Top 12 ways to get your 5-a-day
Running out of ideas for how to get your five portions of fruit and veg a day? Discover our nourishing recipes for burgers, soup, pie toppings and much, much more.
With only a third of UK adults eating enough fruit and vegetables to achieve their 5-a-day it seems there’s still some way to go before we nail this target. If you need inspiration then look no further – we’ve got delicious solutions to help you and your family rack up your 5-a-day and more.
Check out our infographic so you are know exactly what counts as a portion of your 5-a-day then discover the top 20 healthiest vegetables and the top 20 healthiest fruits. Make getting your 5-a-day easier with a fruit and veg box subscription. Choose between our tried-and-tested veg boxes here.
Top 12 ways to get your 5-a-day
1. Get creative with kebabs
Whatever the weather, kebabs are a great way to load up on vegetables and the kids love them. Add mushrooms, peppers and onions to our chicken shish kebabs. Serve with corn on the cob, finished on the barbecue if the weather is good and a bowl of salad to chalk up an extra portion.
For something sweet, try these rainbow fruit kebabs.
2. Brilliant beans
You might be surprised to learn that pulses (lentils or beans) of any type count as one portion of your 5-a-day. With added onions, peppers, and tomatoes, these smoky beans on toast offer an impressive four of your 5-a-day.
Serve for breakfast or lunch or try our Mexican-style beans with avocado on toast.
3. Super salads
Whether you take your salad on the side or as the main event, you can start with a small handful of leaves and build from there. With the right recipe, you could even get more than your 5-a-day.
Try this colourful avocado salad with mango and black beans, it provides four of your 5-a-day, as well as being vegan and gluten-free. Alternatively, enjoy our wholesome lentil salad with tahini dressing.
4. Tasty toppers
Whether you’re a muesli, porridge or cereal fan, topping your breakfast bowl with fresh or dried fruit is an easy way to get a portion of your 5-a-day. Start your day on a healthy note with our apricot & hazelnut muesli, it’s packed with apricots, apple and blueberries – add a sliced banana for an extra boost.
Alternatively, swap butter and jam and for a savoury toast topper like our smashed avocado on toast or our smoked mackerel & beetroot toast topper.
5. Snack attack
Despite dried fruit having a 60% natural sugar content, they possess a number of health-promoting properties, being a good source of fibre and rich in protective plant compounds. What’s more you only need a small handful (30g) to contribute 1 of your 5-a-day.
That means a small packet of raisins, three dates or a portion of these spiced apple crisps make a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth while also getting one of your 5-a-day. Alternatively, make up a batch of our dried fruit compote – this makes a delicious breakfast or the perfect pick-me-up snack.
6. Sip on a smoothie
One of the easiest and tastiest ways to add fruit and vegetables to your diet. But don’t forget the current advice is to limit consumption of fruit or vegetable juices and smoothies to a combined total of 150ml a day (1 portion). This is because crushing fruit into juice releases the naturals sugars which can damage teeth, so best enjoy your smoothie alongside a meal or snack.
We’ve combined veg with fruit in our vibrant kale smoothie, gently sweetened with pineapple and banana, we’ve included a generous portion of kale and some creamy avocado.
7. Mix up a milkshake
That’s right, a delicious milkshake can count towards your 5-a-day. An 80g serving of strawberries counts as one of your 5-a-day, so with 225g in this two-person strawberry milkshake, you’ll easily reach that. For smaller appetites try our mini milkshakes or milkshake ice pops.
8. Hide in a sauce
Cooking for a family can be tricky especially when you’re trying to encourage everyone to get their 5-a-day and establish a healthy attitude towards food and eating. That’s why we developed our pasta with hidden veg sauce – this tasty main is sure to be a firm family favourite.
9. Nutritious stir-fries
It’s easy to get two or even three portions of vegetables in a stir-fry – try to go for a wide and colourful selection. Red and green peppers, onion, broccoli, beansprouts and sweet potatoes all make excellent additions to our healthy chicken stir-fry.
10. Sensational soup
Soup can be a wonderful way to reach your 5-a-day, especially if you make it yourself. Pack in the vegetables, lentils and beans to easily get two portions per serving. This hearty, low-calorie meatball & tomato soup counts as an impressive three of your 5-a-day and makes a substantial meal. Prefer a vegetarian option? Our Mexican-inspired bean soup with guacamole will not leave you wanting.
11. Better burgers
Perhaps not the most obvious vehicle for your 5-a-day, but depending on your toppings, burgers can be a great way to up your vegetable intake. Try this spiced halloumi & pineapple burger with zingy slaw to achieve four of your 5-a-day or our freeze-ahead ‘green burgers.’
12. Perfect pies
Regular white potatoes don’t count as one of your 5-a-day but other root vegetables, like swede, do – like the topping in our fish pie with swede potato topping. Other options include sweet potato, butternut squash and carrots – all of these vegetables will mash smoothly and work well – we’ve used sweet potato in our spicy pies with sweet potato mash.
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Top 20 healthiest vegetables
Top 20 healthiest fruits
Easy ways to eat more vegetables
Top health benefits of frozen fruit and vegetables
Top health benefits of canned fruit and vegetables
What are your favourite ways to get your five-a-day?
Jo Lewin is a registered nutritionist (RNutr) with the Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health. Follow her on Twitter @nutri_jo.
Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food. Find her on Instagram at @kerry_torrens_nutrition
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