How much fruit and veg do kids and adults really need a day? Five a day rule explained
Everyone seems to agree that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables has great health benefits, but many researchers say that we should aim for more
WE'VE had it drilled into us that we should aim to hit the ‘five-a-day’ rule, but some doctors are recommending far more.
Here’s the lowdown on how much you really need, and how much to make sure your kids are having.
Where did the Five A Day rule come from?
Following a recommendation from the World Health Organisation, many countries adopted this rule to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetable.
The benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables are clear: they are high in vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which reduce the risk of many serious health problems such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
In the UK, the campaign received some criticism after it was introduced in 2002, due to the high costs of fresh fruit and vegetables.
However, tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables and smoothies do count, so you can bulk up with them.
How much do adults really need?
Although Five A Day is a national guideline, adults should really aim for as many portions as possible.
Researchers by Imperial College London analysed data from 95 different studies, and actually found that 10 portions a day is far preferable to five.
Five portions (a minimum of 400g) is great to aim for, but if you really want to reap the health benefits of fruit and vegetables, then many adults should aim to hit ten.
However, if you’re a fussy eater, it must be noted that you shouldn’t simply have five apples, because although natural, fruit is high in sugar, so the majority of your portions should be from vegetables.
Also, you should aim to eat as much variation as possible – so mix it up to make sure you’re getting the maximum amount of vitamins.
How much do children need?
It can be tricky to get fussy children to eat their greens, but fruit and vegetables are vital in your kid’s growth.
Children are also recommended to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day – and one portion should roughly fit into the palm of their hand.
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) is designed to help your child reach that target, and every child between the ages of four and six is given a piece of fruit in morning break time.