Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthier diet. They should make up a large part of each meal alongside starchy foods.

Think about how many portions of fruit and vegetables you can eat over a week. Add enough to your shopping list for meals and snacks.

If you have pre-made foods like soups, sauces and ready meals, you could choose products that contain a portion of fruit and vegetables. It may tell you this on the package.

Frozen fruit and vegetables are as good as fresh and save you time on washing and chopping
You can add a little to your meals to start with, and they will keep in the freezer for a few months
Tinned fruit and vegetables will keep in the cupboard for a long time until you are ready to use them
Tinned tomatoes, tinned beans, tinned sweetcorn and peas are great for stews and sauces
Look for tinned fruit in water or juice rather than syrup, and vegetables that are tinned in water, with no added salt

Fruit and vegetables also make healthy and portable snacks.

You could try:

A banana on toast
Chopped apple or berries on cereal
Adding as many different kinds of vegetables as you like to a pot of homemade soup - great for using up leftovers
Vegetables in sandwiches or omelettes, or chopped vegetables with houmous
Fruit with yogurt for a sweeter snack
Adding your own chopped vegetables to any soups, sauces, meal kits and ready meals
Passata or tinned tomatoes to make any pre-made sauces go further