The new fruit and veg reccomendations- HOW?

[Pearls18]

Fruit juice and smoothies are a really bad way to get the fruit and veg, they have a ridiculous amount of sugar, when the fruit is broken up it breaks the cells up (I'm getting this off of tv I'm no professional lol) and it means you lose a lot of the fibre, the bit that "fills you up" and breaks the sugar up worse than if you were to eat it or something...excuse my lameman's speak which may be inaccurate lol. One innocent smoothie can have as much sugar as 5 doughnuts. Now of course a smoothie is better than a can of coke, but here is no such thing as good sugar. So I would personally rather eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, than have 7 with some in the form of a drink and, instead, have something better to drink. That said, I love orange juice in the morning lol.

I don't stress about what's in the news too much, we just try to eat everything in moderation and know the more fruit and veg the better. I would struggle because I try to shop only once a week so it wouldn't stay fresh for long, so we use frozen towards the end of the week.

 

[Natasha2605]

I really don't think it'd be hard to do if you made the effort. I don't do it unless in cooking but my kids eat loads of fruit and veggies, Today alone they've had strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, banana, melon, apple, sweetcorn, carrot and broccolli. It's easy enough if you are willing to incorporate it into your daily diet and food shopping.

(And have willing children)

 

[missk1989]

Who is saying frozen is bad for you?

It was on the radio. They were reading the new reccomendations and saying we should be aiming for ten portions a day to reduce rates of cancer and heart disease. That frozen and tinned veg doesnt count and is believed in increase risk of cancer and heart disease. Also that fruit juice doesnt count as it is also bad for you (sugar). Portions should be 80g and should include a variety so 2 bananas would still only count as one portion.

 

[missk1989]

I really don't think it'd be hard to do if you made the effort. I don't do it unless in cooking but my kids eat loads of fruit and veggies, Today alone they've had strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, banana, melon, apple, sweetcorn, carrot and broccolli. It's easy enough if you are willing to incorporate it into your daily diet and food shopping.

(And have willing children)

Fruit is easy to get into them if you can afford it but i try to limit fruit to 3/4 portions because of the sugar. I find veg is more difficult.

 

[pinkpolkadot]

To be honest I do struggle to get my 5 as I am not a big fan of fruit and veg but I do try and get some.

I don't think there's much doubt that eating more would be of benefit but I do find the study to be a bit vague as far as how far other lifestyle factors of the type of people who do eat more fresh fruit and veg come into play.

With regards to the frozen/tinned I believe it only refers to fruit as far as this particular study goes and also tinned and frozen where lumped together in one question so we don't know if it is actually both or just one or the other. As a PP said tinned fruit in likely to be in syrup, maybe people who eat tinned fruit are more likely to have it with cream or ice cream for example.

 

[Lauraxamy]

Fruit juice and smoothies are a really bad way to get the fruit and veg, they have a ridiculous amount of sugar, when the fruit is broken up it breaks the cells up (I'm getting this off of tv I'm no professional lol) and it means you lose a lot of the fibre, the bit that "fills you up" and breaks the sugar up worse than if you were to eat it or something...excuse my lameman's speak which may be inaccurate lol. One innocent smoothie can have as much sugar as 5 doughnuts. Now of course a smoothie is better than a can of coke, but here is no such thing as good sugar. So I would personally rather eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, than have 7 with some in the form of a drink and, instead, have something better to drink. That said, I love orange juice in the morning lol.

I don't stress about what's in the news too much, we just try to eat everything in moderation and know the more fruit and veg the better. I would struggle because I try to shop only once a week so it wouldn't stay fresh for long, so we use frozen towards the end of the week.

Making your own smoothies is pretty easy to do and you can put all sorts of fruit into them and probably make up a large amount of what they call 'portions'

 

[Noodlebear]

I think MW was talking about blended fruit in general rather than just pre-made smoothies.

 

[Pearls18]

Fruit juice and smoothies are a really bad way to get the fruit and veg, they have a ridiculous amount of sugar, when the fruit is broken up it breaks the cells up (I'm getting this off of tv I'm no professional lol) and it means you lose a lot of the fibre, the bit that "fills you up" and breaks the sugar up worse than if you were to eat it or something...excuse my lameman's speak which may be inaccurate lol. One innocent smoothie can have as much sugar as 5 doughnuts. Now of course a smoothie is better than a can of coke, but here is no such thing as good sugar. So I would personally rather eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, than have 7 with some in the form of a drink and, instead, have something better to drink. That said, I love orange juice in the morning lol.

I don't stress about what's in the news too much, we just try to eat everything in moderation and know the more fruit and veg the better. I would struggle because I try to shop only once a week so it wouldn't stay fresh for long, so we use frozen towards the end of the week.

Making your own smoothies is pretty easy to do and you can put all sorts of fruit into them and probably make up a large amount of what they call 'portions'

Yeah I know but it's still really bad for sugar, I just used the innocent smoothie as an example as I saw that on tv but fruit is packed with sugar anyway. You still get the vitamins but you lose out on a lot of the fibre and end up eating a lot more sugar (and feeling less filled up) because it takes numerous apples for example to make one juice. I know it's healthier than coke for example, but it isn't a healthy way of ensuring you get all your portions, it's better to eat them "properly" but I say this as a hypocrite because I love orange juice! But it's a misconception something isn't harmful because it's just fruit.

 

[tallybee]

I think MW was talking about blended fruit in general rather than just pre-made smoothies.

Yep, blending it is what breaks the fibre because the cells are all broken down. It means that your body processes it faster meaning you get that sugar spike then crash.

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

I find it pretty easy..

2-3 with breakfast
4 for lunch
4 for dinner

I make a lot of homemade soups and they are
always packed with veg.
But I refuse to believe frozen veg is bad for you!

xx

 

[Noodlebear]

But I refuse to believe frozen veg is bad for you!

I think it's a load of crap personally lol

 

[Mummy Bean]

I really struggle with 5.

When I cook dinner I put a chopping board of veg in like mushroom, onion, peppers and stuff but that prob about it.

Ive been trying to have a smootie in the morning and to eat some fruit but I just forget ALL the time.

Where Parker obsessed with fruit, he eats bananas, oranges and grapes all day long.

 

[Eternal]

We easily get 5 a day, usually more, although it's similar stuff most days which isn't ideal. Like my kids love raw veg like peppers, carrots, cucumber etc.

I try to limit fruit as I don't think 5 portions of fruit would be a great idea given the sugar content, but I do find it challenging as they love fruit, mine could easily get through 5 different fruits a day.

 

[summer rain]

I was reading a while ago that the nutritional content of most fruit and veg is a fraction of what it was in the 1940s and before, due to intensive farming practices, pesticides and a loss of knowledge about rotating crops. So in the old days 5 would have been plenty but now it's no longer enough. We struggle to get 5 portions though, being on a low income and having 5 kids xx

 

[dgirllamius]

We probably get about 2 portions a day, maybe 3 depending on what we have. My LO will eat fruit easily but buying for us all makes the food bill so damn expensive.

It's really difficult as it is on a low income to get that, let alone another 5 or more.

I don't get why the healthy food is expensive and the crap food that's no good for you is cheap. Should be the other way round.

 

[Pearls18]

We probably get about 2 portions a day, maybe 3 depending on what we have. My LO will eat fruit easily but buying for us all makes the food bill so damn expensive.

It's really difficult as it is on a low income to get that, let alone another 5 or more.

I don't get why the healthy food is expensive and the crap food that's no good for you is cheap. Should be the other way round.

Healthy food is normally fresh food, it spoils thus has a shorter shelf life which is going to make it more complicated to get on our shelves, chocolate etc can last for months, more easily and quickly manufactured and transported. We can't ask farmers to make their produce cheaper, it's their living, I guess that's why the UK government is looking to tax bad food as it's an easier way to reverse the costings.

It's not that healthy food is expensive, it's that junk food is cheap and our expectations have changed, not just on costings but how we make our food, how long we're willing to cook for, how to source our food etc.

 

[jd83]

I struggle to get enough servings in as it is, so the increased recommendation will likely not be happening in my house.

Frozen fruits/veggies are not less healthy though. Actually, they are just as healthy an option, if not more healthy, depending on how long fresh produce has sat. If fresh produce has sat on the shelf for say a week or so, it has already lost a good amount of its nutritional values that it would have had at prime ripeness. Frozen veg/fruits are frozen at prime ripeness, so still have that nutritional content. It's really more about how they are prepared from that point I think. Frozen veggies often are overcooked, which loses nutritional content, where fresh are generally cooked less amount of time in comparison, so less is lost.

 

[lhancock90]

I regularly use mixed frozen veggies, like broccoli, cauliflower etc. I tend to buy carrots in fresh because i like them raw.
I get as much into me, OH and the kids as i possibly can.
xx

 

[missk1989]

I managed to get 4 portions in one meal tonight. success! I made a conscious effort to do a cheap(ish) meal packed with veg. We had a sausage casserole with cherry tomatoes, mushroom, lentils, tinned tomatoes and bubble and squeak which was carrots, swede and parsnip with potato. It cost me about £5/6 for 4 large portions!

 

[skc22]

I don't think it's that hard really. Yes, it's more expensive but we have started growing the basics like tomato, lettuce, kale, cucumber, zucchini, green beans etc and out of pots as we rent. It really saves a fortune and doesn't need much care thankfully, I hate gardening.
If you make a green juice or smoothie then it's pretty easy to get loads without realising it. I use a lot of veg in mine and a small piece of fruit to sweeten it slightly. They are really filling too, especially if you put some chia in it. My dd loves green juice! That and a huge salad for tea and I'm already at 7-8.