Do you eat your 5 a day?

ChowDownBob said:
Can't say I get five a day, and I don't think I'd want to. I eat the things I like, in moderation, and don't feel I'm particularly unhealthy. Perhaps it is something that Western countries are trying to promote to combat the ever increasing waistlines of their populations?!

Let's face it, there's no fatter nation on earth than the US - American's need to learn that lettuce on your triple-cheese burger doesn't make it healthy.
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I prefer a small burger with 6 cheeses, fried bacon and grilled onions.
Note:that is a once in a while meal. Sorry had to say it. Oh I thought it was the diet drink that made it healthy not the lettuce.

Though I do want to point out that the US is either at the top or close to the top with anorexia and bulimia also. We have both extremes.
 
Blueberries with my breakfast cereal, spinach and tomato in my beef sandwich at lunch, maybe some grapes this evening (not the liquid variety :wink:) but that is it today. Other days yes maybe we do but not everyday.
 
morning glory said:
popcorn and (I think) don't count. They are grains. Sweet potato doesn't count.
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Popcorn and sweet potatoes definitely count according to the nhs.
It's quinoa I war unsure about.

I'll find the page again that lists them...
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/FAQs.aspx#potatoes

Sweet potatoes, parsnips, swedes and turnips do count towards your 5 A DAY, because they are usually eaten in addition to the starchy food part of the meal.
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My starchy foods are perhaps absent from the meal but I'm sure carbohydrates in the forum of the pastry would count.

Popcorn despite being a grain does count, like sweetcorn counting.
Only thing I have found so far is a mirror article (along with various other newspapers...) air popped type only which is what mine is.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/five-a-day-15-surprising-ways-824470


Useful information can also be found here
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-counts-five-day
 
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Lullabelle said:
Blueberries with my breakfast cereal, spinach and tomato in my beef sandwich at lunch, maybe some grapes this evening (not the liquid variety :wink:) but that is it today. Other days yes maybe we do but not everyday.
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I'm not sure a bit of spinach and tomato in a sarnie counts as a whole portion... I like eating rocket (arugula) sandwiches but in that case I literally stuff the sandwich with about 2 inches of rocket and sort of squash it down! So that probably counts.
 
morning glory said:
I'm not sure a bit of spinach and tomato in a sarnie counts as a whole portion... I like eating rocket (arugula) sandwiches but in that case I literally stuff the sandwich with about 2 inches of rocket and sort of squash it down! So that probably counts.
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There were 3 toms and a generous portion of spinach.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Popcorn and sweet potatoes definitely count according to the nhs.
It's quinoa I war unsure about.

I'll find the page again that lists them...
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You are right - its ordinary potatoes which are not but the logic is very odd! My red emphasis. I'm still struggling to understand this!
Do potatoes count towards my 5 A DAY?

No. Potatoes are a starchy food and a great source of energy, fibre, B vitamins and potassium.

In the UK, we get a lot of our vitamin C from potatoes. Although they typically only contain around 11-16mg of vitamin C per 100g of potatoes, we generally eat a lot of them.

When eaten as part of a meal, potatoes are generally used in place of other sources of starch, such as bread, pasta or rice. Because of this, they don't count towards your 5 A DAY.

Other vegetables that don't count towards your 5 A DAY are yams, cassava and plantain. They are also usually eaten as starchy foods.

Sweet potatoes, parsnips, swedes and turnips do count towards your 5 A DAY, because they are usually eaten in addition to the starchy food part of the meal.
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It goes on to say that sweet potatoes are counted because they are eaten in addition to the starchy part of the meal. I find that quite extraordinary! I always use them without other starches... in which case I suppose according to the NHS they don't count

And if I eat regular potatoes with rice then they do count!!!!!
 
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I couldn't find reference to corn on the NHS list. But as it is NOT a vegetable or fruit then how can it count? If it did then so would cornflakes and cornbread. As for Quinoa, it is a grain. Again not a fruit or veg.

TBH I think the advice is very confusing and I doubt that many follow it.
 
morning glory said:
I couldn't find reference to corn on the NHS list. But as it is NOT a vegetable or fruit then how can it count? If it did then so would cornflakes and cornbread. As for Quinoa, it is a grain. Again not a fruit or veg.

TBH I think the advice is very confusing and I doubt that many follow it.
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I've edited my post. some grains do count. it is what's in them that is important and what the body can absorb rather than if it is a fruit or veg. just like tinned fruit and veg counting, 1 portion (150ml) of fruit juice counting etc. you only need 1 tomato to have 1 portion but what about cherry tomatoes. they have tried to keep it simple for the vast majority of the population who leave school with little in the way of qualifications. the rest of us just ask too many questions for their liking. we are the awkward bunch!
 
sidevalve said:
Beer - contains all food groups - yeasts, natural sugars, grain, - 5 pints a day - excellent advice :D
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I like good beer and it can be paired with food too. Where I live in London, craft brewing is popular and we have sampled a few. I like a good old pint of bitter though and i'm not keen on all the fancy herbs or spices being added.
 
I used to be really good! Definitely eating 5, most of the time eating more. Change of lifestyle and it's gone out of the window! If I'm working (and in the office) I'm better as I take loads of fruit and salad in with me.

Also find it easier in the summer when all the lovely fruits are in season and the garden is full of courgette's and beans and things. Hopefully I'll get back on track.
 
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