Fun and games with five-a-day

6:39pm Monday 7th July 2008

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Eating five portions of fruit and veg a day is a target most people should be able to meet.
With windows of fruitful opportunity throughout the day and the week, I've got into pretty good habits of packing in some of the vitamins, antioxidants and tongue-twisting goodness we are constantly told about via the media.
The compulsory office banana o’clock, which usually occurs between 10.30am and 11.30am, helps to increase my intake during work hours, and there is often a fruit run at some point during the week to stock up.
There was a rumour once going around the subs desk that bananas didn’t count as part of the five-a-day tally, but (thank Pomona, the Roman goddess of orchards) the culprit turned out to be potatoes, which fall into the starchy category.
Of course, some days the high five target goes all pear-shaped. Instead of fruit and veg, I’ve been known to substitute five cups of coffee to crunch through the deadlines, and on a lazy Sunday I can definitely switch to five naps instead. But it's nothing a smoothie and plate full of veg for dinner can't fix.
Many people use lack of funds as an excuse for not eating fresh produce, but it's easy, people. Buy whatever is on special and be creative. The two-for-one supermarket deals make my day, not just one bag of satsumas but another one — free! Of course, the grocery giants have probably just charged me double for the first bag, but it's an illusion I'm willing to be sucked into, provided I don't think too hard about it at the time.
It's a good way to try things you wouldn't normally eat, and it's a fun game — not only for children — to make the rule before you hit the aisles that you will buy from the bargain bins, whatever they hold. Obviously you could end up eating a grape, sweet potato and beetroot salad or something ridiculous for dinner, but insert your common sense in the process.
In the modern world of credit crunches, food mile protests and genetic engineering, eating healthy is still within our reach. So I don't mind if you adopt banana o'clock in your office and start copying my weird shopping habits, it will be good for you.
Five a day — easy peasy, lemon squeezy.