What counts as fruit and veg?

[shirlthegirl43]

Do cornflakes count.....

You are worse than me!!

After all my worries about veggies, it turns out I am not eating enough liver, oysters and red meat - hence my lack of B12 (seriously low apparently). Since I am very unlikely to change my intake of those foods, I have purchased a bottle of vitamin B12 supplement today and will report on any improvement in my health.

[BumbleB]

Indeed!!!!...I've recently started adding a handful of chopped dates & apricots to my choccie brownies...never felt better!

5 a day is rubbish - it is intended for those who have unhealthy diets or who do not eat veg. We should eat a wide variety of fruit and veg for a wide range of vitamins and minerals. And limit fatty foods or foods with low nutrition content. I agree, dates & apricots will make you feel better as will mixed nuts and other dried fruits but so will jacket spud and baked beans or sweetcorn, yes they may be starch but they are also optimum nutrition food. It is better to encourage these sorts of foods to the non veg eaters than to try to force feed green leafy stuff that they may not touch. And the rest of us dont need any 5 a day advice as we already eat that and more in healthy diets.

[shirlthegirl43]

5 a day is rubbish - it is intended for those who have unhealthy diets or who do not eat veg. We should eat a wide variety of fruit and veg for a wide range of vitamins and minerals. And limit fatty foods or foods with low nutrition content. I agree, dates & apricots will make you feel better as will mixed nuts and other dried fruits but so will jacket spud and baked beans or sweetcorn, yes they may be starch but they are also optimum nutrition food. It is better to encourage these sorts of foods to the non veg eaters than to try to force feed green leafy stuff that they may not touch. And the rest of us dont need any 5 a day advice as we already eat that and more in healthy diets.

Oh so right! I never understood the draw of coleslaw until I once tried some on a baked spud - now my favourite lunchtime treat if we 'eat out' anywhere. Low cal and tasty.

[BumbleB]

Yes, the humble spud is good for us!!

I cannot see why people want to ' stick' to 5 a day. How do they know that they get every vitamin they need if they have carrots, peas and apple orange and pear. They would still lack nutrients on this. Kids who dont eat veg are more likely to start healthy food with a jacket spud and corn cob or some baked beans on toast. Or encouraged to have muesli with nuts and fruit. Its madness to label these as only starches - they have as much vitamin content as 'green' veggies. Sometimes its green to be white!!