Quote of the Day

"Does hot chocolate count towards my 5 a day?"

Hannah, aged 11

Hannah could never be described as a lover of fruit and vegetables, not uncommon with other kids.  Besides, I think she's following in my own footsteps as I have memories from childhood where I'd have a game of wits with my parents about how much cabbage I'd get by with for Sunday lunch.  Of course I'd always loose.

Nowadays I have a different taste and really do enjoy a wide variety, especially fruit.  Sometimes I eat 10 portions a day quite easily; I have to to keep my digestion moving.  Often for breakfast, I'll have a large Innocent Smoothie (counts as two portions) and then other fruit with my cereal - normally two from the fruit basket.  You might like to click here to see a Cyclist's breakfast).  It's really nice having a wide variety and I do enjoy shopping for these and also of course are the clear health benefits.

The contents vary but typically include:

Melon (Gala, Water Melon or Cantilupe)

Pear

Banana

Kiwi

Orange

Plums

Nectarines

Peaches

Blueberries

Etc.

The goodness in these is extraordinary: all those vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals - all wonderful health giving properties and helpful in strengthening our immune system to guard against cancers and other diseases.  For my working lunch, often it needs to be suitable for eating on-the-go as eating in between meetings is the only option, so one-handed car-friendly packed lunches are the order of the day.  I always pack a small plastic box with a couple of prunes, figs and a handful of nuts.  These could be Brazil, Almond, Walnut etc.  As I said, just a small handful to go along with maybe an apple or banana.  

I'll blog again soon about WHY these foods are so important for me in trying to stay in good shape.  In the meantime, I think we'll have to work on our lovely Hannah in coaxing her to enjoy some of these wonderful foods!