Are you getting your daily intake of fruit and veg?

Are you getting your daily intake of fruit and veg?

We all know we're supposed to gobble 5 portions of fruit and veg a day to keep fit and healthy (blah blah..) but busy lifestyles and hectic family lives means when you're on the go your priority isn't going into the office kitchen to fluff up a salad, or making sure you eat an apple.

Here at Female First, we're all trying to be good and stick to our new years resolution to be healthy by trying to include that all important 5 a day, and we've come up with a fool proof meal guide to make sure you can too!

Breakfast:

-Throw a handful of fruit into your cereal
-Swap your cup of tea for a glass of 100% juice
-Make a smoothie the night before and chill it in the fridge to have with your breakfast the next day
-If you have a cooked breakfast on a weekend, include grilled tomato and mushroom to bump up your nutrients.

Lunch:

-Pile your sandwich with salad. If you're making lunch at home, use simple chicken or ham and include loads of lettuce leaves, tomato and cucumber for a filling a lunch.
-On weekends, it's easy to choose your meals but can be more difficult in the week if you're working all day. Prepare a salad the night before and take it to work with you- sometimes buying pre-packaged salads or pasta can be full of calories and hidden fats such as mayo.
-Have soup as an alternative to a sandwich as some varieties count towards your 5 a day.

Dinner:

-If you're making a family tea such as spag bol or a pasta bake, cram it with chunky veg. Disguised amongst the meat and the pasta, you won't even know they're there.
-When you're having pizza, do a large bowl of salad for people to dig into themselves and add to their meal.
-Aim to serve 2 portions of vegetables with your evening meal, if this is putting them in a casserole or a stir fry, you can include up to 3 types of veg and you're 3 portions down!
-Beans count as 1 portion of your 5 a day so if you're having a fish and chip tea, include beans or peas.

Snacking:

-Stock up on apples, tangerines, and small bags of fruit that you can snack on it work. If you're at home and have some time, mix 2 fruits together with some ice and a little fruit juice and make a delicious smoothie.
-For desserts after meals, have a handful of strawberries or cherries to satisfy that sweet tooth. Add them to your pudding or if you're counting calories, have them on their own.

 Alexandra Baracskai