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VEGGIE MIGHT

We challenge one family to try it out new 10-a-day fruit and veg regime for a week… and have tips to help you hit new target

Upping your intake to ten a day slashes the risk of heart disease by 24 per cent, strokes by 33 per cent and cancer by 13 per cent

TWO out of three Brits do not manage to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day – only to be told this week we should eat TEN.

Doing so would slash the risk of heart disease by 24 per cent, strokes by 33 per cent and cancer by 13 per cent, according to researchers from Imperial College London.

Your five-a-day might not be enough
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Your five-a-day might not be enoughCredit: ANDREW LLOYD

But that doesn’t make the prospect any easier for families like the Darnells, from Plymouth.

Dad Ben, 40, usually only manages ONE portion a day.

So we challenged the office worker, wife Claire, also 40, and kids Jack, 14, and Lucy, 12, to eat ten portions a day for a fortnight.

The Darnell's took up the challenge for a week
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The Darnell's took up the challenge for a weekCredit: ANDREW LLOYD

Speaking after the experiment, Ben said: “It’s been a big change. It’s made me feel a lot fuller and I’ve been sleeping better too.

“I won’t keep up the ten portions but I’ll definitely try to stick to around five. After ten, that should be easy.”

Stay-at-home mum Claire mostly used to eat three portions a day. She said: “I’ve had more energy and my mind has been clearer.

Mum Claire said ten was a challenge
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Mum Claire said ten was a challengeCredit: ANDREW LLOYD
These count as a single portion
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These count as a single portion

“But it was pretty pricey. I’ve spent £80 each week on fruit and veg alone, although our total weekly shop only ended up being £25 more expensive.

"It made me realise how expensive convenience foods are. But meals also required lots of preparation so I don’t think it would be sustainable in the long run.”

The whole family felt better after the week
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The whole family felt better after the weekCredit: ANDREW LLOYD

Son Jack used to eat two portions on a good day and admitted: “I think I’ve probably slept a bit better.

“But I’ll be glad to get back to my old diet and not have Mum producing plates of roasted vegetables and calling it dinner.”

Vegetarian Lucy already ate four or five portions a day but said: “I’d definitely like to keep ten-a-day up. I’ve felt much better while doing it.”

Here is how to get closer to that magic ten — and just be thankful you are not in Japan, where the government recommends 17 portions a day.

10 things that count

  1. Baked beans: Three heaped tablespoons are one portion.
  2. Sweet potato fries: A handful is all you need.
  3. Vegetable crisps: One packet is one portion – but not those made from potatoes. Go for choices like beetroot, apple or parsnip.
  4. Guacamole or salsa: Two heaped tablespoons is one portion.
  5. Mince pie: The fruit means these festive high-sugar treats actually do count as a portion.
  6. Dried fruit: Just 30g makes up a portion.
  7. Pickled veg: Such as gherkins or beetroot.
  8. Tomato puree: Two heaped tablespoons equals one portion.
  9. Fried tomatoes: 80g in your fry-up is a portion, regardless of how much grease they are covered in.
  10. Tinned fruit in syrup: Tastes like dessert, but it really does still count.
You need two tangerines for one portion... but only two SLICES of mango
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You need two tangerines for one portion... but only two SLICES of mango
Two inches of cucumber has equal to one bowl of lettuce
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Two inches of cucumber has equal to one bowl of lettuce

10 things that don't count

  1. Potatoes: No matter whether they are boiled, mashed or baked.
  2. “Salad” in your sandwich: It’s not a big enough portion.
  3. Onion rings: There is not enough onion in them.
  4. Ketchup: It might be made from tomatoes but it is too processed to count.
  5. Fruit yoghurts: They don’t include enough fruit to count.
  6. Wine: Despite coming from grapes and some scientists saying the red variety is good for you, it is not one of your portions.
  7. Fruit bread: Most brands do not contain enough to count.
  8. Ready-made veggie burgers: No meat, but they hardly contain any vegetables either.
  9. Jam: Fruity, but you can’t eat enough of it.
  10. Peanut butter: Nut butters are full of good fats but nuts are not considered to be fruit or veg.
Three tablespoons of chickpeas count as a portion
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Three tablespoons of chickpeas count as a portion
4 tablespoons of blueberries and 10 blackberries are equal to one portion
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4 tablespoons of blueberries and 10 blackberries are equal to one portion

10 ways to get 10 a day in your diet

  1. Add to your porridge: Put in a chopped banana and 80g of blueberries and you have had two portions.
  2. Make veg part of a cooked breakfast: Add chopped spring onions to your scrambled eggs and serve with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms.
  3. Add veg to other meals: If you are making a spaghetti Bolognese, lasagne, stew or pie chop up and add some courgettes, carrots, mushrooms. Any vegetable from your fridge will do.
  4. Get imaginative: If you fancy pizza, don’t reach for the takeaway menu or buy stodgy bases. Try a base out of grated cauliflower – see easy recipes online – and add healthy toppings. Or make your own vegetable crisps.
  5. Pack your own snacks: Chop up some veggies and put them in Tupperware – and take fruit too.
  6. Remember that frozen and canned fruit and veg count: Great if you are on a budget.
  7. Ditch convenience meals: If you often rely on them to save time, try and set aside an afternoon once a month to cook one-pot meals with extra veg and freeze them in meal-sized portions.
  8. Avoid ready-made desserts: Make your own fruit-based ones instead. Lollies made of fruit juice count towards your total. Stewed fruit, maybe apples or rhubarb, also count.
  9. Enjoy fruit juice: 150ml counts, but going over this limit does not get you any more portions. That is because your ten-a-day have to be ten different things in order to get the full range of nutrition. Likewise, ten bananas only count as one portion. Meanwhile, a smoothie is only two portions because processing cuts down on fibre levels, no matter how much fruit and veg goes in.
  10. Grow your own: Or volunteer at an orchard or allotment. And getting kids involved in the cultivation of fruit and veg encourages them to eat it.

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Family's favourite 10-a-day menus

Mum Claire, 40
BREAKFAST: Spinach, raspberry and banana smoothie and an apple (3)
LUNCH: Veg soup with crudités and bread (3)
DINNER: Roast veg with haddock and salad (2)
SNACK: Mango, strawberries and cherry tomatoes (2)
Dad Ben, 40
BREAKFAST: Spinach, kiwi and banana smoothie and a clementine (3)
LUNCH: Carrot and coriander soup
and bread (1)
DINNER: Ratatouille with haddock and extra tomatoes (4)
SNACK: Celery, hummus and grapes (2)
Jack, 14
BREAKFAST: Spinach, raspberry, blueberry and banana smoothie (2)
LUNCH: Minestrone soup and bread (2)
DINNER: Spanish chicken with roast veg (4)
SNACK: Apple, grapes and blueberries (2)
Lucy, 12
BREAKFAST: Yoghurt with banana and raspberries (1)
LUNCH: Roast veg soup with steamed carrots and bread (4)
DINNER: Ratatouille with salad (3)
SNACKS: Celery, carrots and hummus (2)

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