

This increases the risk of tooth decay, so it's best to drink fruit juice or smoothies at mealtimes. When fruit is blended or juiced, it releases the sugars. Your combined total of drinks from fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies shouldn't be more than 150ml a day, which is a small glass.įor example, if you have 150ml of orange juice and 150ml smoothie in 1 day, you'll have exceeded the recommendation by 150ml. Smoothies include any drink made up of any combination of fruit or vegetable juice, purée, or all the edible pulped fruit or vegetable. Unsweetened 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies can only ever count as a maximum of 1 portion of your 5 A Day.įor example, if you have 2 glasses of fruit juice and a smoothie in 1 day, that still only counts as 1 portion. You can learn more in 5 A Day: what counts? 5 A Day in juices and smoothies They're classified nutritionally as a starchy food, because when they're eaten as part of a meal they're usually used in place of other sources of starch, such as bread, rice or pasta.Īlthough they don't count towards your 5 A Day, potatoes do play an important role in your diet as a starchy food. This is the same for yams, cassava and plantain, too. Potatoes don't count towards your 5 A Day. Remember, however much of these you eat, beans and pulses can only count as a maximum of 1 portion of your 5 A Day. Pulses and beansĪ portion is 3 heaped tablespoons of baked beans, haricot beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, butter beans or chickpeas. For example, 3 heaped tablespoons of tinned or frozen carrots, peas or sweetcorn count as 1 portion each.įor tinned, choose those canned in water with no added salt or sugar. The same quantity as you would eat for a fresh portion. Salad vegetablesĪ portion is 3 celery sticks, a 5cm piece of cucumber, 1 medium tomato or 7 cherry tomatoes. For example, a portion is 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables, such as carrots, peas or sweetcorn, or 8 cauliflower florets. The same quantity as you would eat for a fresh portion. 5 A Day vegetable portions Green vegetablesĪ portion is 2 broccoli spears, 2 heaped tablespoons of cooked spinach or 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked kale, spring greens or green beans. Tinned or frozen fruitĪ portion is roughly the same quantity of fruit that you would eat for a fresh portion, such as 2 pear or peach halves, 6 apricot halves, 8 segments of tinned grapefruit, or 2 handfuls (4 heaped tablespoons) of frozen blueberries.Ĭhoose fruit canned in natural juice, rather than syrup. To reduce the risk of tooth decay, dried fruit is best enjoyed as part of a meal – as dessert, for example, not as a between-meal snack. Try to swap dried fruit for fresh fruit, especially between meals. This is about 1 heaped tablespoon of raisins, currants or sultanas, 1 tablespoon of mixed fruit, 2 figs, 3 prunes or 1 handful of dried banana chips.īut dried fruit can be high in sugar and can be bad for your teeth. Dried fruitĪ portion of dried fruit is around 30g. Large fresh fruitĪ portion is half a grapefruit, 1 slice of papaya, 1 slice of melon (5cm slice), 1 large slice of pineapple or 2 slices of mango (5cm slices).

Medium fresh fruitĪ portion is 1 piece of fruit, such as 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or nectarine.

5 A Day fruit portions Small fresh fruitĪ portion is 2 or more small fruit – for example, 2 plums, 2 satsumas, 2 kiwi fruit, 3 apricots, 6 lychees, 7 strawberries or 14 cherries. The amount of food a child needs varies with age, body size and levels of physical activity.Īs a rough guide, 1 portion is the amount they can fit in the palm of their hand. The guide below will give you an indication of typical portion sizes for adults.Ĭhildren should also eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. An adult portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g. Everyone should have at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
