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Eat enough fruit and vegetables

Suggestions for getting some fruit or veg into every meal.

Article by : SpunOut.ie

Squeezing the ‘good stuff' into your daily diet:

Breakfast

  • Have a glass (125ml) of pure, unsweetened fruit juice.
  • Add chopped banana, raisins or apple to your cereal.
  • Mashed banana on toast makes a great breakfast.
  • Finish breakfast with some fruit - whatever type tickles your fancy!
  • Fruit smoothies: make your own by mixing fruit, a banana and yoghurt together in a blender.
  • Remember, no matter how many smoothies or fruit juices you have in a day, it only counts for one of the five servings of fruit and veg recommended per day. This is because you lose some of the vitamins and the fibre in juicing.

Lunch

  • Pizza or pasta with added vegetables (try adding corn, peppers, extra chopped tomato or having a salad on the side)
  • Have a side salad (of whatever veg you like: cucumber, tomato, lettuce, peppers, celery, cucumber…) along with your lunch.
  • Hit the fruit bowl again!
  • Choose a vegetarian option if you're eating out: that could be a big salad, vegetarian lasagne, vegetarian burger, etc. Or you could make the same stuff at home.
  • Try lettuce, tomato and onion on a sandwich.

Snack

  • Fruit
  • Try raw vegetables chopped into bite size pieces and chopped fruit with cottage cheese or yoghurt.
  • Try small portions of dried fruit, seeds and nuts. Check out your local shops for special offers. Remember to watch out for salty or chocolate coatings.
  • Hummus dip with crackers or vegetable sticks

Dinner

  • Have a side salad (of whatever veg you like: cucumber, tomato, lettuce, peppers, celery, cucumber…) along with your dinner.
  • Add vegetables to EVERY meal you cook: in soups, on pizzas, in casseroles and stews, along with meat or fish…use your imagination.
  • Keep lots of different veg and fruit options in your kitchen. Stock up on fresh, tinned and frozen varieties every time you go shopping.
  • Finish dinner off with a fruit based dessert. For example, try stewed fruit with low fat custard.

Find out more about sticking to a balanced diet.

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