03/08/2018
What is an adult portion of fruit or veg?
According to the NHS website, we all need 5 x 80g of fruit and vegetables a day, but in practice what does that actually mean?
Firstly the myths
No, I am afraid potatoes DO NOT count. Nor do yams, plaintain’s or cassava’s; they are all classed as starchy foods, the same as bread, rice or pasta.
Ready made foods DO count towards your 5 a day but you need to read the nutrition panel on the pack but be aware of the fat, salt and sugar content which can be shockingly high.
So onto what ONE ADULT PORTION actually represents:
Two or more Small-sized fresh fruit
2 plums
2 satsumas
2 kiwi fruit
3 apricots
6 lychees
7 strawberries
14 cherries
Medium-sized fresh fruit
1 apple
1 banana
1 pear
1 orange
1 nectarine
Large fresh fruit
1/2 a grapefruit
1 slice of papaya
1 slice of melon (5cm slice)
1 large slice of pineapple
2 slices of mango (5cm slices)
Dried fruit (30g = 1 portion)
Fresh fruit is a preferable choice for snacking on, as dried fruit can be high in sugar and can be contributory to causing tooth decay.
1 heaped tablespoon of raisins
1 heaped tablespoon of currants
1 heaped tablespoon of sultanas
1 tablespoon of mixed fruit
2 figs
3 prunes
1 handful of dried banana chips
Tinned or canned fruit
This can be roughly assumed to be the same as that of fresh fruit equivalent but do choose fruit canned in natural juice, rather than syrup.
Examples of 5 Portions of Vegetables
Green vegetables
2 broccoli spears
4 heaped tablespoons of cooked kale/spinach/spring greens/green beans
Cooked vegetables
8 cauliflower florets
3 heaped tablespoons of cooked carrots/peas/sweetcorn
Salad vegetables
1 and a half celery sticks
5cm piece of cucumber
1 medium tomato
7 cherry tomatoes
Tinned and frozen vegetables
Roughly the same quantity as you would eat for a fresh portion. For tinned vegetables, choose those canned in water, with no added salt or sugar.
Pulses and beans
3 heaped tablespoons of baked beans/haricot beans/kidney beans/cannellini beans/butter beans/chickpeas.
5 A Day in Juices and Smoothies
Unsweetened 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies can only ever count as a maximum of one portion of your 5 A Day. For example, if you have two glasses of fruit juice and a smoothie in one day, that still only counts as ONE portion.
Your combined total of drinks from fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies should not be more than 150ml a day – which is only a small glass.
When fruit is blended or juiced, it releases the sugars which increases the risk of tooth decay so it’s best to drink fruit juice or smoothies at mealtimes. Whole fruits are less likely to cause tooth decay because the sugars are contained within the structure of the fruit.
Products labelled “juice drink” are unlikely to count toward your 5 a day and can be high in sugar.
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