FIVE-A-DAY has long been the mantra in supermarkets and health eating campaigns but that’s all set to change with new research suggesting that seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day are the keys to good health. However, many people including vegetarians are unsure just how they’ll reach that goal with five a day proving difficult for many.
Islington resident, Marlene Stewart, is among those worried about the new target despite having lived as vegetarian for over 10 years.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” she said. “Five a day was hard enough but I’ll just have to be creative (because) the rewards are worth it.”
Mother of four, Jennifer Green, is also looking for ways to increase her families’ fruit and vegetable intake but says ‘7-a-day’ might be an unrealistic target for her children.
“You know how kids are; they can’t stand vegetables!” she said.
“We do our best, but we don’t eat (five portions of fruit and vegetables) every day so to get to seven will be hard but I’ll have to work it out,” she added.
However – nutritionist, Sarah Lawton says making seven a day isn’t as hard as it seems and believes “it’s definitely do-able.”
“If you substitute the crisps and biscuits and the chocolates we eat on a daily basis for fruits and made a point of having at least three or four different vegetables in every meal you could easily eat seven or more portions a day,” she added.
When it comes to kids, Ms Lawton says draconian measures aren’t necessary and emphasised the need for gradual changes toward healthier diets.
“I think with children the key is to be subtle – you don’t want to go from pasta and cheese to a whole bowl of steamed vegetables,” she said.
“It’s better to go stage by stage so maybe you finely prepare your vegetables and add them to the sauce – so they’re still eating the food they love – it’s just better for them,” she added.
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