5 a day

[Jaco45er]

No, it's not the litres of wine I am down to a day.

Does anyone get "obsessed" by the "eat 5 a day" rule?

For the last few months I have been having as much fruit as I can cram into a bowl with natural yoghurt poured over it. Why? because I am a super health concious, super fit freak? erm no, it's because the goverment say I should eat 5 a day.

So, what happens when I noticed I wasn't eating 5 a day (pre-bowls of fruit for brekkie)? Well the realisation was "oh god, I haven't been eating enough fruit and veg, what will happen?".

I even find I am hassling the kids to eat more fruit n veg, so much so they stay away from the kitchen when I am in there (peace :)).

It's not got as bad yet as walking down the street, the local kids pointing at me and calling me the 5 a day freak and throwing crisps and chips at me, but I was just curious if anyone else actually takes on board this 5 a day rule (in a slightly anxious, I must obey way lol) or is it just the Nanny state telling us what do to again?

If wine counted as 5 a day I would have no worries, it is grapes after all ;)

Right, I am off for a bacon sandwich.

Jaco

[smiley]

Well Jaco as you quite rightly have written wine does not count as part of your 5 a day which is unfortunate but we cant have it all eh,as for the thoughts you are having about this subject i think we have all had them at one point or another whether it be the 5 a day , dont eat beef,chickens etc etc ,the way i look at it is as long as your diet consists of healthy things (which you are always telling me it does ;) HA HA !) then i think that is enough,if we went on everything we were advised to do we would be a bunch of tree hugging ,grass eating ,loving everyone race ,

Personally as long as you dont eat too many bacon sarnies then i wouldnt be too worried

h xx:D

[cassy1989]

I wouldn't say I get obsessed about having my 5-a-day. I do try to make sure my son has 5-a-day though.
When you think about it, it is quite easy to get your 5-a-day in.
A banana sliced on top of your cereal in the morning and a glass of pure orange juice. An apple mid morning. Salad in your sandwich at lunch and some grapes. Vege with your main meal. Thats already over the 5-a-day so quite easy to do when you think about it :)

I know plenty of people who aren't bothered by it though and they are fine so try to relax about the whole thing :)

[maddie]

I never even think about it. Doubt if I ever eat 5 portions a day. People managed all through the war years on potatoes and cabbage and came out healthy at the end of it. Some years ago we were told not to eat potatoes, then eggs, now we can. Just beurocracy gone mad. So long as your diet is balanced overall, I wouldn't worry yourself.

[cassy1989]

Why were we told not to eat potatoes and eggs Maddie? How odd. They are always changing the rules for things. Its the same with weaning babies, always changing.

[pammy1944]

I dont know why but ive always eaten more than 5 a day .....its easy .........cereal with banana and grapes thrown in ............i always have a large salad at lunch ...... roasted or steamed veg with my dinner ..........i bet i get through an easy 10 a day and enjoy my food ........i think we should judt eat anything in moderation .....worrying about food will give you indigestion lol

[RosieXXX]

I love food and healthy eating, so i don't find it hard to eat five a day or more. Over the years it has become a way of life, so i don't obsess over it, but definitely wouldn't feel comfortable if i didn't eat healthily.

[nomorepanic]

Now then I am one person who can't eat 5 a day cos of my Crohn's.

The most I can have is one portion of fruit and some veg with the evening meal.

I love fruit but let's say it doesn't love me so Jaco I am living on at most 2 a day I think.

[den68]

for some reason i cant eat 5 a day or my stomach swells until i look 7 months pregnant and im in agony so i decided it wasnt worth it
denise

[mick_uk]

I've always thought it was difficult eating 5 a day every day. I think it's overated too. As long as you mix your diet and eat some fruit and veg you will be fine. Lots of people have lived a long and relatively healthy life without counting or weighing the fruit and veg they eat.

[mick_uk]

http://www.harryzimmermanpodcast.org.uk/images/food.jpg
(http://www.harryzimmermanpodcast.org.uk/images/food.jpg)

[freudian nightmare]

Does fruit and nut count or am i being too optimistic? Lol! :shrug:

[kazzie]

Hey Jaco:D

If we all did what the goverment said we wouldent eat anything, drink anything or even breathe(ever heard of toxic fumes lol)

My thinking is well you are a long time dead!!!!

I always have 5 a day(vodkas that is:roflmao: )

Happy lettuce munching mate!!!!

Kaz x

[justbananas]

well it's definitely good to sneak in fruits and vegetables whenever you can - but a lot of those government guidelines aren't actually even nutritionally accurate. also - the serving sizes we envision in our minds is typically larger that what '5 a day' even stands for.

for example, constantly pumping yourself with fruit isn't even that good for you because some fruits in large quantities raise your blood sugar level or irritate your GI tract if you're susceptible to that. that's not to say DON'T eat it, of course you should - but it's meant to be balanced out with other foods, especially proteins, and not gorged on just because it's fruit and it's "good for you." everything is moderation, as common sense will tell you.

that said, a lot of people absolutely do not get enough vegetables and those are important. again common sense rules, stuffing potatoes down your throat doesn't really help matters much.. but a small serving of a starch or a fruit along with a lot of leafy dark vegetables or colorful mixes such as leeks, brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli, eggplant, spinach, and sweet potatoes to name a few - those things are GREAT because they have a great deal of nutrients, antioxidants, fiber. all of which can keep your cholesterol, cardiac health, energy and blood sugar in check, among other health benefits.

so as you can see there is no one size fits all RULE, rather, to truly be healthy it involves a mix of things, finding what you like, and adding it in when you can. i've done this and you'd be surprised how different you feel when you mindfully eat and eat well, rather than just eating anything and everything or even force feeding yourself fruit just because someone tells you that you're supposed to. balance is key i guess.

[Veronica H]

Hi Jaco

When I was studying for my degree we looked at the original 5 a day study and the statistics on which it has been based. Lets just say that the experts have been a bit creative in the way that the statistics have been interpreted in order to put something to the public that is easy to remember. As long as your family are eating some fruit and veg regularly then I wouldn't be too bothered about the 5 portions.:)

Veronica