How Much Is 1 Portion Of Fruit Or Vegetables?

We have been told that we need to eat at least 5 portions of fruit/vegetables a day for our health, but many people are hazy as to what that means. Here are some practical examples courtesy of the  UK Department of Health:

• 1 handful of grapes
• 1 medium pear
• 1 medium apple
• 2 pineapple rings (if tinned, buy the ones in fruit juice not sugar)
• 2 satsumas
• 1 tablespoon of raisins
• 2 medium plums
• Half a large grapefruit
• 2 figs
• Half a can of tinned peaches (but have the ones in natural juice to avid too much sugar)
• 1 medium banana
• 1 medium glass of orange juice (but only count 1 towards your 5 no matter how much juice you drink because there’s so little fibre in fruit juice)
• 7 strawberries
• 16 okra
• 3 heaped teaspoons of peas
• 3 heaped tablespoon of mixed vegetables
• 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked kidney beans -
  can only count as one portion of your 5 a Day, as beans contain a lot of fibre but do not contain the same level of vitamins and minerals as fresh vegetables. This doesn’t mean it’s harmful to eat more. In fact there’s lots of good reasons to eat beans.
•  3-4 tablespoons of mushroom slices
• 7 cherry tomatoes
• 3 sticks of celery
• 1 handful of vegetable sticks
•  2 broccoli florets
• 3 heaped tablespoons of sweetcorn
• 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked carrots
• 1 cereal bowl of mixed salad
•  Half a pepper

Potatoes don’t count, but are good for you for other reasons.

You can find lots more foods listed in this portion-size guide.  

Tips On Getting The Best Out Of Your Five A Day

Within this list aim for variety – eating 5 pears a day is better than eating only 1 and no other fruit and vegetables, but better still is eating a variety.

Different fruits and vegetables have different combination of vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, etc.

Eating different colours is also better than eating fruit and vegetables that are all the same colour. So, it’s better to eat a green apple, yellow sweet corn, red tomato, orange pepper and black grapes than green peas, green broccoli, etc.

But, if all this is too big an ask, eat all foods of one colour or one type knowing that you are at least doing something towards maintaining or even improving your health and well being.
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