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Fruit & Veg Portions
By WLR Dietitian
Q I know I’m supposed to eat five servings of fruit and veg
each day, but what exactly counts as a portion?
A This is a good question and one that confuses a lot of people.
All fruit and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and
pure juices, count. The only exception is potatoes, which are a
starchy food and so aren’t included in the recommended 5 A DAY.
Meanwhile, no matter how much you drink, a glass of pure juice only
counts as one portion because it’s not a good source of fibre and
the juicing process squeezes out all the natural sugars that are
normally found between the cells of the fruit or veg, with the
result they’re less healthy for teeth. Pulses such as kidney beans,
lentils and chick peas also only count as one portion, regardless of
how much you eat. This is because they don’t contain the same
vitamins and minerals as other fruit and veg.
It’s important to eat five different fruit and veg each day to
get a wide range of vitamins and minerals. For example, you could
add dried apricots or sultanas to cereal, have an apple with lunch,
serve dinner with two veg such as carrots and broccoli, and snack on
a nectarine. It’s as easy as that!
On average, a portion of fruit or veg is equivalent to 80g. Below
are some examples of what counts as one portion:
- 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
- 2 plums, satsumas, kiwi fruit or other similar sized fruit
- 1⁄2 a grapefruit or avocado
- 1 large slice of melon or fresh pineapple
- 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables, beans or pulses
- 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad or stewed fruit
- 1 heaped tablespoon of raisins or sultanas
- 3 dried apricots
- 1 cupful of grapes, cherries or berries
- 1 dessert bowl of salad
- 1 small glass (150ml) of pure fruit juice
You can keep track of your fruit and veg portions
with the Weight Loss Resources online food diary.
Try it free for 24 hours.
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