Five a day
Most people know they should be eating more fruit and vegetables but as a nation, we still don’t eat the recommended 5 portions each day.
Help your customers increase their fruit and vegetable consumption by serving with all meals. Choose from fresh, frozen, dried, canned or juiced varieties, they all count. Fruit and vegetables should make up about a third of the plate coverage. Frozen vegetables are often thought to be less nutritious then fresh which is not true. Frozen vegetables are frozen within a few hours after harvesting which helps retain the nutrients. Frozen vegetables, such as peas, can also help you eat seasonally as they are harvested and frozen in season.
Hints and tips
Save money by reducing the expensive meat in meals and bulk out with more vegetables such as onions, carrots and swedes in soups, casseroles and stews
Use imperfectly shaped vegetables, chop and use in dishes to save money but maintain the same nutritional quality
Add flavour to foods without using salt. Try Pauleys micro-herbs – red basil, red mustard frills, red amaranth, garlic chives, pea shoots, salad rocket, celery leaf and red chard
Use fruit and vegetables to add colour to plates and always garnish meals. Red and yellow peppers, carrots and salad leaves add colour to main meals whereas blueberries, raspberries and strawberries look great as a dessert garnish
Fruit is a great snack such as fresh apple bags (C71478), mango slices (C74539) and pineapple slices (C74540) or even dried fruit such as sultanas and raisins (A88830) and apricots snack bags (A88829)
Fruit salads are pre-prepared to save you time and can be used as a snack or dessert option
Serve 100% fruit juice, this counts as a portion too!
Don’t overcook – steam or microwave vegetables where possible to preserve nutrients. Use as little water as possible then re-use this water for stocks or in sauces where possible
Don’t keep vegetables on a hot plate too long, nutrients can diminish very quickly so cook vegetables regularly in batches
Meal times
Breakfast
Dried fruit
Juices
Fruit salad
Prunes, grapefruit
Lunch
Salad
Vegetables as accompaniment
Fruit salad – dessert
Dinner
Soups
Vegetables within main meals – stews, casseroles
Vegetables accompaniment
Snacks
Fresh fruit, dried fruit, smoothies, office fruit baskets