An accident at home prompted Will Spencer, a 57-year-old former chef, to ring the changes in his diet. Spencer, from Spennymoor, County Durham, had a fall, and though he recovered well, the incident highlighted other issues with his health.
At the time, he weighed over 26st (165kg) and he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. His GP told him that unless he made radical changes to his diet, he would face serious health issues further down the line. It was then that he decided to boost the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables he and his family were eating.
“It was a big change, and very hard at first, going from eating lots of sugary snacks and chocolate, and having bowls of sweets in the house, to eating loads more fruit and vegetables in meals, and having fruit as a snack if I was hungry between meals,” says Spencer.
Now, he cooks far more vegetables in meals at home, and among his favourites are carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. “A triple-tier steamer is great in the kitchen for doing lots of vegetables with meals, and when it’s that easy, it gives you an incentive to eat more of them,” he says.
He has now lost five stone, has come off his diabetes medication and, if the improvements continue, his GP says his type 2 diabetes may go into remission.
“I feel so much better and I don’t get out of breath like I used to, so I can definitely feel the benefits,” says Will.
“As a former chef, I knew about the health benefits of fresh produce, but I hadn’t put it into practice in my own life and I paid the price with my diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.”
Like Spencer, most of us are used to hearing the mantra of making sure to get our “five a day” of fruit and vegetables – but most of us don’t know what this means in practical terms, or even what a portion of fruit and vegetables is. So perhaps it’s not surprising that a big survey shows that we actually eat less fresh fruit and vegetables today than in previous years, although we live surrounded by supermarkets selling a huge variety of fresh produce year-round, in a consumers’ cornucopia which would have amazed our grandparents.
A survey of 32,000 people in several European countries, including the UK, revealed that nearly half (46 per cent) of those aged 65 years or over do not know what a “standard adult portion” of fruit or vegetables looks like. It found that 60 per cent of Britons now eat less fresh fruit and vegetables than 10 years ago, preferring tinned, dried, or processed products, largely due to inflation and the cost of living crisis.
In addition, there are some stark regional differences. Nearly one in three Londoners (32 per cent) believe they eat the recommended five portions per day. But almost a fifth (18 per cent) of those living in the North East, one in five in Scotland and a quarter of those in the West Midlands say they achieve their five portions less than once a week. For those who regularly eat fresh produce, bananas and broccoli are Britons’ favourite fruit and vegetables.
As many as three-quarters of respondents in the international survey say they do not eat the recommended amount of fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, according to the report, from the global health and wellness company Juice Plus+.
The results show that part of the problem is that people are confused over how much they should be including in their diet and what makes up a “portion” of fruit and vegetables. The World Health Organisation’s definition is that a daily intake should be around 400 grams of fruits and vegetables in total per day to maintain or improve overall health. But in the UK, fewer than one in five people (18 per cent) correctly identified 80g to be the standard adult portion. And most people still don’t know what that looks like in terms of actual fruit or vegetables.
Five a day – what size is a portion?
The following each make a single portion of around 80g as part of your five a day:
A single banana, apple, orange or nectarine
Two plums, three apricots, and seven strawberries or cherries
Two spears of broccoli
Two heaped spoons of cooked spinach or kale
Three heaped spoons of cooked vegetable such as carrots, peas, sweetcorn, or eight cauliflower florets
A small bowl of salad
In the survey, when asked what they think the health implications are of not consuming enough fresh fruit and vegetables, four in 10 people correctly linked this with mineral deficiencies, showing that many people have an understanding of nutrition and the range of food they should be eating – they just find it hard to put into practice.
One key concern was money. Affordability of fresh produce was a key issue for most when discussing the lack of fruit and vegetables in their diet. In the UK, more than half (53 per cent) of households said they faced food insecurity, i.e. not having enough income to buy the food they needed. As a result, 60 per cent were eating less fresh produce and more canned or dried varieties, due to rising prices. The same trend was found in France, with 61 per cent of respondents opting for preserved alternatives over fresh produce, and in Germany where the figure was 56 per cent.
Significantly, around a third of those surveyed say they buy less fresh produce because “it doesn’t last long enough” so it ends up being thrown away. And in UK households, those in the 25-34 age bracket claim that 42 per cent of their household waste is fresh produce.
Many people also may not be aware that frozen fruit and vegetables – which last longer and often cost less – are usually just as nutritious as fresh ones, and in some cases more so, as freezing soon after picking helps preserve the nutrients.
Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, who studies consumer trends, says: “There is widespread uncertainty among the public about how many portions of fruit and vegetables are needed for a balanced diet, and even what makes a portion. Tackling the causes of this confusion is really important if we are to help people to eat more fruit and vegetables.”
One trend highlighted by the report surprised him: that avocado was loved pretty much evenly across all age groups, and not only by the Gen Z and millennial generations with their instagrammable smashed avocado toast. “Over the last 25 years, many food trends have often been driven by what TV chefs recommend. For example, TV chef Nigel Slater included a recipe for avocado bruschetta in a column in The Guardian in the late 90s, which resurrected it as a desirable food,” he says.
For Will Spencer, meanwhile, his new habits have also rubbed off on his family. His two daughters, aged 19 and 17, have learned more about the importance of fresh fruit and vegetables, which will all be useful in their student lives and help protect their health as they get older. Spencer has shown them eating five a day need not cost much effort. “I’ve told them sweetcorn and peas are an easy one if you’re being a bit lazy when you’re cooking as a student.”
