Reduce your risk - Eat fruit and veg

If you’ve not heard about getting your ‘5 a day’ by now, you must have been living under a rock! Research suggests that there are significant health benefits to eating at least 5 portions of fruit and veg every day.

Make sure you know what counts towards your 5 a day, and how much of it you need to eat. (Even fruit and veg in your takeaway count, but sadly that’s not an excuse to eat more takeaways!) Why not look out for veg you’ve not tried before to add a twist to your normal Sunday roast?

Make the most of what’s in season to mix things up. Winter? Warm up with hearty, veg-filled stews and soups. Summer? Delicious, vibrant salads (or fruit salads) all the way!

Are you really bad at eating enough fruit and veg right now? If you are, don’t try and force yourself to go from eating none to eating five portions a day overnight. Make changes slowly – try eating one extra portion a day to start with. Check out the British Heart Foundation’s article on 20 easy ways to get your 5-a-day for ideas of how to slip some extra goodness into your diet.

Why not use a food diary to keep track of how you’re doing? If there are certain days where you get less fruit and veg, think of crafty ways to get them in there.

If you’re eating a meal you’ve not prepared yourself, look for healthy changes you can make. Grabbing a meal deal at lunch time? Choose a fruit pot instead of crisps. Eating out? Order a side salad instead of chips.

Fruit and veg is a great source of fibre. Having a diet low in fibre can increase your risk of developing 6 different types of cancer (mouth, upper throat, larynx, lung, stomach, and bowel). As well as getting more fruit and veg, try swapping to wholegrain breads and pastas, or using brown rice. You soon get used to the slightly different taste!