5-a-day keeps the Dr away.

Choosing fruit and veges that you like to eat can be hard.  Especially if you have a fussy child.  However, there are many out there to choose from. 

Fresh fruit is great.  The down side of 5 a day is that only one portion counts of each item because each thing provides different goodness.  And when you body has the amount it requires it will discard the rest.

My place is all packed up right now ready to move, so this is from memory and I will appreciate additions from other people to complete the knowledge here, but it is good to use five different colours because each has different vitamins and minerals to offer.  For instance bright colours, Red and Orange coloured fruit are great for boosting a low immune system.  Also the pretty colours can make it more fun to eat and adds asthetic value to a plate of food or an arranged dish.

Before I heard this I used to eat a lot of green colours, cucumber, lettuce, apples, melon, peas, beans, peppers, etc so many green ones!  But there are also red and yellow peppers, so now I get the variety packs from the supermarket that have a mixture of colours, I also get red apples, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and grapes.  For veges we get all the green ones previously mentioned as well as carrots, sweetcorn and various purple veges as we find them. 

It is expensive to eat the correct amount of fruit and veg each day, so explore local markets.  Our local is best in summer when they do obscene amounts of fresh produce for low low prices.  Our local big supermarket that i rarely frequent did something recently where they were giving you your fifth fresh produce for free.  That was a great offer to cash in on while it lasted. 

Then investigate the alternative ways of goodness, frozen fruit and veges (yes, they do frozen berries and so on in the freezer section of the big supermarkets - they are delicious) and great for smoothies and milkshakes as well as deserts and snacking on.  Dried fruit and the variety of dried fruit snack bars that are on offer seems to explode each time we visit the supermarket. (we dont go to the big one very often).  Also fruit juices, most will advertise on their packaging if they contribute to your five a day.  Then there are the dairy sections.  I saw something the other day in the yoghurts section saying that it counted as one of my five a day!  Talk about knocking my socks off. 

It is so fashionable to have five a day.  Yet so exceedingly expensive.  Be creative and imaginative and it becomes affordable. 

If you find it hard to fit five a day into your meal routine try some fruit with your breakfast, half a grapefruit is said to have many benefits and many cereals still taste great with fruit on them.  Apparently the Queen of England has half a grapefruit each morning.  I have never asked her...so I apologise if my info is wrong.  My mother covers her weetbix with apple juice instead of milk and covers it with a fruity yoghurt. (it works for her)  Have a mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon snack.  Substitute the traditional bikkies with fruit.  A fruit smoothie or milkshake after school is a great way to give your child their calcium as well as their fresh produce in one taking.  Have a salad sandwich or side salad with  your lunch and for your main meal have a couple of veges with whatever else you are having.  Thankfully most veges go with most meals.  Just gotta try it and see.

Experiment and see what happens.  That is what I ended up having to do and I found a wealth of in fun as well as some great combos that i would never have thought of if I hadnt just gotten on and done it.

There are many more ideas offered on the QUICK AND EASY FOOD group here on Minti, as well as in associated articles linked below. Peace
EF.x