How to Fit Five-a-Day into even the Busiest Schedule

BODY COPY

If our lives were spent lounging around, nibbling at a little bit of fruit here, taking the time to cook a vegetable-laden meal there, then getting our five-a-day would be easy. However, for many of us, between working late, travelling often and looking after the kids, there’s very little time left to make sure we’re eating enough fruit and veg.

But the good news is, by making a few easy changes and planning ahead, it is possible to maintain our busy lifestyles while still getting the essential vitamins and nutrients we need. Changing your diet for the better is simply a case of acquiring a new habit. We develop new bad habits all the time, so surely a good habit here or there shouldn’t be too tricky!

Here are our tips to make sure you hit your five-a-day, whatever you’re up to…

At breakfast

?Breakfast is the most rushed meal of the day. Most people just about have the time to grab a piece of toast before they’re out the door and off to work. Hitting your five-a-day needn’t eat into your time. Simply slice some fruit over your cereal, grab a banana to eat on the move or add some grilled mushrooms or tomatoes to your scrambled eggs.

At snack time

At work it is tempting to grab the closest thing, which is usually one of the many cakes or biscuits that are being passed around. You can still enjoy the occasional indulgence, but you should also do your best to balance snack time with healthy nibbles, such as apples, satsumas or even celery sticks. Research from London office fruit supplier Fruitful Office has found that snacking on fruit during the working day is not only healthier, but it can also improve your productivity by as much as 10 percent. View the case study here. 

At lunch

Lunch is probably the easiest meal to make a few small changes to and hit your five-a-day. Can you add some extra salad to your sandwich or baguette? Why not have a piece of fruit to finish, or some fresh, unsweetened 100 percent fruit juice to wash it down with?

At the takeaway

Takeaways are often cheap, convenient and extremely satisfying in the way only a pepperoni pizza or a lamb madras can be, but unfortunately, many takeaways are a nutritional wasteland. When ordering a takeaway, think about how you can add a portion of vegetables to your order. Simply asking for extra mushrooms on your pizza could be enough, or ordering a vegetable side dish with your lamb madras.

As well as being devoid of fruit and veg, takeaways can also be extremely high in fat, salt and calories. Here is a guide from the NHS about how you can make your favourite takeaway more healthy. 

How do you make sure you hit the magic five-a-day? By making that question part of your daily routine you’ll soon be able to hit your target.

Do you have any tips for getting your five-a-day? Please share your thoughts with our readers in the comments section below.