We know by now that the minimum intake of fruit and vegetables we need each day is five, so why do we find it so hard to get the basic requirements into our diet?

Here in Northern Ireland, we lag behind the rest of the UK and Ireland, with 82% of adults and 96% of teenagers not reaching the 5 a day target.

Come on NI, we can do better than that!

 

Plant foods like fruit and vegetables form the foundation of any healthy diet. If you struggle to get your 5 a day, here are a few ideas that you might find useful:

 

•   Start as you mean to go on. Chop a banana onto your cereal, add some berries to yoghurt or slice a tomato and have on toast for breakfast.

•   Soups or salads at lunchtime are a great way to increase your intake of vegetables.

•   There are lots of creative new ways to eat veggies – try spiralised courgette, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato wedges for something different with dinner.

•   Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as the fresh stuff, so keep your freezer stoked with the basics like frozen peas, spinach and broad beans.

•   Carrot sticks with houmous is a tasty snack and an ideal way to up your veggie intake.

Are you in control of your sugar cravings, or is your urge for sugar so strong you’d do anything for the next chocolate fix?

 

Too much sugar will leave you feeling fat, flat and fed up!  It can affect your mood, waistline and energy levels.

 

Here are my top 10 tips to help you reduce your sugar intake…

 

1.    Instead of cutting sugar out of your diet completely, start by reducing your intake.

2.    Keep a food diary for a week to find out when you are eating sugar, and how much.

3.    Check food labels for a maximum sugar content of 12g per 100g.

4.    Try swapping biscuits for oatcakes and sugar-free nut butter.

5.    Swap sweets for fresh fruit, or trail mix.

6.    Swap sugary drinks for pure, fresh, clean water.

7.    Fruit juice contains as much sugar as fizzy drinks, so eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.

8.    Check the sugar content of your breakfast cereal. Low sugar options like Weetabix, Shredded wheat or porridge are ideal.

9.    You can calculate the amount in your favourite snack simply by dividing the total grams of sugar in one portion by 4, to see how many teaspoonfuls it contains.

10. Allow yourself an occasional treat once or twice a week, but instead of munching mindlessly, sit down and enjoy every mouthful.

Most of us know we need to drink 6 to 8 glasses of pure, fresh, clean water every day, but not many of us drink that much.

If you are not a water drinker, here are a few easy ways you can up your intake.

1.    Start your day with a mug of hot water and a slice of lemon to hydrate you first thing.

2.    Set a bottle of water on your desk and sip it throughout your working day.

3.    Swap one or two cups of tea or coffee for herbal teas. Try peppermint or lemon and ginger for change.

4.    Drink a glass of water as you wait for the kettle to boil for your tea or coffee.

5.    Flavour your water with fresh orange slices, some strawberries or mint for a refreshing change.

Don’t set your challenge too high. Just a couple of extra glasses of water every day will help to hydrate you. Increase your intake gradually and before you know it, drinking water will be a healthy daily habit.