Here in the US where I live Government recommendations suggest that everyone should be eating at five fruits and vegetables total. For some people this might seem a lot, I know a few people who barely get one peice of fruit or veg in day! Really this isn’t a lot at all, infact I would recommend this as the minimum amount you should eat in day.
I personally always try and get 6 portion a day which is fairly easy for me. Sure you could just pop a daily multi vitamin but you will be missing out on a whole host of macro nutrients such as phytochemicals (some of which scientists aren’t even aware of yet) which are very beneficial to your health. Not to mention that vitamins and minerals are better absorbed via food than tablet form.
I prefer to get my fruit in the morning as your body can better handly the small quantities of simple sugars this time of day. I have one piece with my breakfast, typically a banana. Then inbetween lunch I will have another piece perhaps a satsuma or a kiwi, I like to vary it. Then with lunch I like to have an apple. That’s three portions already! For those worried that this seems like too much sugar please don’t worry.
Firsly the small amount of sugar that is there is combined with fiber in the fruit which means that it’s slowly absorbed, which basically means it’s not a problem. Infact a particular study of women eating 3 apples a day over a period of time showed them losing weight! I have other anecdotal evidence that also backs up this observation.
Next up is vegetables. I like to have some raw vegetables with lunch such as Acai berrys, cherry tomatoes, carrot or cucumber sticks, lettuce, celery. This is a great and convenient way of getting vegetables in there raw state which is always best. Then for dinner just before evening I have two portions of veg. This can be anything from roasted peppers and onions to steamed brocolli and cauliflower, variation is the key.
Generally I either roast, steam or grill my veg, boiling them removes too much of the goodness, as does over cooking. I prefer my veg in the evening as they are complex carbohydrates which means the energy is released more steadily to your body which is ideal because by the evening your metabolism (energy demands) have decreased.
See how easy that is? It really shouldn’t be a problem to get at LEAST five portions of the good stuff a day. But you don’t have stop there, if you enjoy your fruit and veg 7 or 8 portions a day will provide fantastic health benefits, months and many years on in life you will reap the benefits of this.