Is Five-a-Day really enough?
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Is Five - a - day really enough?
Five is actually the minimum recommended number of daily portions in the US. Health professionals there say eating more is beneficial for health. 5 -a- day in the UK is based on our food culture 'there must be a balance between what is healthy for the British people and what is feasible'DH consultant quoted in the Guardian
The Danes aim for 6, the French aim for 10 and the Japanese aim for seventeen! 5 is chosen by a number of countries as 'the nutrients included in 400 g of fruit and vegetables' is likely to be effective at protecting the population against chronic disease such as obesity and diabetes. Personally, I try and adopt the US message - aim for five and go for more if possible. There are a few recipes I know which include at least four portions in one meal which helps. The Japanese number of portions is more but their portion size is slightly smaller than ours (50 g versus 80 g).
Are smoothies really all they are cracked up to be?
Smoothies can count as up to two portions a day (Innocent brand). Smoothies are more nutritious than high sugar carbonated drinks and fruit flavoured drinks (which don't really contain that much fruit at all) BUT consumers need to be aware that preparation of some smoothies will result in loss of fibre and increase sugar availability. For this reason,
- Dentists recommend consuming fruit and fruit drinks as part of a meal (fruits contain natural sugar which can promote acid erosion)
- Pure juices and some smoothies need to be diluted for young children to protect their teeth and should only be consumed as part of a meal.
Fruit versus Veg
The Five - a -day challenge
Why do we need Five-a-day?
What counts as your Five-a-day?
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