How much fruit

Gingham_Ribbon · 22 September 2006 at 11:06AM

I found the fruit and veg boxes cheaper than organic fruit and the supermarket and infinitely more tasty, but I don't have a farmers' market nearby to compare.

[Deleted User] · 22 September 2006 at 11:06AM

I think I spend about £12 a week on fruit for two of us. I know it is a lot but fruit, along with veg, has a very high priority.
Typical week:
apples, pears, oranges, grapes, lots of blueberries, strawberries, nectarines, passion fruit now and then plus whatever is in season eg plums. I buy organic mostly and have a fruit box delivered along with a veg box

We easily get through 5-7 portions of veg and fruit a day and if I think we aren`t getting enough, then I use my green life juicer because all that veg and fruit takes some eating. Veg should have a much higher status than fruit as it provides more of the essential nutrients without the sugars. Go for bright colours if possible eg broccolli, carrots, sweet potatoes, beetroot etc

annie-c · 22 September 2006 at 11:14AM

I eat loads. Typically I buy potatoes, sweet potatoes, swede, carrots, courgettes, mixed peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, lemons, oranges, bananas. Plus anything seasonal that looks nice and/or is lurking on the reduced counter at Tescos!

I used to live on ready meals, so for me, the cost of fresh fruit/veg is still far less than I used to spend on plastic dinners.

Don't forget that though not strictly veg, pulses like lentils and beans can be counted as one towards your 5-a day.

annie-c · 22 September 2006 at 11:22AM

PS: I should add that I used to waste a lot of fruit and veg, before I learned to cook and realised what I like/how much I need. It was trial and error for the first few months of 'coming off' ready meals and I probably gave 5-a-day to the bin most weeks at first... but I count it as a learning experience rather than a complete waste.....

Nowadays, I try to buy just as much as I need. I don't meal plan rigidly, but I think about what I will do with something before sticking it in the baskket/trolley. I also have a weekly ccoking session when I use up leftovers before they 'turn'. I make juices and soups or whizz veg in the food processor and add to bolognese/chilli.

Hinni · 22 September 2006 at 11:24AM

Are there any friends or neighbours that you could club together with? The reason I ask is that at our local community centre we have a weekly food co-op. We each pay £2 per week for either a fruit or veg bag (or both) and £1 for a stew bag. The dosh is collected and the veg etc bought from local farmers or suppliers. It's then split between the total amount of buyers.
This week I received - Veg: 2lbs potatoes, a cauli, brocolli, carrots, swede.
Fruit: 3 oranges, 4 bananas, 2 pears and 4 apples.
Not bad for £4.

Hinni · 22 September 2006 at 11:24AM

Are there any friends or neighbours that you could club together with? The reason I ask is that at our local community centre we have a weekly food co-op. We each pay £2 per week for either a fruit or veg bag (or both) and £1 for a stew bag. The dosh is collected and the veg etc bought from local farmers or suppliers. It's then split between the total amount of buyers.
This week I received - Veg: 2lbs potatoes, a cauli, brocolli, carrots, swede.
Fruit: 3 oranges, 4 bananas, 2 pears and 4 apples.
Not bad for £4.

mhoc · 22 September 2006 at 11:34AM

Some good ideas in there and I've added them to the shopping list. My gang are all teenagers. With a bit of nagging I can get them to eat a piece of fruit in the morning. Also if I get a bit of time I do a fruit salad which they can help themselves to for breakfast or puddings Time is very limited in the morning though.

Lunchtime they will only eat sandwiches for school and one wont have any said in his sandwich. Also it takes some encouragment to to get them to put their fruit in their packs. And to check that at the end of the day they have eaten it as well.

I also do trades offs. They want a snack in the evening, say they want to finish something off from the fridge, thye have to have a pices of fruit first!

Mary

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

5 a day? A doddle. Here are some ideas.

Day 1:
Breakfast: toast, fruit juice (not fruit juice drink as if it's full of other stuff it doesn't count.)
Lunch: egg salad sandwich, apple, dried apricots
Dinner: Chops, mash, peas and sweetcorn, plum pudding Total 7 portions.

Day 2:
Breakfast: cereal with raisins and chopped banana, juice
Lunch: cold meat and tomato sandwich, carrot sticks, pear
Dinner: chicken and mushroom curry with onion and baby sweetcorn Total 9 portions

Day 3:
Breakfast: Banana milk shake, slice of toast
Lunch: pitta with hummous, olives and grated carrot (hummous counts as 1) slice of melon
Dinner: sausage casserole with leek, carrot and turnip Total 8 portions

Day 4:
Breakfast: Cereal with dried cranberries, juice
Lunch: Cheese salad sandwich, banana,
Dinner: Pasta bake with onion, mushroom, courgette, pepper 7 portions

Day 5:
Breaksfast: Toast and beans, juice
Lunch: vegetable soup and bread
Dinner: fish and chips, hm mushy peas, rhubarb crumble at least 6 portions

You get the idea! Add a piece of fruit or a corn on the cob, or a bowl of salad for snacks and you can see it adding up very nicely!

thriftlady_2 · 22 September 2006 at 11:50AM

This month we have mostly been eating apples and plums

From the farmshop (our's is a fruit grower) I get at least 4 4lb bags of apples a week for 5 of us (£5 approx for 16 lb) plus a couple of punnets of plums and maybe pears. I also get citrus fruit later in the Autumn and things like pineapples if they're on special offer.We have apple and orange juice too, plus dried fruit and the odd tin of fruit.

I haven't watched Gillian McKeith for a while as I always want to throw things when she's on. Does anyone else think she looks ill ? What annoys me about her is the food she suggests the people on the prog eat is always expensive, out of season and from the other side of the world - avocados and mangos are nice but they are not the only healthy fruit/veg what about carrots and apples ? And all those different grains and seeds, what's wrong with oats and spuds. I think she gives the impression that you need a big wallet to eat healthily when you can do it simply and cheaply by looking at wartime recipes (when fruit was scarce btw so they ate lots of salads made out of raw veg), or menus such as Gingham's here :T

annie-c · 22 September 2006 at 11:58AM

thriftlady wrote:

I haven't watched Gillian McKeith for a while as I always want to throw things when she's on. Does anyone else think she looks ill ? :T

LOL Please can I confess, that I used to watch YAWYE only to scream with laughter at the ridiculous 'diet' that she puts her clients on.... but, having reformed my own diet, I actually have bought (second-hand) two of her recipe books and I really enjoy using them, even though I wouldn't want to McKeith' my entire diet.

To justify deviating from topic somewhat, can I mention on this thread that sprouted seeds are also an excellent addition to your fruit and veg intake. Since I discovered the joys of sprouting, I haven't since bought a single packet of miserable looking pasty beansprouts from the supermarket. Lovely for snacking and adding to strirfries (and to cheese toasties!) and really cheap as long as you buy the beans in reasonable sized packs (eg the supermarket or Asian foodmarket) rather than in tiny sachets from a health food shop!

MATH · 22 September 2006 at 12:02PM

For a family of five I bought this week:

2 economy bags of apples
2 economy bags of pears
2 large bunches of bananas
6 kiwi
2 large oranges
1 bunch of white grapes
1 punnet of strawberries
1 large bag of plums (free from a friend)
1 large bag of cooking apples (free from a friend)
2 tin of peaches (I prefer tinned ones)

1 huge bag of baking potatoes (will last 2 weeks)
4 leeks
2 heads of broccoli
1 head of cauliflower
1 economy bag of carrots
1 economy bag of onions
1 tin of sweetcorn (didn't want to cook it before making a cold pasta salad)
1 bag of frozen peas
2 lettuce
12 tomatoes
1 tray of cherry tomatoes
2 cucumber
3 bell peppers

Fruit and veg make a large chunk of my shopping bill. It is probably cheaper to eat processed junk than fresh fruit and veg and I can never afford organic.

In addition to all this the three kidz get free fruit for breaktime at school LOL. I'm convinced they must pee pure fruit juice LOL

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How much fruit

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