Give me 5! - Is your child eating enough fruit and vegetables?

The campaign to encourage everyone to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day has been going for nearly five years now. However, many young children are still not consuming this amount.

The health benefits of a good regular intake of fruit and vegetables are considerable. They are packed with vitamins especially the antioxidants beta carotene and vitamin C which help protect against heart disease and cancer. They provide a good source of dietary fibre and even provide iron and calcium which are both vital for growing children!

How much is a portion? - a rough guide (allow less for toddlers and more for older children)
Fruit - ½ orange, ¼ grapefruit, 1 small apple or pear, 50g strawberries, slice melon, 1 fresh apricot or 2 dried halves, ¼ mango, 1 nectarine or peach, 1 small banana, 75g of cherries, berries or grapes, 1 large fig, 1 slice fresh/canned pineapple, 2 tablespoons raisins, currents or dried apple

Vegetables - 60g broccoli or brussel sprouts, 70g leafy greens, ½ medium pepper, 1 tomato, 75g peas, sweetcorn or green beans, 1 carrot, 75g mashed squash or sweet potato, 60g of beetroot, aubergine, courgette

A portion of fruit and vegetables can be fresh, frozen, dried, canned or juiced. Potatoes do not count nor do fruit squashes, jams and ketchup as the quantity of fruits used are not big enough.

All fruit and vegetables are good, but variety is the key to maximising the health benefits. It is better to eat five servings of different fruit and vegetables a day rather than to each five of the same. Different colour fruit and vegetables have different nutrients in them. Encourage your children to get a taste for fruit and vegetables as young as possible so they develop good eating habits for life.

Here are some quick and easy ways of increasing the number of portions:

· Mix pureed or grated fruit with cottage cheese for a great sandwich filling
· Chunks of peeled fresh fruit or dried fruit such as apricots or raisins make great snack food
· Chop raw vegetables like carrots and cucumber and use as crudities with a sauce or dip such as hummous, guacamole, sour cream and chives
· Chopped or pureed vegetables mixed in a cheese sauce makes a great baked potato filling
· Use pureed vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or carrot mixed with a tomato sauce over pasta
· Frozen spinach 'balls' disappear easily into pasta sauces, stews etc
· Make a Spanish Omelette, pizza or quiche using a variety of chopped vegetables
· Use combinations of vegetables to make shepherds pie, stews, casseroles and soups
· Try tasty international dishes such as risotto, curries, cous-cous, stir-frys using different vegetables
· Mix chopped or pureed fresh fruit with ice-cream, yoghurt, custard or rice pudding
· Use apples, pears, raspberries, rhubarb etc to make a delicious fruit crumble (see recipe)
· Make homemade ice lollies by mixed fruit puree with fruit juice or yoghurt and freezing
· Add fruit (or fruit puree) to jelly
· Use bananas, peaches, raspberries etc to make delicious milk shakes or smoothies