5 a day

[anthonyjb]

they saw eat 5a day if you can only eat say. 3 what are the best 5 from 1 to 5

Thanks
Anthonyjb

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I'd say there is no correct answer to that question, and, a variety of fruit and veg is best.

Don't they say 7 portions now?

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Remember NOT potatoes or tinned fruit/veg in salt/sugar!

5 A DAY: what counts? - Live Well - NHS Choices

[cariann88]

I could sit here all day and eat oranges and apples all day.

[Bigmallly]

Don't forget we now have Superfruits.............if you believe all you read:

Why those 'superfruits' may just be a costly rip-off... and you'd do just as well eating a humble potato! | Daily Mail Online

[Veggiemama]

I love my spuds!1
I dont know why they say not to include them. When i was growing up my mum said potatoes had all the goodness you need. We had home grown potatoes and veg all the time.

I dont actually count how many I eat..no need. I know i eat plenty of good veg.

[Bohobumble]

If we're talking 5 a day grown yourself;

I rather like beans, tomatoes, onions, sweetcorn, raspberries

Potatoes don't count but are healthy, tasty and easy to grow.

But of course it's seasonal so it depends what day of the year we're talking, tasty extras to add in over the season include: salad leaves, cucumbers, leeks, carrots, peas, chard, courgette, rhubarb etc. that are fairly easy to grow with just a little reading on what they like.

[Chippy Minton]

I'm sure some are slightly better than other but as with all of these things variety is the best policy, weighted towards the veggies as fruit has quite a lot of natural sugar. I believe the 5 versus 7 debate is more around what people will feel is achievable, and therefore attempt rather than say "Can't do it, won't do it", rather than what's good for a body. The more the better. An occupational doctor I once worked with had a very handy quote for healthy living "Eat little and often, mostly vegetable"

Cherry Bakewell counts as one though, right

[Penellype]

I think potatoes don't count because they are mainly starch and contain little fibre. The 5 a day thing is really all about fibre (as well as vitamins etc). However potatoes are in fact the only vegetable that you can live off if you eat nothing else, apparently.

[Lumpy]

As a vegetarian I seem to eat an awful lot of veg but if I could only choose 5 to live on it would be...
Spinach - because its very versatile both hot and cold
Kale - for the same reason
Carrot
Onion
Toms - its a fruit
= spuds with their skins on

[Potstubsdustbins]

Personally I totally ignore and of this kind of advice. Half the time the so called experts only change their mind a few years down the line.

1980s the fats in butter are bad for you, they will kill you. Instead eat this spread that tastes like axle grease. 2014/15. Err we got it wrong, actually the fats in butter and other dairy products are good for you, eat more butter.

The classic was back in the late 60s, early 70s. An American study came up with 'eating fried bacon and drinking black coffee at the same time is carcinogenic'. A worrying time as I love a bacon butty and strong black coffee. A year or so later it came out you would have to eat a 'pigs worth' at one sitting for it to have any noticeable affect.

Therefore eat anything you like in moderation and have a varied diet is my answer.

[Veggiemama]

I think potatoes don't count because they are mainly starch and contain little fibre. The 5 a day thing is really all about fibre (as well as vitamins etc). However potatoes are in fact the only vegetable that you can live off if you eat nothing else, apparently.

Thanks for that Penellype, although, would there be fibre in the skin?
I'd be quite happy with only spuds to eat :-)

[Penellype]

Personally I totally ignore and of this kind of advice. Half the time the so called experts only change their mind a few years down the line.

1980s the fats in butter are bad for you, they will kill you. Instead eat this spread that tastes like axle grease. 2014/15. Err we got it wrong, actually the fats in butter and other dairy products are good for you, eat more butter.

The classic was back in the late 60s, early 70s. An American study came up with 'eating fried bacon and drinking black coffee at the same time is carcinogenic'. A worrying time as I love a bacon butty and strong black coffee. A year or so later it came out you would have to eat a 'pigs worth' at one sitting for it to have any noticeable affect.

Therefore eat anything you like in moderation and have a varied diet is my answer.

I agree absolutely. However I think I read somewhere that the recent work saying that butter was good for you was not statistically relevant as the sample sizes were too small or something. There is pretty good evidence that saturated fat/cholesterol leads to heart disease. However I think if you are sensible its fine, if you eat huge amounts of butter, meat, cheese etc its not fine.

Personally I would rather live a shorter life eating things I like (in moderation) than follow a shedload of strict rules and live longer. Others may disagree.

[Penellype]

Thanks for that Penellype, although, would there be fibre in the skin?
I'd be quite happy with only spuds to eat :-)

There is fibre in potato skins and there will be some in the actual potatoes, just not much.

[muddled]

I agree that most of the faddy advice is complete twaddle.

As to the 'best' fruit and veg....as has been said, variety is key.
I think though that leafy greens and berries are paticularly beneficial.