5 a day!

Citation

(2010), "5 a day!", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 40 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2010.01740dab.026

5 a day!

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 40, Issue 4.

While increasing fruit and vegetable consumption remains a national priority, a new international survey has revealed the extent to which people are not meeting government guidelines on diet and nutrition in the UK. Current recommendations are that everyone should eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day to reduce the risks of cancer, coronary heart disease and many other chronic diseases. The reality in the UK is that only 11 per cent believe they actually achieve their 5 a day in a week. The 2010 survey for Herbalife, revealed that 60 per cent claimed their job or lifestyle made it too difficult to eat their 5 a day, despite accepting the benefits of balanced nutrition, while only 24 per cent took nutritional supplements just in case.

While the most recent trends data suggest that women achieve more portions per day than men, this latest survey actually shows that women find it more difficult than men to include the recommended number of portions a day into their diet. Women are notoriously more prone to stress eating than men and are more likely to develop unhealthy habits such as snacking on high sugar, high-fat snacks when they juggle life or work long hours. More women than men blamed the expense of budgeting for 5 a day even though 93 per cent of all women respondents considered the associated health benefits to be important.