Governement guildelines dictate that we should eat five portions of fruit & vegetables a day, but is this enough and does the split of our 5-a-day make a difference…?

In recent years there’s been much discussion around whether five portions is actually enough to make a difference to our health, with some reports suggesting up to seven portions may be necessary. However, the latest study, covering almost 1 million participants, has shown that: “the average risk of death from all causes was reduced by 5% for each additional daily serving of fruit and vegetables, and the specific risk of cardiovascular death – from heart disease or stroke – was reduced by 4% for each additional daily serving of fruit and vegetables. But the risks did not drop any further for those people who ate more than five portions a day”.

So, for now, five portions seems like a good enough place to start, especially considering many of us fail to eat even that much, but is the breakdown of that five important? Here at The Fitting Rooms we think it is…

We see many people fall into the trap of eating 5 portions of fruit with no vegetables. Whilst fruit is great for you, with much needed vitamins and antioxidants, it is also full of sugars. Yes they are natural, but sugar is still sugar meaning fruit will spike your insulin and can potentially lead to body fat storage. Vegetables on the other hand are low GI and still full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

We therefore like to take the stand point of sticking to those 5-a-day, but making it one portion of fruit and four portions of vegetables. We’d also recommend eating seasonal products: not only will they be the richest in vitamins and minerals but this is also a great way to naturally vary your diet.