Articles · Nutrients
Five a day, or ten?
Where "five a day" comes from, what a portion of fruit or vegetables looks like, what research says about eating more, and simple ways to add a portion to every meal.
· 3 min read
"Eat five a day." It's one of the best-known pieces of health advice in the world. But why five? Is it a minimum, a target, or a ceiling? And does a glass of juice really count?
Where does five come from?
The World Health Organization advises eating at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day, not counting potatoes and other starchy roots. Divide that by a typical portion of 80 g, and you get five. So five is a minimum, not a finish line.
What counts as a portion?
About 80 g, for example:
- A medium apple, banana, pear or orange.
- Two plums, kiwis or satsumas.
- A handful of grapes or berries.
- Three heaped tablespoons of cooked vegetables, beans or lentils.
- A cereal bowl of salad.
- A small handful (30 g) of dried fruit.
Fresh, frozen, canned and dried all count. Fruit juice and smoothies count at most once a day, however much you drink, because juicing releases the sugar and loses most of the fibre. Potatoes don't count: they're a starchy food.
Think about it: Count yesterday's portions honestly. Did you reach five?
Is more better?
A large review of long-term studies, published in 2017, found that the risk of heart disease, stroke and death from any cause kept falling as people ate more fruit and vegetables, all the way up to about 800 g a day: ten portions. For cancer, the benefit levelled off at around 600 g. The authors estimated that, if the link is causal, around 7.8 million early deaths worldwide in 2013 could be put down to eating less than about 800 g a day.
Studies like these show links rather than proof, but they all point the same way: five is good, and more is better.
Vertumnus, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1591, Skokloster Castle, Sweden. Emperor Rudolf II painted as Vertumnus, the Roman god of the seasons, made entirely of fruit, vegetables and flowers. His nose is a pear. How many more can you name before you scroll on? Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsGetting to five, and beyond
- Add one to every meal: berries on breakfast, salad or soup with lunch, two vegetables with dinner.
- Make the snack a fruit, or carrot and pepper sticks with hummus.
- Hide them in: grated carrot and courgette in a bolognese, spinach in a curry, beans in a stew.
- Keep frozen vegetables and berries in stock. They're picked ripe, frozen fast, cost less and don't go off.
- Eat the rainbow: different colours bring different nutrients, so mix greens, reds, oranges and purples through the week.
Try this: Put a fruit bowl where you'll see it, at eye level, near where you sit. People eat more of what they see.
Think about it: Which vegetable haven't you eaten for months? Could it go in something you're cooking this week?
Quick quiz
How many grams of fruit and vegetables does "five a day" stand for?
At least 400 g a day: five portions of 80 g.
Does a big glass of orange juice count as three portions?
No. Juice counts once a day at most, however much you drink.
In the 2017 review, up to how much fruit and veg did the benefits for heart disease and early death keep growing?
About 800 g a day, around ten portions.
Sources
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask a doctor or dietitian what is right for you.