Q: We always hear about the importance of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. I have two pieces of fruit and drink three glasses of juice a day. Am I eating enough?

A: Unfortunately not — but you’re not alone. The average UK intake of fruit and vegetables is only about 2.8 portions, despite the advice that five portions can protect against heart disease, cancer and bowel problems.

The advice about fruit and veg suggests not only at least five portions (a portion is about the size of your fist or 80g in weight) but also a variety of fruit and veg a day so you can get all the health benefits from the different vitamins, fibre and micronutrients they offer. Fruit juice will only give you one portion daily, no matter how many glasses you drink.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 8th, 2007 at 11:46 am and is filed under Ask Marilyn, Nutrition & Healthy Eating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.