I’m often asked what counts as a portion of fruit or veg – people still seem to be confused. That’s especially the case when it comes to varieties that you may not find on other online sources. The United Nations has declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, so I’ve been to the shops, taken out the weighing scales and discovered how much you’d need to eat to reach the recommended 80gram serving that counts as one of your “five-a-day”.
First, some unusual examples
- 10 fingers of okra
- 10 radishes
- 1 medium onion
- 8 small pickled cucumbers
- 1 medium roasted pepper from a jar
- 3 segments of tinned green jackfruit
- 3 heaped tbsp tinned ackee, drained
- 2 halves tinned guavas, drained
Fresh Fruit
- one medium banana, orange, pear or apple or a similar sized fruit
- half a grapefruit
- half an avocado
- a slice of large fruit such as melon or pineapple
- two satsumas, plums or similar sized fruit
- a small handful of grapes
- two handfuls of blueberries or raspberries
- 7 strawberries
- 1 slice of papaya
- 1 slice of melon (5cm slice)
- 1 large slice of pineapple
- 2 slices of mango (5cm slices)
- 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad
Dried fruit
- one heaped tablespoon of dried fruit, such as sultanas, currants or cranberries
- 2 prunes
- 3 dried dates
- Handful dried banana chips
Canned fruits in natural juice
- 2 pear or peach halves
- 6 apricot halves
- 8 segments of tinned grapefruit
- 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit cocktail
Juices (count once a day only due to the sugar content)
- 150ml unsweetened fruit juice
- 150ml smoothie
- 150ml vegetable juice
Vegetables & salads
- 3 heaped tablespoons of carrots
- 8 brussel sprouts
- 3 heaped tablespoons of sweetcorn
- 8 cauliflower florets
- 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked kale
- 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked spinach
- 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked spring greens
- 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked green beans
- one cereal bowl of lettuce, watercress or spinach
- one cereal bowl of mixed salad
- 1 medium tomato
- 7 cherry tomatoes
- 1½ celery sticks
- 5cm piece of cucumber
Pulses (count once a day only as they don’t have the full range of nutrients you get from other veg)
- 3 heaped tablespoon of beans
- 3 heaped tablespoon of peas
- 3 heaped tablespoon of chick peas
- 3 heaped tablespoon of lentils
Often a portion is simply a handful.
