foodfitness: healthy eating, active lifestyle: Healthy Lifestyle Tips > Tip 1

Foodfitness - Practical advice on healthy eating and an active lifestyle

	Aim for 5 fruit and veg a day





		Eat fruit at breakfast – eg a banana with your cereal, a glass of fruit juice Eat a variety of fruit and veg Add salad to sandwiches Add extra fruit to dessert Put more veg in soups, stews and pasta sauces Add sliced vegetables to pizza

Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of the vitamins, minerals and fibre we need to help maintain a healthy body and fight diseases. Yet most of us don't eat enough of them.

Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. This may sound a lot but the good news is that a glass of orange juice, an apple, a small can of tomatoes or baked beans each count as one portion. Potatoes don't count here although they are important in the diet for other reasons.

Different types of fruit and veg provide different nutrients in varying amounts, so choosing from a wide variety of them is best. With a bit of forward planning you will see that it's easy to meet the 5-a-day goal without having to make major changes to your eating habits.

Many fruits and vegetables can make handy snacks such as raisins, grapes, dried apricots, satsumas, tomatoes, carrot sticks, slices of red or green pepper, apple pie, bananas, pears and kiwi fruit.

Canned, frozen and dried fruit and veg are good sources of vitamins and minerals - they're convenient and economical too.