Food Groups And Nutrition
Fruit and vegetables are low in fat, so they’re great for bulking out meals and making you feel full without adding too many calories.
It’s easy to get your five a day if you spread your portions through the day. Try:
- adding chopped bananas to your cereal or toast at breakfast
- enjoying a piece of fruit as a mid-morning snack
- including a bowl of salad or vegetable soup with your lunch
- snacking on a bowl of raw carrots, peppers and cucumbers mid-afternoon
- adding a portion of veg to your evening meal.
What counts as a portion of fruit and vegetables?
- 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
- 2 plums or similar sized fruit
- Half a grapefruit or avocado
- 1 slice of large fruit like melon or pineapple
- 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables
- 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad or stewed fruit
- A dessert bowl of salad
These foods and drinks also count as one portion, but you can only count them once each day:
- 3 heaped tablespoons of beans or pulses
- 1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit like raisins or apricots
- 150ml of fruit juice or smoothie.
Fruit juice and smoothies contain a lot of sugar, so limit them to just 150ml a day – that’s around the same as a small glass. Dried fruit is also high in sugar so it’s best not to eat it in-between meals to help prevent tooth decay.
https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/consumers/healthy-eating/nutrition/the-five-food-groups