How to get your 7-a-day
How much fruit and veg should we eat a day? Some experts are now saying seven is the magic number when it comes to health and life expectancy.
BBC Good Food has long advocated the benefits of a diet packed with fruit and vegetables, as well as other nutritionally dense wholefoods. In fact, our nutritionist Kerry Torrens had these words of wisdom at the beginning of the year for those making healthy resolutions:
''Forget 5 and make it 7 a day – it sounds like a tall order but if you include at least one and preferably two servings of fruit or veg at every meal and snack – you’ll get there.''
We've put together a menu of our favourite fruit and veg-packed breakfasts, lunches and dinners to help you reach that magic number…
Breakfasts
All contain two portions of fruit and veg or more.
Yogurt porridge with banana, blueberry & almonds (2 portions)
Spicy Moroccan eggs (3 portions)
Smoky rashers & tomatoes on toast (2 portions)
Egg-in-the-hole smoked salmon & avocado toastie (2 portions)
Lunches
All contain three portions of fruit & veg or more.
Chickpea patties with carrot & raisin salad (3 portions)
Quinoa, squash & broccoli salad (3 portions)
Bean salad with yogurt avocado dressing (3 portions)
Green cucumber & mint gazpacho (4 portions)
Spiced turkey patties with fruity quinoa salad (3 portions)
More like this
Dinners
All contain three portions of fruit & veg or more.
Lamb & buckwheat noodles & tomato dressing (4 portions)
Squash, mushroom & gorgonzola pilaf (3 portions)
Honey & mustard grilled salmon with Puy lentils (3 portions)
Five-a-day tagine (5 portions)
Want more inspiration? Take a look at our 7-a-day recipe collection
Now you've boosted your fruit & veg, serve up the perfect portion with our nutritionist's guide to balanced diets:
Balanced diet for women
Balanced diet for men
Find more healthy recipes & nutrition tips in our health hub.
This page was last updated on 23 September 2019 by Kerry Torrens.
Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food
All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
