broccoli spears, 8 cauliflower florets, 4 heaped tablespoons of kale, spring greens or green beans

Cooked vegetables:

  • 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables such as carrots, peas or sweetcorn

Salad vegetables:

  • 3 sticks of celery, 2 inch piece of cucumber, 1 medium tomato, 7 cherry tomatoes

All adults and children over five years of age should be encouraged to eat a varied, balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and added sugars. This means a diet which includes a wide variety of foods, plenty of fruit and vegetables and starchy foods (such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta), moderate amounts of meat and/or alternatives and moderate amounts of milk and dairy products.

For detailed portion sizes for each fruit or veg, CLICK HERE

 

Some exceptions to be aware of....

 

Beans and other pulse vegetables - such as kidney beans, lentils and chick peas - count only once a day, however much you eat. While pulses contain fibre, they don't give the same mixture of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as fruit and vegetables.
Because they are considered a 'starchy' food, potatoes don't count towards 5 A DAY. (Starchy foods are foods like potatoes, rice pasta and bread.) However, starchy foods are also an important part of a balanced diet.
The fruit and vegetables contained in convenience foods - such as ready meals, pasta sauces, soups and puddings - can contribute to 5 A DAY. But convenience foods can also be high in added salt, sugar or fat - which should only be eaten in moderation - so it's important to always check the nutrition information on food labels.
Fruit and vegetables in takeaways can also count towards 5 A DAY, but again some of these foods may be high in added fat, salt and/or sugar, so you should only eat them in moderation.

 

Variety

 

To get the maximum benefits, you need to eat different types of fruit and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables all contain different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. So aim to include a variety of fruit and vegetables in your 5 A DAY to get the most benefit.

 

All adults and children over five years of age are encouraged to eat a varied, balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and added sugars. This means a diet which includes a wide variety of foods, plenty of fruit and vegetables and starchy foods (such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta), moderate amounts of meat and/or alternatives and moderate amounts of milk and dairy products. Children under five should be given a mixed and varied diet that includes a variety of fruit and vegetables.

 

The Health Benefits

 

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.

 

Health Issues

 

Cancer and coronary heart disease account for 60% of all early deaths. A key feature of the Government's prevention strategy to reduce early deaths from these diseases is action to improve diet and nutrition.
Current recommendations are that everyone should eat at least 5 portions of a variety fruit and vegetables each day, to reduce the risks of cancer and coronary heart disease and many other chronic diseases. Yet average fruit and vegetable consumption among the population in England is less than 3 portions a day. Consumption tends to be lower among children and people on low incomes.

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