7 Ways To Help You Get Your Five A Day

5-a-day. That’s the bare minimum number of servings of fruit and vegetables we’re always told by medical experts that we should be putting into our bodies on a daily basis. Some even reckon that it needs to be doubled to up to 10 servings a day.

That may seem impossible but fitting in those portions of fruit and vegetables need not be as difficult as you think. There are many ways you can take an everyday piece of fruit and liven it up so that it doesn’t even feel like you are eating fruit. There are also plenty of food items out there you probably didn’t even realize count towards your total.

Here are seven ways that can help you get your five-a-day.

Have a fruity breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the deal and it is also one of the easiest in which you can cram in a couple of portions of fruit. If you are a porridge or muesli in the morning sort of person, then you can add anything from raisins, dried apricot, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or sliced banana to the bowl. With each different item counting as a different portion, it’s the perfect way to set you up for a five-a-day, day.

Or a toasty breakfast

If muesli or porridge isn’t for you but toast is, then you can also get a portion of your five-a-day from a bread-based breakfast. Mashed avocado or banana can make a great topping for toast and both count towards your total.

Get creative with your apples

Apples are the sort of fruit that you can do literally anything to and they will still count towards your five a day. Can you put them in a pie? Yes. Can you put them in a crumble? Yes. Can you turn them into thirst quenching fresh juice? Yes. Can You Fry Apples? Yes. Take advantage of all the ways you can have this most versatile of fruits.

Get into the habit of having healthier snacks

More and more Americans are treating themselves to a second breakfast in mid-morning. If you are one of those people, then rather than reaching for a biscuit or a croissant to have with your cup of coffee, instead go for dried fruit. Dried pineapple, mango or apricots are tasty, nutritious and count towards your five-a-day.

Love your lentils

Did you know that lentils or beans count towards your five-a-day? The best part of this of course is that a tin of baked beans counts, meaning you claim a portion whenever you have beans on toast or a jacket potato with beans.

Jazz up your rice

Rice is an accompaniment to so many foods and vegetables can be an accompaniment to rice. You can add peas or sweetcorn to rice for a little more taste and for another portion towards your fruit and veg target.

Vegetable crisps

A bag of crisps seems an unlikely place to find a portion of your five-a-day, yet vegetable crisps offer just that. You can make your own using beetroot, parsnip, sweet potato and even apple – we told you apple was versatile.