I have to say I have been more than a little persuaded by Zoe Harcombe’s feature in today’s Daily Mail that claims we have all been duped with the cynical 5 or more a day myth!
She claims that the truth is that fruit and veg are pretty useless nutritionally when compared to other food groups.
So how have we been duped for so long? You might imagine that the 5 a day fixation is based on firm evidence but not so. It started as a marketing campaign that was dreamt up by fruit and vegetable companies and has proved remarkably successful.
You can read about it all in the Daily Mail today, but to cut to the quick, Harcombe says we would be better off with 5 other foodstuffs that deliver nutrition. These are:
LIVER good for all vitamins and packed with minerals.
SARDINES for vitamin D and calcium.
EGGS all round super foods with vitamins A, B, D, E, K, iron, zinc, calcium and more.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS for magnesium, vitamin E and zinc.
DARK GREEN VEGETABLES such as broccoli and spinach for vitamins C, K and iron.
AND THEN ADD…
MILK for calcium and vitamins A and D.
PORRIDGE OATS for magnesium, zinc and B vitamins.
COCOA POWDER for magnesium and iron.
Follow the above and hey presto, you’re provided with the full quota of every vitamin and mineral our bodies need.
I shall continue to take my muti-vitamin and calcium supplement after my gastric bypass surgery, but boost my levels with some bariatric favourites like sardines on toast, my chocolate and pear brownies, cheesy broccoli soup and raspberry and oatmeal sundaes (all in the recipes archive on this site) but also refer to my cookbook ‘Return to Slender’ for brunch-style Spanish omelette; cod parcels with toasted seeds and vine tomatoes; chicken with oat, sage and apricot stuffing, vanilla egg custards and oaty baked raspberry cheesecake…seems like I might have been getting it right all along!
Image courtesy of Fish4Ever www.fish-4-ever.com
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Elaine Williams says
Thank you for this blog. I have long worried about my failure to keep up with the 5-a-day food rule. Since having surgery I have struggled to feed my body with the nutrients I know it needs. Reading your blog has eased my guilt! Thanks again xx
Katrina Deed says
This is fascinating reading and I will have to google the Daily Mail to see if I can read this article. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes Carol, I hope I can purchase your book here in New Zealand or if not I guess I can through Amazon.
Carol says
Thanks so much Katrina, I am hoping to look at more health advice this coming month so look out for the blogs (and of course new recipes!). You can buy the book from this website using Paypal but remember to add the ‘rest of the world’ postage and packing option. We send out same day so you won’t have to wait too long. If you prefer amazon then scroll down to the marketplace option from Bariatric Cookery (UK) Ltd or they will tell you it is out of stock (it isn’t, they just don’t stock it themselves at the moment!). So good to make contact with you…keep in touch! Carol