A Better Diet Made Easy!

Do you struggle to get a healthy amount of fruit and veg into your diet? Here’s how to do it

- Tanya Pearey

Don’t pander to your sweet tooth

Try to stick to lower-sugar fruit like blueberries and apples – but just one portion per sitting, says Judy Watson. ‘A small banana is OK as long as it’s not too ripe. The riper it is, the more sugar it will have.’

Grow your own sprouts

Tiny young broccoli sprouts make a great addition to salads, stir-fries and sandwich fillings, and are thought to contain at least 10 times the antioxidants of mature broccoli. ‘They’re one of the best sources of a plant chemical called glucosinolate. Your gut microbiome helps to convert this into sulforaphane – an antioxidant linked to a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease,’ says Dr Rossi.

Experiment with herbs

A single portion of fruit or veg is 80g, says Judy. ‘Aim for five of these, then at least five mini portions of herbs daily to add variety to your diet. For example, you’ll get eight different plant foods by adding parsley, oregano, mint and basil to a dressing for a salad of watercress, sliced oranges, beetroot and avocado.’

Crisp up your kale

Baking kale to make crisps helps you absorb more of its lutein and zeaxanthin – plant chemicals linked with better eye and skin health, says Dr Megan Rossi, aka the Gut Doctor, and author of Eat Yourself Healthy (£16.99, Penguin). ‘Destalk and chop 125g kale. Mix and coat with 1tsp each of tahini and garlic powder, 1tbsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Spread across two lined baking trays, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake at 160C/Gas 3 for 10-15 minutes.