By: Audrey Manner

Not scientifically reviewed by Dr. Eeks 

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

It’s time to face the facts, we don’t eat enough fruit & veg every day. Experts say we should aim for five portions a day, but most of us struggle to get half of that. There are many reasons why we struggle, but the biggest is that we just don’t get creative with our meals. We tend to have the same things again and again, which is bad when they aren’t overly nutritious. 

Fear not, for there is some very good news. Eating more fruit & veg is way easier than you think and won’t require a complete diet overhaul. Here are three very simple ideas that’ll get you closer to your five a day: 

Make soups

Soup is a bowl full of nutritional goodness. It’s the easiest way to sneak loads of veggies into your diet. Regardless of your tastes or what you’re craving, there’s a soup for it! 

Are you feeling cold and hungry one evening? There’s a potato leek soup recipe to warm you up in no time at all. Do you want something with some extra spice? Try a butternut squash and chili soup with a kick. Or, maybe you want something fresh for lunch? Go for a traditional Spanish gazpacho! 

The point is, all of these soup recipes include loads of vegetables. Some get blitzed up while others stay there in chunks. One bowl of soup can quite easily give you anywhere between two or three portions of fruit & veg in a single meal. 

Add toppings to your breakfasts

Breakfast is a great way to get fruit & veg in your diet. Lots of common and popular breakfasts can be enhanced with some added fruity goodness. 

For example, do you have oatmeal for breakfast? If so, top it with sliced fruit – like banana, strawberries, or raspberries. Are you more of a morning yogurt person? Again, top this with things like blueberries, raspberries, or any other berries you can think of. Even a slice of toast can be covered with peanut butter and sliced bananas. 

You see, fruit can be a great topping for common breakfast ideas, allowing you to start the day with one portion in your body already. 

Eat the rainbow

This is a fantastic mantra to follow in your quest to get more nutritious meals every day. Whatever you’re planning to cook, try to eat the rainbow. 

What does this mean? Basically, you attempt to get as many colors on your plate as possible. This will naturally encourage you to add more veg to the meal. Let’s say you’re cooking some tasty Mexican rice – make it your mission to add as much color to this meal as possible. You can have red from peppers, yellow from corn, green from chilis, a caramel color from the onions, etc. You could even serve it with a salad on the side for added greenery. 

If you follow this concept, you’ll start adding more fruit & veg to your meals. It also makes your meals look more inviting – and they’ll taste better too. 

See, you don’t need fancy tricks or massive dietary changes to reach your five-a-day. With these ideas, your body will be full of fruit & veg – and it’ll reap the rewards.