Fruit and Veg: What’s the NHS Recommended Amount Per Day?

According to the official NHS website, we are told that we should eat five different types of fruit and veg per day. But what counts? Why should we eat five different types of fruit and vegetables? And is five portions really enough?

What Counts As A Portion of Fruit or Veg?

Fruit and vegetables that contribute towards your five a day can be fresh, canned, frozen, dried and juiced. Your ‘five a day’ is classed as five different portions of fruit and vegetables combined – not five portions of each!

A general rule to give you an idea on how much of a fruit or vegetable counts as one portion is that it should be enough to fill the palm of your hand. This means that one portion of fruit or veg for a child is a smaller amount than that which an adult would have to eat to reach their target. For an adult, 80g of fruit or veg is recommended as one portion.

Why Should We Eat Five Different Types of Fruit and Veg Per Day?

Different types of fruit and vegetables have different types of vitamins and minerals in them which contribute towards keeping us feeling healthy and our bodies functioning at their best. For example, strawberries contain vitamin C, which is really important for our immune system. To read more about the superhero-like qualities that strawberries give our bodies, pick up a copy of our debut children’s book Cece the Strawberry here.

The idea of having five portions of fruit and vegetables per day has come from advice given by the World Health Organisation, who state that eating this as a minimum lowers the risk of “serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and some cancers”. Fruit and vegetables should be eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Is Five Portions of Fruit and Veg Really Enough?

Since 2014, there has been extensive talk of changing the Five A Day campaign to a ‘seven a day’ campaign. Health professionals believe that eating just five portions of fruit and vegetables does not go far enough for our dietary requirements and that we should be striving for more. This research was conducted at University College London, and results showed that eating seven portions of fruit and vegetables dramatically reduced the risk of death by any cause (33%). More recently, the NHS have even stated that ten portions of fruit and vegetables is best. This comes from researchers looking at more than 350 studies combined examining the effect that fruit and vegetable consumption had on general health and reduction in premature death.

So what should we take from this? In summary, five portions of varied fruit and veg is the minimum that you should be aiming to eat every day, but the more, the better.

Watch out for upcoming blog posts with ideas on how to make fruit and vegetables seem more exciting to your little ones, fact sheets on the benefits of different types of fruit and veg, and ‘hidden’ vegetable recipes.

The NHS website is a fantastic resource for everything you need to know about getting your five a day. They have ideas about how to encourage fussy eaters to eat more fruit and vegetables, tips and tricks, and tips for growing your own fruit and veg.