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An apple a day really can keep the doctor away

5 June 2003

As with many old wives' tales it seems there is more than a grain of truth in the old adage "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". All you have to do is make sure that the apple is included as one of the five portions of fruit and vegetables you eat each day.

'Five-a-day' - a new health campaign introduced by the Department of Health - aims to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables. Increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of many chronic conditions such as heart disease and some cancers including bowel cancer. Other health benefits attributed to eating 'five-a-day' are reducing the symptoms of asthma, improving bowel functions and delaying the development of cataracts.

As well as direct health benefits, eating fruit and vegetables can help achieve other dietary goals including vitamin and fibre intake, reducing fat intake and helping to maintain a healthy weight. Fruit and vegetables are also a perfect substitute for foods with added sugars which contribute to health issues such as tooth decay - so you can keep the doctor and the dentist away!

Annabel Bentley, Bupa assistant medical director, has this advice: "As one of the leading independent health and care providers in the country, Bupa is pleased to support this campaign. A balanced diet is one of the best ways to maintain good health and help prevent the onset of some serious diseases. Eating well need not be expensive or complicated and this new campaign is geared to leading people towards the right things to eat".

"Most people are aware of the 'five a day' concept, but despite the nutritional importance of eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, many of us still take too relaxed an approach to achieving it. A surprising amount of foods qualify to help you achieve this daily goal - both raw and cooked. To gain the most benefit from your 'five-a-day' quota make sure you eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables, their different colours provide a variety of phytochemicals and anti-oxidants which may help reduce the threat of heart disease, stroke and cancers."

To inspire you to change your habits and include more fruit and vegetables in your diet, Chef Peter McGurk from Bupa Wellesley Hospital has put together a 3-course meal of taste sensations. Peter's suggested menus are attached. "It is really easy to prepare wholesome, healthy food and by making use of the produce that is in season in the UK, it can also be an accessible and cost effective way of cooking," says Peter.

So how do you know if you are eating enough fruit and vegetables? Studies show that only one in seven of us eat the recommended quantity of "greens" on a regular basis.1 And while you might know that you should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, you are much less likely to know exactly what a portion is.

The Department of Health's five-a-day campaign helps clarify what constitutes a portion with a new labelling system on products, while processed foods with added salt, sugar or fat will not qualify for the label.2

If your fruit and vegetables are unlabelled, you'll know they count as a portion if they weigh about 80g. See our guide below for more detailed information on how this translates to individual fruit and vegetables - you'll see that with dried fruit, the weight is lower because the nutrients are more condensed.

Portion guide

One portion of fruit or vegetables is the same as:

• Between two and three tablespoons of fruit salad or stewed fruit (fresh, frozen or canned in juice)
• Between ½ and 1 tablespoon of dried fruit (for instance dried apricots, dried pineapple rings, raisins)
• Between two and three tablespoons of vegetables (cooked, frozen, raw or canned all count)
• A dessert bowl of salad
• A handful of grapes, cherries or berries (such as blackberries or gooseberries)
• A glass of fruit juice (150ml). However much fruit juice you drink, you can only count it as a maximum of one portion per day
• Two tablespoons of beans and pulses (i.e. lentils, kidney beans.) However much you eat, you can only count these as a maximum of one portion per day
• One apple, orange, banana, pear or other medium-sized fruit
• Two plums, small nectarines or other small-sized fruit
• ½ grapefruit or avocado
• One slice of a large fruit, for instance melon or pineapple3

Give me five - Chef's menu

Peter McGurk - Head Chef, Bupa Wellesley Hospital

Menu will serve six

Starter - Layered Mediterranean vegetable and couscous

• 2 red peppers
• 100g couscous
• 2 yellow peppers
• Half a lemon
• 8 asparagus spears
• Granary bread
• 1 aubergine
• 1 red onion
• 2 courgettes
• rocket salad
• 2 mozzarella balls

How to prepare the dish:

1. Cook couscous with juice of half a lemon, salt and a pinch of sugar.
2. Steam asparagus leaving some bite in the texture.
3. Slice remaining vegetables and place on a tray brushed with olive oil and season. Then place tray under a hot grill for 4-5 minutes.
4. Using a round mould build up the vegetables on top of the couscous. Top with mozzarella.
5. Place under the hot grill until the mozzarella starts to brown.
6. Serve with rocket leaves, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toasted granary bread.

Main course - Easy Cassoulet and wholemeal crust

• 2 chopped onions
• 1x400g chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ¼ pint chicken stock
• Desert spoon of chopped thyme
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• Tablespoon of chopped parsley
• 600g mixed beans (kidney, cannelloni, borlotti, haricot)
• 2 diced lean bacon rashers
• Handful of baby spinach leaves
• 2 chicken supreme fillets in ½ inch dices with no skin
• 3oz fresh wholemeal bread crumbs
• 6oz pork tenderloin in ½ inch dices
• Seasoning

How to prepare the dish:

1. Heat some olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish and brown bacon, chicken and pork. Remove and drain.
2. In the dish fry onions and garlic, adding the herbs, tomato puree, tomatoes and beans. Bring back to boil and season to taste.
3. Stir in all the meat and baby spinach. Top with the breadcrumbs.
4. Put casserole in a pre-heated oven (160-gas mark 4) uncovered for 30 minutes until the top is brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Dessert - Summer Pudding

• 8 thin slices of wholemeal bread
• 100ml water
• 1lb 12oz of summer fruits (strawberries, red currants, raspberries, blackcurrants, blueberries)
• Crème fraiche to serve
• 5oz of castor sugar
• Mint leaves

How to prepare the dish:

1. Remove crusts of bread and line a 2 pint pudding bowl.
2. Put sugar and water in a pan and desolve over a heat. Then add red currants, blackcurrants and blueberries and heat until the fruit is just turning soft to touch.
3. Take off heat and stir in raspberries and a quarter of the strawberries.
4. Fill the mould leaving half the juice and cover with slices of bread. Compress with a saucer and weight and refrigerate overnight.
5. When ready to serve turn out onto a dish and spoon over the remaining juice to give the pudding an even colour.
6. Serve with crème fraiche and mint leaves.

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