Senin, 14 Mei 2012

Just one in five Britons eat their 'five a day'

Just one in five Britons eat their 'five a day'

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 05:43 EST, 14 May 2012 | UPDATED: 05:45 EST, 14 May 2012

Having five pieces of fruit and veg a day is the building block of a healthy diet, say experts

Having five pieces of fruit and veg a day is the building block of a healthy diet, say experts

Just 22 per cent of people manage to eat the recommended 'five a day' portions of fruit and vegetables, research suggests.

The Department of Health first encouraged people to hit the healthy-eating target in 2003.

But the World Cancer Research Fund said their study of more than 2,000 adults revealed this was too challenging for many.

Those living in the north struggled more with just 18 per cent hitting their quota compared to 26 per cent in the south. In London, it was 21 per cent, in Scotland 22 per cent and in Wales 23 per cent.

Income also had a large impact with 17 per cent of people in low-earning households eating five a day compared to 27 per cent of high-earners.

WCRF head of education Kate Mendoza said: 'Getting at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is the building block of a healthy diet.

'A diet based on plant foods, such as whole grains and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables, can reduce cancer risk as research shows they protect against a range of cancers. Recent research has confirmed that foods containing fibre reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

'A lot of WCRF's work focuses on raising awareness of the importance of diet, physical activity and body weight in relation to cancer risk. Although people are more aware of the significance of eating 'five a day' than they used to be, it is clear that there are still barriers to incorporating plant foods into our daily diets.'

A spokeswoman for the charity said it commissioned the survey to coincide with Cancer Prevention Week, which starts today.

A Department of Health spokesman said: 'We know we need to do more to encourage people to eat their five a day and help prevent diseases like cancer.

'That is why, through our Change4Life campaign, we invested around £10 million last year on encouraging healthier lifestyles.

'This included things like the Supermeals campaign which promoted five a day by giving recipe ideas and money-off fruit and vegetables in retail stores.

'We are also encouraging children to get their five a day through the scheme which gives them a free piece of fruit or vegetable at school every day. Over 2.1 million children benefit from the scheme.'

For more information on the Change4Life campaign visit www.nhs.uk/change4life

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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The 5 a day mantra is a marketing slogan dreamt up by the usa fruit and veg growers association to boost sales of.....fruit and veg! There is no conclusive evidence that eating fruit and veg reduces cancer either, there are too many variables to state xxx amont of one food type causes cancer or reduces certain illnesses.

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I don't eat 5 portions because I only eat one meal a day. It's a stupid guideline anyway. In some countires it's 9 portions a day!

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- anon, stoke, 14/5/2012 17:29 You find the picture disgusting because you believe it to be overly sexualised. That comment is hypocritical you should hate yourself for even thinking of anything sexual in the first place.

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No-one seems to know where this '5 a day' idea 'they' keep recommending came from. In fact there is absolutely no basis of support from anywhere, from anyone- except vegetarians. The fact is, historically, we have never been exclusively vegetable eating creatures, but more meat eating. Until recent times there were few health problems associated with diet until modern times when 'health' food appeared... - Martin Kay, Stratford Upon Avon, 14/5/2012 16:51 ~ Check out 'The China Study' the largest study on nutrition and disease ever done. We have never been sicker in the developing world and of course it's not health food, it's processed junk food and far too much meat.

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Science has proven that there is no beneficial difference between 5-a-day or 2-a-week, so why oh why is this utter rubbish still being touted as gospel?

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Raw before cooked - Ann, Cape Town, 14/5/2012 17:43 === Not necessarily. Food such as tomatoes and carrots amongst others are better cooked.

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A few weeks ago, scientific studies highlighted the fact that tea, 2 ordinary cups of tea are equal to 5 fruit or vegetables in terms of antioxidants, so as long as you are eating good fibre such as bran you'll be fine. I make sure I get a lot of green tea, rooibos and herbal teas during the day. I rarely have fruit apart from bananas, I do enjoy green vegetables though and sometimes I may have as many as 10 servings of vegetables per day, although somedays nothing but potatoes which incidentally should count as one of the 5 due to high vitamin/mineral content.

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Apples are the highest pesticide fruit, more than 40 different pesticides have been detected on apples, not surprisingly, pesticide residue is also found in apple juice and apple sauce, making all apple products smart foods to buy organic.

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Apart from the occasional portion of peas, I have never eaten fruit or vegetables. I am in my mid-sixties, and very fit. However, I don't put salt on food and have never eaten pizza or fast-food takeaways. Five a day indeed!

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I think that in this 5-a-day campaign the nanny state is urging people who don't ordinarily take responsibility for their own (nutrition/finances/living arrangements/whatever) welfare to think a bit more about how they eat. This is not entirely a bad thing. Not perfect, but not a bad initiative.

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