How many portions of fruit/veg?

GuybrushThreepw00d
GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is it just me that finds hitting the daily fruit/veg target quite hard?
It may become second nature, but at the moment it's a proper chore.
I think I've done quite well over the past couple of days, but I think I might struggle going forward. Any tips?


Edit : my food diary is open, if you want a peek.

Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    I love secret of monkey island

    ETA: Yes I don't eat enough veggies either
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    I love secret of monkey island

    ETA: Yes I don't eat enough veggies either

    You fight like a dairy farmer!
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Get the bags of frozen veggies. Microwave one for lunch and one for dinner everyday.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    Get the bags of frozen veggies. Microwave one for lunch and one for dinner everyday.

    No microwave, but point taken.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    no sodium added canned FTW!
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    no sodium added canned FTW!

    Bleh, canned veg. Never been a fan.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I just try to have a serving of veg at lunch and dinner. I also have a low sodium v8 every morning...without it I can't ever hit my potassium goals (hypertension) and the low sodium variety is really pretty low as such things go. It's also 2 servings of veg. I have 1-1.5 servings of fruit...usually about 1/3 cup blueberries on my oatmeal and an orange sometime during the day.

    So, on average I'm getting 4 servings of veg and about 1.5 servings of fruit per day. My go to veg is wilted baby kale...I can't get enough of that stuff and it's actually better for heart health when it's lightly cooked. I'm also a big fan of broccoli and I like my peas...weird, I know. I like my broccoli roasted and my peas lightly steamed..I don't like when the shrivel up.
  • Catlady87
    Catlady87 Posts: 302 Member
    If you have a sandwich put some tomato on it or sweetcorn or similar. Carrot/celery/pepper sticks are an easy snack, especially if they are pre prepared in your fridge in a sealed container - less prep time makes them more appealing.
    When you have mashed potato, reduce the amount of potato and add leek in to it. Of you could have swede, parsnip or cauliflower mash instead.
    There's nothing wrong with frozen veg, as nowadays they are normally frozen within hours of being picked, same for fruit such as berries, which are easily defrosted.
    Hope some of these ideas help.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    If you have a sandwich put some tomato on it or sweetcorn or similar. Carrot/celery/pepper sticks are an easy snack, especially if they are pre prepared in your fridge in a sealed container - less prep time makes them more appealing.
    When you have mashed potato, reduce the amount of potato and add leek in to it. Of you could have swede, parsnip or cauliflower mash instead.
    There's nothing wrong with frozen veg, as nowadays they are normally frozen within hours of being picked, same for fruit such as berries, which are easily defrosted.
    Hope some of these ideas help.

    Love the leek in mashed potato idea. Also, carrot sticks are a winner.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Personally, I just quit worrying about it a long time ago. I take a multi to help with some of the vitamins/minerals/nutrients, but I'm sure I'm still lacking in some stuff. I don't care though.
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
    Since you asked, I did look at your diary and it looks like you are doing pretty well.

    Other ideas to add more veggies;

    Eggs scrambled with veggies for breakfast
    Salad loaded up with a variety of either fruit or other veggies instead of a sandwich for lunch
    If you're having soup for lunch, add an extra serving of veggies to it. This is one way frozen veggies can be useful
    Stir fry's are another great way to load up the veggies
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
    carrots, bell peppers, and any other veg you can tolerate raw make good snacks.
  • fastfoodietofitcutie
    fastfoodietofitcutie Posts: 523 Member
    Smoothies! You can get a ton of fruits and vegetables in and it actually tastes good. I usually use spinach, carrots, banana, orange, blueberries and raspberries with ice and some water.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    I used to struggle too, now I normally find that I've eaten my 5 a day without really trying.

    My snacks always consist of 2 - 3 portions of fruit a day, just because I like it. I often have a salad for lunch or a homemade soup, both are packed with veggies, probably two portions sometimes.

    And my dinner normally has at least one portion of veg in it.

    I started off by trying to 'sneak' in veg to dishes, I add peppers to curries, mushrooms and courgettes to pasta dishes like spag bol, peas into mash, etc etc. Now I just automatically add them because I like it. It gets easier.
  • Joluru
    Joluru Posts: 89 Member
    I also find smoothies an easy way to get in veggies. I usually use a cup of dark leafy veggies (spinach or kale usually), 1/2 cup berries, 1/2 cup orange veggie (like mango or peach), 1 T chia seeds, and a cup of water. It's surprisingly filling and gets 3 fruits and veggies in.

    I added a tablespoon of tomato paste and garlic to the cooking liquid for my quinoa last night, then added a can of diced tomatoes. It added a rich flavor and 2 servings of veggies on my plate.

    Start just about anything you cook with a mire poix - celery, carrot, and onion. Or saute peppers and onions to serve with any meat.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Divide them up through the day - two each at breakfast and lunch, three at dinner and two for snacks. You are leaving it too late in the day to start and having them as dry side dishes. Top them with nuts or cheese or hide them in a sauce.

    Eat more homemade soups and smoothies, stir fries, Indian or Thai vegetable/ lentil/ coconut curries, baked beans with added tomato paste, tomato and veg sauce on pasta, roasted mediterranean veggies, houmous and vegetable sticks, laden vegetable pizza, fruit salad with canned evaporated milk, instead of regular mashed potato have mashed cauliflower, carrot, swede, parsnip, sweet potato, chick peas or a combination.

    Keeping frozen mixed berries, frozen vegetables, canned beans, dried lentils, canned tomatoes, good quality jar pasta sauce and a wide selection of dried fruit in the house makes life easier because they need little to no preparation. Beans or lentils count as one serving a day and can be used in place of bread, potatoes, rice or pasta. The olives in tapenade, block creamed or unsweetened dessicated coconut, tomato paste and garlic all count even if you only have a quarter or half a serving.
  • Fr3shStrt
    Fr3shStrt Posts: 349 Member
    I checked out your diary, looks like if you can just squeeze some veggies into breakfast you'd be good. If you don't mind spending some time before the week starts prepping, these are good: http://rhodeygirltests.com/2009/10/12/egg-white-veggie-frittata-muffins/
    I make 5 of these on Sunday, then just pop one in the microwave in the morning - so it is super quick and easy to get some vegs in the morning.

    Also, I really thought monkey nuts would be higher is protein :laugh:

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