The five-a-day fantasy: Are you getting enough?

We all know we're meant to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day. Yet hardly anyone actually manages to do it. Simon Usborne shows it's easier than you think

Why is it so important for me to eat loads of fruit and veg?

According to the World Health Organisation, as many as 2.7 million lives could be saved each year if we ate more fruit and vegetables. Diet is estimated to contribute to the development of a third of all cancers, and many experts believe that increasing fruit and vegetable intake is the single most important step, save giving up smoking, on the road to improved health. Sue Baic, a registered dietician with the British Dietetic Association, explains: "Fruit and vegetables are vital because they contain antioxidant vitamins that mop up free radicals, which are chemicals from the environment and food that can damage DNA in our cells." Fruit and vegetables have also been shown to reduce significantly the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, high blood pressure and even dementia.

So how much fruit and veg should I be eating?

Both the WHO and the NHS advise eating five 80g portions of fruit or vegetables every day, but the results of the Government's National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that most of us fall short of that. Just 13 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women said they eat five portions a day; the average is just 2.7 portions for men and 2.9 for women. Twenty-one per cent of men and 15 per cent of women said they ate no fruit or veg at all. Even more shocking were the figures for men aged 19-24: none said they ate five portions a day, with the average coming in at 1.3; nearly half (45 per cent) admitted to eating no fruit or veg at all.

Unfortunately for veggie-phobes, experts say that five portions a day is in fact the minimum we should be eating. "Six, seven or even eight servings would be ideal," says Patrick Holford, a nutritionist. But, says the dietician Baic, "any increase is beneficial."

How big is a portion, anyway?

"I try not to get fixated on what a portion is," Baic says. "As a rule of thumb, it's what fits into your hand." More pedantic diners can refer to the Government's 5 A Day website (www.5aday.nhs.uk), which offers precise portion measures (for example: one apple, or six halves of apricot, or 10 blackberries, or three heaped tablespoons of cooked kidney beans).

Can I get away with 5 bananas a day?

No. Baic prescribes the "rainbow rule", since the range of antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables roughly corresponds to their colour. "Ideally you should include, for example, red and orange vegetables, and yellow, green and blue fruits." Nutritionists also advise eating four portions of vegetable to three portions of fruit a day – or at least three to two.

How am I supposed to eat so much?

For many, cost is an issue. But Baic says that eating healthily need not dent the pocket. "It's fine to stock up on cheap canned or frozen vegetables, and it's more economic to buy fresh fruit or veg seasonally, rather than forking out for expensive imports."

Holford advises an overhaul of the daily diet, starting with breakfast. "Sweeten your cereal with fruit instead of sugar – berries or some chopped apple. Have two fruit snacks during the day, and at lunch and dinner, make sure at least half of your plate is made up of a good range of vegetables. That brings you up to seven portions, which is perfect."

For fussy children, Baic advises "hiding" vegetables in soups or pizza toppings, or giving them "fun" cherry tomatoes or baby carrots.

Which is best – cooked or raw?

Next time you visit Granny, you might point out that her overboiled carrots, seconds away from dissolving into a sorry soup, might not be as healthy as they ought to be. But cooking needn't destroy the nutrients. "You lose a lot of water-soluble vitamins if you boil something for a long time," says Holford, "but steaming or boiling quickly so the veg is still a bit crunchy will minimise that loss." In some cases, he adds, cooking can help release beneficial fibres. "Gazpacho is the best of both worlds because you aren't cooking the tomatoes, but you break them down, releasing the fibres."

Why don't potatoes count?

Don't worry, spuds haven't suddenly been reclassified by Brussels as a vegetable impostor. But when it comes to five a day, they don't make the cut (and no, nor do crisps). "Potatoes are a carbohydrate food and fall into the bread and cereals group," explains Baic. The same applies to similar starchy foods, such as yam, plantain and cassava. Nutritionists say that, depending how they are cooked, potatoes can also release a lot of sugar. "Generally, the more they're cooked, the faster-releasing the sugar becomes," says Holford. So ditch that deep-fat fryer.

Is organic best?

Holford says that the nutrient content of organic fruit and vegetables is higher – or at least more concentrated – because some non-organic goods have higher water content. "Once you've cooked carrots in a casserole, three organic carrots will boil down to the same as four non-organic carrots. And organic is tastier anyway."

But Baic warns that going organic can be a false economy. "There may be high levels of some vitamins and antioxidants in organic, but if you eat less because organic is more expensive, you'd be better off having more of something more affordable."

How "super" are those superfoods?

Almost 100 foods – from salmon and spinach to tomatoes and turkey – have been branded "superfoods" due to their supposed high nutrient content, and millions of us have been rushing to fill our supermarket trolleys with blueberries and kale. Holford says that berries are particularly "super" because they are packed with antioxidants, but Baic and other dieticians are sceptical. "I think superfoods have been hijacked as a marketing gimmick," she says. "It's true that, weight for weight, some foods are higher in antioxidants, but if they're really expensive, you're likely to buy less, and that offsets the benefits. Just eat five of what you like – it doesn't have to be all goji berries and pomegranates." Last July, the EU slapped a ban on products claiming superfood status unless it could be proved.

What about juice and smoothies?

Our obsession with pulping and juicing the nutrients out of fruit shows no signs of abating, with dedicated bars popping up all over the country. The smoothie brand Innocent hit sales figures of almost £100m last year as more and more of us revel in the righteousness that comes with downing a glass of liquidised goodness. But could we be gulping ourselves into a false sense of security? Yes, says the Department of Health. It has decreed that juice or smoothies count as a single portion, no matter how much you drink in a day. Earlier this month, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint against Innocent for claiming that its smoothies provided two portions.

"When you juice a fruit, you lose some of the nutritious plant chemicals and fibres in the cell walls," Baic says. Holford also warns that drinking kilos of fruit in a glass involves higher natural sugar consumption than eating a more modest amount of whole fruits, potentially damaging the teeth. He says: "For children I advise no more than one glass of juice a day, preferably diluted with water."

Or how about frozen, tinned or dried fruit – or pulses?

There are plenty of ways to get your five a day. Fresh fruit is ideal, but you can freeze, tin or dry an apricot or a grape without significant nutrient loss. Pulses are also good, due to their high folic acid content, although they should only count as one portion a day. One potential pitfall with tinned fruit is what else goes into the mix: peaches tinned in fruit juice are obviously better for you than those in syrup. And Holford advises restraint when munching on dried fruits such as raisins, prunes or dried apricots. "The sugar is concentrated," he says. "An entire punnet of strawberries has the same amount of sugar as 10 raisins. So if you eat 10 dried apricots, you're getting the same amount of sugar as from 10 fresh apricots – and you're unlikely to eat that much fresh fruit in one sitting."

What's good for detoxing?

Some nutritionists (and certain smoothie makers) say that fruit and vegetables are perfect for expunging nasty toxins from our bodies. "You're better off eating a plate of kale than a greasy fry-up," says Holford. But sceptics say that the ideal detoxifier is actually water. "Detoxifying is when the liver gets rid of toxins from our bodies," says Baic. "Fruit and veg don't do that – they contain antioxidants that protect cells."