A key focus of the Alnwick Food Festival is to encourage healthier eating and therefore a healthier lifestyle. Fruit and vegetables are the cornerstone of the NHS's crusade called 5 A Day. It's aim is to recommend everyone eats five portions of fruit or vegetables a day to improve their diet.
The health benefits
Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. For example, many are naturally high in folic acid, vitamin C and potassium. They are also a good source of fibre and other substances, such as antioxidants, all nutrients important to your health. Other benefits of fruit and vegetable are their low fat and low calorie content. Therefore eating fruit and vegetables instead of foods that are high in fat and added sugars may help you keep yourself at a healthy weight. Heart disease and cancer are the two main killers in this country and eating more fruit and vegetables may help reduce the risk of falling victim to them.
Portion sizes
Aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Fresh, frozen, chilled, canned, 100% juice, and dried fruit and vegetables all count.
Fruit:
One portion of fruit is, for example, half a large grapefruit, or a slice of melon, or 2 satsumas. One portion of dried fruit counts (1 portion = for example 3 dried apricots, or 1 tablespoon of raisins), but other types of fruit and vegetables should be eaten to meet the rest of the 5 A Day target.
A glass of 100% juice (fruit or vegetable juice) counts as 1 portion. But you can only count juice as 1 portion a day , however much you drink. This is because it has very little fibre. Also, the juicing process 'squashes' the natural sugars out of the cells that normally contain them, which means that drinking juice in between meals isn't good for your teeth.
Vegetables:
One portion of vegetables is, for example, 3 tablespoonfuls of cooked carrots or peas or sweetcorn, or 1 cereal bowl of mixed salad. Beans and other pulse vegetables - such as kidney beans, lentils and chick peas - count only once a day, however much you eat. While pulses contain fibre, they don't give the same mixture of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as fruit and vegetables.
Because they are considered a 'starchy' food, potatoes don't count towards 5 A Day. (Starchy foods are foods like potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.) However, starchy foods are also an important part of a balanced diet.
Click on either of the 5 A Day logos on this page to find out more.
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