Do You Know What Actually Counts As One Of Your Five A Day

Sorry, no amount of potato will ever count as one of your five portions of fruit and veg a day.

1. 1. Let’s start with the basics. How many apples do you need to reach one portion of your five a day?

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   1. One medium apple
   2. Two medium apples

   ✓ X

   You need 80g of fresh fruit or veg for one portion, which is about one apple.

2. 2. How many clementines are a portion?
   1. One
   2. Two

   ✓ X

   Clementines are small, so you need two for 80g.

3. 3. How much of an avocado counts as a portion?

   

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   1. A whole avocado
   2. Just half

   ✓ X

   Avocados are pretty dense, so just half will give you 80g.

4. 4. How many peaches are one portion?
   1. One medium peach
   2. Two medium peaches

   ✓ X

   One medium peach = at least 80g of peach.

5. 5. How many slices of tinned peach count as one portion?

   

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   1. Three slices
   2. Seven slices

   ✓ X

   Yes, tinned fruit counts too. Handy for the apocalypse.

6. 6. How many raspberries are a portion?
   1. One handful
   2. Two handfuls

   ✓ X

   Two handfuls should give you about 80g.

7. 7. How much fruit juice do you need to drink for one portion?

   

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   1. 150ml
   2. 300ml

   ✓ X

   It has to be 100% fruit juice, and no matter how much you drink (above the 150ml) it can only count for one portion in total per day.

8. 8. Ok, now dried fruit. How many apple rings count as one portion?
   1. Four
   2. Eight

   ✓ X

   You need just 30g of dried fruit to count it as a portion.

9. 9. How many raisins count as a portion?

   

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   1. One tablespoon
   2. Three tablespoons

   ✓ X

   One tablespoon should be about 30g.

10. 10. How many dried apricots count as one portion?
    1. 3 whole dried apricots
    2. 6 whole dried apricots

    ✓ X

    Three whole apricots should be about 30g.

11. 11. How many banana chips do you need to make a portion?

    

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    1. A tablespoon
    2. A handful

    ✓ X

    Banana chips are pretty light, so you’ll need a handful to reach the 30g needed for a portion.

12. 12. Time for vegetables. How many courgettes do you need to eat to get one portion?
    1. A whole large courgette
    2. Just half a large one

    ✓ X

    80g of veg is one portion, and half a large courgette should give you that.

13. 13. How much cucumber do you need to eat for one portion?

    

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    1. A two-inch piece
    2. A six-inch piece

    ✓ X

    Two inches should give you about 80g of cucumber.

14. 14. How many button mushrooms do you need to eat?
    1. 14
    2. Mushrooms don’t count

    ✓ X

    Mushrooms do count, and 14 button ones should be around 80g.

15. 15. How much aubergine do you need to eat?

    

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    1. A whole one
    2. About a third

    ✓ X

    It’ll depend on the size of the aubergine, but on average you’ll need to eat a third of one to count it as a portion of veg.

16. 16. How many frozen peas are a portion?
    1. Three heaped tablespoons
    2. Six heaped tablespoons

    ✓ X

    Just three heaped tablespoons should give you 80g of peas.

17. 17. How much fresh spinach is a portion?

    

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    1. A handful
    2. A cereal bowl full

    ✓ X

    Fresh spinach and other salad leaves are pretty light, so you’ll need a bowlful.

18. 18. How much tomato puree counts as a portion?
    1. One heaped tablespoon
    2. Two heaped tablespoons

    ✓ X

    Just one heaped tablespoon of tomato puree counts as a portion because its very concentrated – a handy way to top up your fruit and veg intake.

19. 19. For a smoothie to count as two portions, what does it need to contain?

    

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    1. At least 80g of one whole fruit AND 150ml of fruit juice.
    2. 150ml each of two different fruit juices.

    ✓ X

    For a single smoothie to qualify as being two portions, it must contain either one portion of whole fruit and/or vegetable and at least 150ml of a different variety of 100% fruit and/or vegetable juice OR one portion of whole fruit and/or vegetable and another portion of a different fruit and/or vegetable. Smoothies can only count as a maximum of two portions, even if you drink a whole carton.

20. 20. And finally… does hummus count as one of your five a day?
    1. YES!
    2. No :(

    ✓ X

    Providing your portion of hummus has at least three heaped tablespoons of chickpeas, it counts for one of your five a day. Beans and pulses (including chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils etc) can only count for one portion a day, no matter how much you eat.

Do You Know What Actually Counts As One Of Your Five A Day?

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All information taken from the NHS’s five a day portion guide.

The key things to remember are:

– Fruit or vegetable juice can only count for one portion a day, no matter how much you drink. – Smoothies can count for a maximum of two, but make sure they contain enough whole fruit. – Beans and pulses do count, but only for a maximum of one portion a day. – Potatoes are generally used as the starchy item in a meal, so don’t count. Sweet potatoes do though!

To get the most benefit, eat as wide a variety of fruit and veg as you can. The NHS has advice on how you can do this on a budget.

Basically…

http://almondcafe.tumblr.com

(And vegetables!)