Home
Bupa members

Support and offers for individual members and customers

Healthy eating Q&As

Published by Bupa's health information team, September 2008.

Answers to questions about healthy eating

This section contains answers to common questions about this topic. Questions have been suggested by health professionals, website feedback and requests via email.

 

I know I need to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, but how much is in a portion?

Portions of fresh, tinned or dried fruit, fruit or vegetable juices or smoothies, fresh, frozen or tinned vegetables, salad, pulses and beans can all contribute to your recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Portion sizes differ depending on whether the fruit or vegetable is fresh, frozen, dried or tinned.

Explanation

The Department of Health recommends that you should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day to make sure that you get all the fibre, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients that your body needs. It's believed that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day will help prevent heart disease, some cancers and other chronic conditions.

Your five portions don't all have to be fresh fruit or vegetables - dried, frozen, tinned, and juiced fruit and vegetables count too. It's important to remember fruit and vegetables which are in cooked foods - soups, casseroles and sauces for example. These count towards your five portions but it can be more difficult to work out how many portions you're getting this way.

Portion sizes

It's important to remember that portion sizes may be different according to whether the fruits or vegetables are fresh, frozen, dried or tinned.

For example, one portion of fruit* is equal to:

  • one whole apple, banana, orange, nectarine, peach (fresh, dried or tinned), pear (fresh, dried or tinned)
  • two whole figs (dried or fresh), kiwi fruits, plums, tangerines or satsumas
  • three whole apricots (fresh, dried or tinned), dates or prunes (ready to eat)
  • six tinned prunes
  • one handful of blackberries or grapes
  • two handfuls of raspberries or blueberries
  • seven strawberries
  • half a grapefruit or avocado
  • one heaped tablespoon of mixed dried fruit, raisins or sultanas
  • 150ml of pure fruit juice

*All portion sizes refer to fresh fruits unless otherwise stated.

For example, one portion of vegetables is equal to:

  • one medium onion, large parsnip, leek, sweetcorn (on the cob), medium tomato
  • one cereal bowl full of lettuce leaves or fresh spinach
  • three heaped tablespoons of cabbage (shredded), carrots (tinned or fresh), sweetcorn (tinned), peas (fresh, frozen or tinned) or mixed vegetables (frozen), swede (diced or cooked)
  • three heaped tablespoons of chickpeas, kidney beans, cannelloni beans, butter beans, broad beans, black-eye beans (cooked), or lentils

Variety is important

You should aim to eat a variety of different fruits and vegetables every day. This is because different fruits and vegetables contain different types and quantities of nutrients - if you ate five portions of only one sort of fruit or vegetable, you may still miss out on some important nutrients. Eating a variety is the best way to prevent deficiencies.

Juice

You can only count fruit or vegetable juice as one portion every day, regardless of how much you drink. This is because, although the juice will contain many important nutrients, it won't contain much fibre. It's important that you eat other kinds of fruit and vegetables in addition to juice to make sure you get enough fibre every day.

Beans and other pulses

You can only count beans and other pulses as one portion every day, regardless of how much of them you eat. This is because, although beans and pulses contain lots of fibre, they don't contain the same range of vitamins and minerals as other kinds of vegetables. Again, it's important to make up this shortfall by eating other kinds of fruit and vegetables.

Potatoes

Although they are a vegetable, you can't count potatoes as one of your 'five-a-day' because they are classed as starchy foods and play a different kind of role in a balanced diet (as energy providers).

Further information

Sources

  • 5 a day FAQ. Department of Health. www.5aday.nhs.uk, accessed 11 June 2008
  • 5 a day health benefits. Department of Health. www.5aday.nhs.uk, accessed 11 June 2008
  • 5 a day portion information. Department of Health. www.5aday.nhs.uk, accessed 11 June 2008
  • Examples of portion sizes of everyday fruit and vegetables. Department of Health. 2002. www.5aday.nhs.uk
back to top

I am a vegan - what are the alternatives to the dairy, meat and egg proteins recommended as part of a healthy diet?

There are many alternative foods suitable for a vegan diet which are good sources of protein. These include pulses (such as beans, lentils and peas), soya products, nuts (such as Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, cashew nuts and almonds), seeds (such as sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds) and grains (such as rice, wheat oats and barley). It's important that you eat a combination of these protein sources to make sure your body gets the variety of amino acids (protein 'building blocks') it needs.

Explanation

In general, men should aim to eat around 55g of protein every day and women should aim to eat around 45g. However, the more physical activity you do, the more protein you will need. In the UK, most people get around two-thirds of their daily protein intake from animal sources (such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products). If you're on a vegan diet you need to be aware of other foods that are good sources of protein.

Pulses, soya products, nuts, seeds and grains are all good sources of protein. For example, to get around 10g of protein you could eat any of the following foods:

  • 25g of soya flour
  • 40g of peanuts or pumpkin seeds
  • 50g of almonds, Brazil nuts or sunflower seeds
  • 100g of wholemeal bread (around three medium slices of a standard loaf)
  • 120g of dried lentils, chickpeas or kidney beans (boiled)
  • 400g of brown rice (boiled)

At one time it was believed that plant proteins were not as good for you as animal proteins but this is no longer believed to be the case. A good combination of the protein-rich foods in a vegan diet can give you all the protein you need to stay healthy.

Further information

Sources

back to top

I've heard about lots of different sorts of fats - what are the differences between these?

Most of us have a high fat intake and need to eat less fat. But as well as cutting down on the total amount of fat in your diet, it's important to consider the different types. Fat consists of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids - the unsaturated fatty acids again can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Unsaturated fats are, in general, better for your health than saturated fats.

Explanation

Saturated and unsaturated fats

All fats contain both saturated and unsaturated fat in different amounts. Fats which contain more unsaturated than saturated fatty acids are generally known as 'unsaturated fats' or 'unsaturates', and those which contain more saturated than unsaturated fatty acids are known simply as 'saturated fats'.

Wherever possible you should try to replace the saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated ones (for example, use olive oil instead of butter for cooking).

Unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats (also known as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) can help reduce your cholesterol and may help prevent heart disease. Some of the unsaturated fatty acids (omega 6 and omega 3) are essential, this means your body can't produce them but needs them for certain processes. Long chain omega 3 fatty acids (found mainly in oily fish) have positive effects on your heart.

Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature and usually come from plant and fish sources. Examples of foods high in unsaturated fats include:

  • vegetable, olive, sunflower and rapeseed oil (and spreads made from these oils)
  • avocados
  • nuts and seeds
  • oily fish (such as herring, mackerel and sardines)

Saturated fats

If you eat too much saturated fat, you increase the risk of developing diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature, and come from meat and dairy products. Foods which are often high in saturated fats include:

  • butter, cream, soured cream, hard cheese and crème fraîche
  • meat and meat products (such as lard, pies, burgers, sausages)
  • coconut oil, coconut cream or palm oil

Trans fats

Trans fatty acids - or simply 'trans fats' - are unsaturated fatty acids that have a different structure to other unsaturated fatty acids. They are found naturally at very low levels in foods such as dairy products, beef and lamb. However, trans fats can also be formed when liquid vegetable oils are turned into solid fats through the process of hydrogenation (hydrogenated vegetable oil).

Trans fats may be found in these types of foods:

  • biscuits and cakes
  • fast food
  • pastry
  • some margarines

These sorts of food are also usually high in saturated fat, sugar and salt so if you're trying to eat a healthy diet, you should try to cut down on these foods.

In the UK, the use of hydrogenated vegetable oils has been reduced over the past few years and this has helped reduce the amount of trans fats in many foods. Trans fats aren't always listed on food labels but if a product contains hydrogenated vegetable oil, it may also contain trans fats. In the future it's hoped that trans fats will be shown as an ingredient on packaging, making it easier for people to know which foods contain them.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a type of fat that can build up in your blood. High levels of cholesterol in your blood increase your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is found at high levels in foods such as eggs and offal. However, eating high-cholesterol foods won't add much to the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Your blood cholesterol levels are influenced more by the quality of fat consumed. Saturated and trans fats have been found to raise blood cholesterol levels, whereas a higher intake of unsaturated fatty acids seem to decrease cholesterol levels.

Further information

Sources

back to top

Related topics

back to top

This information was published by Bupa's health information team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been peer reviewed by Bupa doctors. The content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.

Publication date: September 2008

 

Rate this page

Up to £100 off a Bupa Health assessment

Bupa health insurance

Free online health check

Bupa Care Homes

Bupa travel cover