We all know we should eat fruit and vegetables every day. 5 a day isn’t too difficult to do and can help you in more ways than you might think! Think of it as an updated version of ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’!
Why you should Eat the Rainbow
Many of the pigments that give fruits and vegetables their wonderful colours provide unique nutritional benefits, too.
These compounds help defend against damage that can occur to cells and tissues as a result of the normal processes of breaking down food to form energy. They also help to keep inflammatory processes in check, reducing the risk of developing serious health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
Colourful fruit and vegetables are often associated with a single nutrient or condition. For example, we might eat oranges for vitamin C, or carrots because their vitamin A helps promote healthy eyesight. But, it may not be enough to just simply eat whole fruits and vegetables. Research tells us that combining these foods may be more beneficial than eating them alone.
Raw foods are fine. But cooking colour-rich foods helps to release the powerful compounds from the cell walls of the fruit or vegetable. It can make them up to six times more available to the body than when they’re eaten fresh. For example – tomatoes release more Lycopene when they’re cooked – as you would in soups and sauces.
Where to get your 5 a Day
You can get your 5 a day in lots of places. Many products have information on the packet about whether they qualify as a serving.
It’s much easier to get your 5 a day quota if you incorporate it into ordinary meals. Rather than living on lettuce like a rabbit!
We’ve all got better things to do than spending all day cooking and preparing food, so here are some tips to your easy 5 a day.
Vegetables
Tinned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables all contribute to your portions. Just watch out for hidden sugar and buy fruit in juice without added sugar. While being just as good, frozen vegetables often contain more vitamins than fresh because they are harvested and frozen quickly – before the vitamins have degraded in storage.
Orange, grapefruit, pineapple and berries are all excellent sources of Vitamin C. You probably already know it’s essential to bounce back from illness. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system by producing more white blood cells, so your body will put up a better fight against contagious diseases like flu and covid.
Vegetables or salad with meals – can be an obvious portion on the side, or hidden in the ingredients. Potatoes don’t count, so try mashing swede or carrot in with them. Add extra carrots and peas to things like pasta dishes to increase the vegetable content.
Make your own meals
It might sound daunting, especially if you’ve got a full time job and a family to look after. But there are loads of shortcuts and ways to make eating healthily child’s play. Not only does it cut out the additives, it can also be a lot cheaper on your pocket too.
Home made soup is really easy and cheap to make and warming when the weather is foul. Just bang everything in a pan or pressure cooker, boil and then blend. You can find some recipes for homemade soup here.
Stir-Fry is a doddle to make. Just chop up whatever vegetables you’ve got in the fridge, cook them on high and add a pre-made stir fry sauce. Serve with brown rice or whole wheat noodles for a tasty, filling meal that’s good for you. Add meat, Quorn or Tofu, or just chickpeas for the protein element.
Baked Beans are a perfect 1 of your 5 a day. Not only delicious on toast, try adding a can of baked beans to bolognese sauce or stews for a richer flavour. You can also add plain beans and pulses to similar meals.
Love or loathe them, leafy dark green vegetables are essential for a strong immune system. Broccoli, kale, spinach and cabbage are all loaded with vitamins A, C and K. Plus minerals Iron and Calcium to keep your body fighting fit! If you don’t fancy snacking on raw broccoli you could try chopping it up in a stir fry, but avoid over-cooking as they lose their goodness.
Tomatoes
Fresh tomato sauce is also really easy to make. Got some squashy tomatoes in the fridge that are past their best? In summer they’re really cheap to buy too. Simply cook them down to make your own homemade sauce. Not only is it a vegetable portion (or are they fruit?), cooked tomatoes are rich in lycopene which helps to prevent cancer.
Don’t like the bits of skin in the sauce? Peel them first. Simply run a knife over the surface of the fresh tomato to score the skin. Then drop them into freshly boiled water. The skin will part from the flesh so you can ease it off and peel them easily. To make your sauce simply chop the tomatoes and boil in a pan with a dash of salt and pepper – delicious!
For a super-tasty tomato topping for a bacon sandwich, do the same thing but cook the water off until they’re almost burnt. Delightful!
Fruit
A fruit smoothie is really quick and easy to make (try this smoothie recipe). The basics are fruit and your choice of juice or plain yoghurt, all whizzed together. Try different combinations. This thick smoothie recipe made with yoghurt also makes a good replacement for a dessert after meals.
No-cream ice cream is also delicious – but you’ll need a blender for this one. Put frozen bananas, fruit and a spoon of honey in the blender and puree. It’s really tasty!
One serving of fruit juice counts to your 5 a day. If you drink any more it still counts as just one serving because there is less fibre in juice. Buy unsweetened varieties with no added sugar.
Fruit sauce is delicious and so easy to make. If you like Cranberry sauce on turkey or chicken you’ll love the homemade version. Buy berries at Christmas and freeze them at home to use throughout the year.
Any kind of fresh fruit is delicious made into a sauce – serve with custard, over a sponge pudding, or ice cream. Simply peel, stone, and trim the fruit, depending on what they are, add to a pan with a splash of water and sugar and boil (watch it doesn’t boil over or burn). You can blend it or not, make it as runny as you like (depending on how you are going to eat it) and make it as sweet or tart as you prefer. You can do it with apples, plums, rhubarb, blackberries – anything you fancy – or a mixture!
Fruit on the side
Add fruit on the side of your meal or snack. If you’re having pizza serve it with salad and some fruit. Add a portion of fruit to your sandwich or light bite. Snack on fruit instead of chocolate, or wean yourself off one onto the other!
Do you like curry? Here’s a quick and easy way to add a fruity accompaniment. Simply chop up some tinned peaches/mango/papaya etc and add a handful of dried fruit. Pop it in the microwave to warm it up/lightly cook it for a couple of minutes. It’s really tasty!
Fresh fruit salad is quick and easy to make, just peel and chop up the fruit that you’ve got in the house and throw anything in. You don’t have to spend a fortune on expensive berries (although they are nice). You can make a nice bowl of inexpensive fruit salad with an apple, pear, banana and orange. Serve it with plain yoghurt instead of fresh cream for a nutritious and tasty pudding.
Small amounts of dried fruit are really good for you too, although you need to eat them in moderation and watch out for the sugar. Because the fruit is dried, weight for weight the sugar content increases. A small handful of apricots, sultanas or similar all count as one of your 5 a day portions.
Cooked or raw, no one can deny that increasing your fruit and vegetable servings is a great first step toward reaping the benefits. So get cooking, chopping and chomping. Enjoy mixing all the colours of the rainbow on your plate!
- If this has inspired you, check out the NHS 5-a-Day website for more ideas.
5 a Day Keeps Bugs Away
5 a day is based on advice from the World Health Organization. It recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems. Such as heart disease, some cancers, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They’re ideal for anyone who’s watching their weight as a lower calorie alternative to convenience food and snacks.
They’re an excellent source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fibre can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer.
Grow your Own
Have you got a garden or any outside space like a balcony? You could have a go at growing your own fruit and vegetables.
Your market garden could be as small as cress grown on a piece of kitchen paper on a window ledge indoors. That’s a brilliant activity for kids. Or it might be as ambitious as an allotment or a full scale vegetable patch!
If you’ve got a garden, fruit trees are a good choice of tree. Enjoy the benefit of the blossom in spring, then the joy of harvesting your homegrown fruit in autumn.
Anything to Add?
Have you got any tasty or quick tips to add to this article about how to get your 5 a day?
Why don’t you leave them in a comment below.
When it comes to Bugs and Virus…
Good nutrition has always been important to keep your body healthy. Then covid arrived!
Good nutrition is more vital than ever. The kindest thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones is to ensure you’re all getting the right vitamins and minerals to build up a strong immune system.
Multivitamin tablets are a good idea, but that alone won’t make up for a poor diet. Aim for a minimum of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day to keep healthy. There are plenty of tinned and frozen options if fresh options are a challenge.
Garlic
As well as warding off vampires, garlic is a nutritional powerhouse that’s proven to keep viral infections at bay. Aged Garlic Extract is available as a supplement, but the best way to benefit from this superfood is by eating it. When garlic is crushed or chewed it releases a compound called Allicin, which can shorten cold and flu viruses and lessen the severity of symptoms. You’ll need to consume at least 1 whole clove a day to benefit, so keep the breath mints handy.
Iron-rich Foods
Iron deficiency will make you susceptible to picking up viral infections, as well as causing numerous other health issues. Tiredness, dizziness, shortness of breath and frequent mouth ulcers are all signs that you need more iron in your diet. You may think you need poultry and meat, however there are other ways to add more iron into your diet. Chickpeas, beans and lentils are all tasty nutritious sources of iron, protein and fibre, while leafy greens such as spinach and kale are also a good choice.
Echinacea
This herbal remedy has been used since the 1800s for its virus-fighting properties. It’s been found to shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms by 1-4 days. Echinacea tea bags are widely available from supermarkets and health food stores, and it can also be taken in capsule form.
Raw Honey
Dark and thick in texture, raw honey is used to treat ailments from cuts and scrapes to coughs and sore throats. It’s been used for thousands of years.
This soothing super-ingredient is rich in many essential nutrients in its pure, untreated form. It’s proven to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory capabilities. It’s in many cold remedies for good reason.
BUT processed honey does not have the same health benefits because many of its nutrients are destroyed during the pasteurization process. It’s also mixed with cheaper ingredients, to enable mass production. It may taste good on your porridge but does not yield any health benefit.
A final note
Good nutrition will NOT prevent you from contracting Covid 19 but it will enable your body to put up the best possible fight if you do get sick.
Getting the right amount of sleep, plenty of rest and regular exercise will also ensure your immune system keeps working at its best.
Why don’t you check out Trevors Foodservice – it’s the large, back-stage business that’s quietly feeding the Fylde Coast! They’re Blackpool’s number one wholesaler of chilled, frozen and ambient foods. And also sell cleaning materials, catering disposables and equipment.
The family firm was first established in Blackpool in 1962. It sells branded products and their Country Range, specially made for the 12-member buying group which Trevors is part of.
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