Simple Ways to Get Your 5 a Day
Eating 5 a day ensures that we get the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that help our body & mind to function at their peak. The benefits of getting 5 a day and 28 easy ways to do so below
What is 5 a Day?
The term 5 a Day stems from the World Health Organisation recommendation to eat at least pieces 5 portions of fruit or vegetables per day. Doing so brings with it significant mental and physical wellbeing benefits.
What counts, the benefits and 28 simple ways to get your 5 a day below
What Counts Towards 5 a Day
Fruit and vegetables count towards the 5 a day. Simple. Food containing our 5 a day is almost always marked on the packaging so check the label to see if it’s a portion. The amounts, types and what doesn’t count below.
Amounts
- 5 portions per day
- Total: 400g of fresh fruit or vegetables
- 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables per portion
- 30g of dried fruit
Types / Preparation
- Fresh, i.e. not cooked – generally the best form as they have not lost any of their natural goodness through preparation
- Cooked, e.g. as part of a meal, in soup, in pasta etc
- Frozen fruit or vegetables
- Dried fruit
Vegetables
- Green Vegetables: Broccoli, green beans, kale, spring greens, peas
- Other Vegetables: Carrots, parsnips, sweed, sweetcorn, cauliflower, mushrooms, onion, celery, pepper
- Other Non-Vegetables: Cucumber & tomatoes (yes, they are technically fruit!)
Fruits
- Citrus Fruits: Oranges, grapefruit, satsumas
- Stone Fruits: Nectarines, peaches, plums, avocado, cherries & apricots
- Melons: Melon & watermelon
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries & passionfruit
- Exotic Fruits: Pineapple, bananas mango & kiwi
- Apples & Pears
Other
- Fruit Juice & Smoothies: 150ml can count as a maximum of one per day. Due to the high sugar content it isn’t recommended to consume more than this in a day
- Beans & Pulses: Such as butter beans, haricot beans and chickpeas. Can only count as one portion maximum in a day
- Spaghetti Hoops: The tomato in the sauce can provide one portion. Do check the label to confirm
- Baked Beans: As per spaghetti hoops
- Raisins: 1 tablespoon is enough for 1 of our 5. Sprinkle some on your cereal.
- Sweet Potato: Unlike potato (see below), sweet potato does count towards your 5 a day
- Guacamole
What Doesn’t Count
- Potatoes: Unfortunately not! Potatoes are a great source of starch, fibre and even vitamin C however do not count towards our 5 a day. Per above, sweet potato does count
- Ketchup / Catsup: Due to it’s high sugar and salt content, ketchup isn’t one
- Wine: Even though it is made from grape juice, surprisingly, wine does not count
- Vegetable Crisps: Due to their high fat and salt content they are not one
- More than 1 portion of fruit juice or smoothie
16 Benefits of Eating 5 a Day
There are many benefits both physical and mental to eating 5 a day. 16 benefits below;
- Contains the vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function at their optimal performance
- Reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers
- Lowered cholesterol levels
- Improved immune function (less likely to get illnesses like colds)
- Lower risk of cataracts
- Helps keep a healthy weight due to less calories and fat in your diet
- Contribute to a balanced (and healthy) diet
- Helps maintain high fibre levels in the body
- They taste good and add a bit of colour to your plate!
- Improved urinary tract function including lower risk of infections such as cystitis
- Increased energy
- Stronger bones
- Stimulation and growth of brain cells leading to less memory deterioration
- Better skin & nails
- Ability to cope with stress and anxiety
- Gives a natural mood boost
28 simple ways to get your 5 a day
Getting your 5 a day is easy (and it tastes great too!). 28 simple breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack ideas below and more in further exploration
Breakfast
- Add tomatoes or mushrooms to a full English or on toast
- Add a sprinkling fruit or raisins to your cereal
- Have a breakfast omelette with mushrooms or spinach
- Make your own breakfast bars containing one of your portions of fruit
- Have a breakfast muffin with spinach
- Make some porridge with apple
- Have some fresh fruit juice
- Make your own breakfast smoothie with fruit or vegetables
- Have banana on your toast (great with peanut butter)
Lunch
- Add salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and/or) pickles to your sandwich. Note, you will need a fair amount to count for one portion
- Have fruit to accompany lunch instead of chips/crisps or a chocolate bar
- Add some baked beans to a toastie or roasted sweet potato
- Make some vegetable soup
- Have salad for lunch
Dinner
- Have a side salad with your dinner
- Add vegetables to your main meal
- Swap out mash potato for sweet potato or cauliflower mash
- Add vegetables to your rice
- Have peas, carrots, cabbage and brussel sprouts with your roast to make it full of vedge
- Add swede or sweet potato mash to your pie
- Add plenty of vegetables to your chilli, stir fry or fajitas
Dessert
- Have some fruit with your dessert
- Add fruit (e.g. blueberries) to a low fat yoghurt
- Have fruit as your dessert!
Snacks
- Carrot, cucumber or pepper sticks
- Add fresh fruit to water
- A portion of fruit (keep a stacked fruit bowl)
- Smoothie or fresh fruit juice (just one portion per day though!)
Further Exploration - Articles & Media
Article: What counts as 5-a-day?
Detailed infographics from BBC Good Food showing the amounts and types of vegetables that can make up 5 a day
Article: Why 5 A Day?
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) look at 5 reasons including eating food high in fibre and there being a huge variety to choose from. Also includes links what counts and general 5 a day tips
Article: "5 A Day" Symposium to encourage increased fruit and vegetable consumption in Asia-Pacific
Article from the WHO discussing how increasing fruit and vegetable consumption can help tackle obesity and noncommunicable diseases
Article: 9 foods you didn't realise count towards your 5-a-day
Article from Cosmopolitan looking at 9 surprising foods that can count including chickpeas and olives
Forum: Cheapest Way to Five a Day
Some tips on cheap ways to get your five portions in this forum from Money Saving Expert including buying tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables
Book: The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook: Easy and Wholesome Meals to Cook, Prep, Grab, and Go
Book by Toby Amidor helping you to spend less time in the kitchen, lose weight, save and eat healthier through simple meal preparation
***This is one of the few affiliate links on Peaceful Soul***
Video: FIVE A DAY - Kind of day
Short Youtuube video from the UK National Health Service (NHS) looking at suggestions for how to get your 5 portions
Article: 5 a day
Article from Nutritionist Resource looking at why fruit and vegetables are important, what counts, tips and how to get children 5 a day
Article: 12 things that really shouldn’t count as your 5-a-day
12 things that shouldn't really count from the British Heart Foundation including onion rings and fruit yoghurts
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