For years we’ve been told that to avoid certain illnesses we should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.

But where did this figure come from, and what exactly does it mean?

Does it include a few olives on top of a takeaway pizza? Or a handful of mushy peas served up with some fish and chips? And what about that tin of pineapple rings in syrup?

Experts now say that five is the minimum we should be consuming. In fact, to really safeguard our health we should be eating nine portions a day. And it’s important that we get the right mix of varieties of fruit and vegetables as each contain a unique set of different vitamins and minerals.

 

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