Cheapest Way to Five a Day.

tru

Ladyhawk wrote: »

Why don't you try a chopped banana or strawberries (when they come into season next month) or a handful of chopped acricots on top of your flakes?

Don't laugh, but I don't like my food mixed Unless it's lasagne or spag bol :drool: Cornflakes for breakfast then a couple of hours later, a couple of fruits.

I'll have cottage pie made with just mince, onions and potato, then put the peas, carrots and sweetcorn on the plate. If someone makes it all in together then I'll eat it but I prefer it separate. Like army food

Fab info, Maltesers :T

zippychick

Hi all,

Can I please ask everyone to keep this thread on topic. The op has asked for help with eating their 5 a day with a limited income/budget. If anyone wants to discuss government guidelines on fruit and vegetables, the place to do it is the Discussion Time board. So I would appreciate it if we could stay on topic,and help the OP with her query .

Thanks
Zip

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: While it’s easy to wander off-topic that often prevents newbies finding the information they want quickly and easily (please see this rule). Please keep this thread on topic. If you’d like to discuss non-MoneySaving related topics please continue your discussion in The MoneySavers Arms or Discussion Time. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="%20abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

lilian1977

How about thinking of it not as 5 portions of F&V a day but 5 portions of things that constitute it? So for example:

1. Glass of orange juice
2. Heaped tablespoon of sultanas in your cereal/porridge or as a snack (you can get a value bag in Tesco for 65p)
3. 3 heaped tablespoons of baked beans with a jacket potato (the potato doesn't count)
4. A banana as a snack or sliced with some yoghurt
5. 3 heaped tablespoons in total of peas, sweetcorn and carrots with your main meal (frozen is great!)

I reckon you could do this for two of you for £1 a day.

mlz1413

samhuzz wrote: »

Is there anyone else on here that struggles to get even 1 a day like me? Don't like any fruit and don't like boiled veg except potatoes. Only veg I eat is salad.

I used to be like you only veg I would touch was peas and apart from the odd apple or banana per year not much into fruit. But then I started to try things mainly because eating with friends (in house or out) means you can't say too often 'oh no not that for me thanks'

If your prepared to try stuff now your in control of your diet (ie rather than you mum boiling the stuffing out of everything) just try 1 of something, so say buy 1 courgette try it raw, then fry 2 or 3 rings of it, then steam the last bit.

I like a most stuff now but can only eats carrots raw and I've tried them in many different guises, friends always say 'you'll like them the way I do them' which I now know I don't! not boiled, roasted, mircowaved, in stews, mixed with parsnip, in stirfry or steamed the texture changes entirely when cooked - but this now means I like coleslaw and that's 3 of your 5 a day!

rachbc

Now I just don't get this...meat is way way more expensive than fruit and veg so its actualy cheaper to bulk out with veg than eat meat. Obviously if you have a taste for exotic fruits then yes they are expensive but if you eat seasonal/ local then generally it can be done reasonably. markets are great, aldi and lidl have great deals and even asda seem to be in on the trick with 27p veg when I was in there at the weekend.

For example today I'm doing a stir fry with 300g pork and 3 portions of veg each in - carrots and onions are cheap and cheerful, brocolli and there was a glut of cheap peppers at the market today so a green and a red. I had a pear as a snack and a handful of raisins on my cereal.

attentionseeker1

Wow I can't believe there are so many replies on this!

I am very good at stretching meat rachb but sadly it is often stretched with carbs which is no good- or lentils of course, which I have just discovered counts as veg so I am pleased about that at least! :j
Also pleased to be reminded by Almo that onions count as we cook mostly Asian/Oriental food so lots of onions used!!

Pay day is Thurs so I think I am going to set myself a F&V target for this month. Restrictions will be the budget as already mentioned, and also time as we both work FT so not much time to sort brekkie/lunch although we always take time to cook a HM dinner in the eve when we get back.

I think I will aim for the following:

- 1 glass of juice each a day on way out (30daysx250mlx2people= 15litres juice!)
- 1 piece of fruit at work (22 days x 2people= 44 medium pieces fruit)
- 1 portion dried fruit at work (for me, OH wouldn't touch with a bargepole- not sure on quantities for 1 month)
- 2-3 portions veg (poss including a pulse, always incl sth green) for dinner each day, extra at weekends (30 days x 3 portions x 2 people= 180 portions veg)

I can see that at the beginning of the month this will be easy and we will prob exceed 5 a day as we do love veg and buy a lot in when paid. The problem will be when the funds start to run low...

BitterAndTwisted

That's when you hit the freezer. Frozen veg is often cheaper than fresh, depending on season

rachbc

attentionseeker1 wrote: »

- 1 glass of juice each a day on way out (30daysx250mlx2people= 15litres juice!)


.

A portion is only 150ml - so 9l in all (just saved you 5.40!)

chumbasmum

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/simply-eating-your-five-a-day-will-unotu-protect-you-against-cancer-1937600.html

I think that this sort of info is really interesting. All this food information is doing nothing but making me obsessed about trying to be healthy.

I heard the other day that there is no link between fat intake and heart disease. It was told by my optician. 30,000 heart disease sufferers in S wales had their diet looked at and they found no evidence of any link!

I think to eat a bit less, get off my bum more, walk more and food eaten should be cooked from home. I am sure that would probably do the trick oh... and make sure that I had good genes... could be more difficult.

Has anyone heard of being genetically tested for a cancer gene? Apparently there is a test and if you have a positive result people will be offered a free MRI every 5 years. Is this rubbish information or true to people with cancer family history?

brighthair

I am rubbish at eating veg with my main meal, until Mum pointed out I didn't have to eat it on the side, why not mix it in with my meal?
So if I make cottage pie - I add onion, carrot, frozen peas, tinned tomatoes and sweetcorn. Then top it with mashed potato mixed with swede and carrot
Casseoles you can add pretty much anything - I hate celery but I like it when I don't know it's there!
Tomato and veg soup - I think the record I hit in that was 8 veg - tomatoes, celery, onion, leeks, carrots, mushrooms, sweetcorn, peppers