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8 tips for healthy eating
The Eatwell Guide
Food labels
Food labelling terms
Reference intakes on food labels
Starchy foods and carbohydrates
Dairy and alternatives
Meat in your diet
Fish and shellfish
The healthy way to eat eggs
Beans and pulses
Water, drinks and your health
Eating processed foods
Salt: the facts
Sugar: the facts
Top sources of added sugar
What does 100 calories look like?
Red meat and the risk of bowel cancer
What is a Mediterranean diet?
How to store food and leftovers
10 ways to prevent food poisoning
Why you should never wash raw chicken
Cooking turkey
How to wash fruit and vegetables
The truth about sweeteners
Sprouted seeds safety advice
Fruit and vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet and can help you stay healthy. It's important that you eat enough of them.
Evidence shows there are significant health benefits to getting at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. That's 5 portions of fruit and veg in total, not 5 portions of each. A portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g.
The 5 A Day campaign is based on advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
5 reasons for eating 5 a day
- Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium.
- They're an excellent source of dietary fibre, which can help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fibre can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer.
- They can help to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
- Fruit and vegetables contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.
- Fruit and vegetables taste delicious and there's so much variety to choose from.
Fruit and vegetables are also usually low in fat and calories (provided you do not fry them or roast them in lots of oil). That's why eating them can help you maintain a healthy weight and keep your heart healthy.
To get the most out of your 5 A Day, your 5 portions should include a variety of fruit and vegetables. This is because different fruits and vegetables contain different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
Almost all fruit and vegetables count towards your 5 A Day. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced. Potatoes, yams and cassava do not count because they mainly contribute starch to the diet.
Read more about why potatoes do not count towards your 5 A Day.
How to get your 5 A Day
- To learn more about what counts towards your 5 A Day, go to 5 A Day: what counts? and 5 A Day: portion sizes.
- For inspiration on fitting 5 A Day into your breakfast, lunch and dinner, go to 5 A Day tips.
Got a question about 5 A Day?
If you have a query about 5 A Day that is not answered in our 5 A Day FAQs, please email the 5 A Day team at Public Health England: phe.enquiries@phe.gov.uk.