The same applies to food. Why risk damaging your body by eating the wrong foods?

The second biggest cause of cancer, after smoking, is an unhealthy and unbalanced diet. A nutritious diet could reduce your risk of developing cancer by a third. This can all sound a bit heavy and defeating, but it is soooooo….. simple and so easy.

Making fruit and vegetables part of a balanced diet will provide us with vitamins, minerals and fibre - all-important ingredients for eating well and keeping us healthy.

Maybe because the Government has stuck their proverbial finger into this particular pie makes the subject an immediate turn-off for some people.

So ignoring the Civil Servants, and putting it very simply - if you are eating well with at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, this will help protect against coronary heart disease and certain cancers.

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What doesn't count?

* Potatoes, including chips and crisps.
* Orange squash or fruit drinks.
* Jams and marmalade.
* Fruit cake.
* Tomato ketchup.
* Fruit flavoured yogurts.

What does count?

It's not just fresh fruit and vegetables that help towards five portions a day – these are also included.

* One glass of fruit juice.
* Frozen fruit and vegetables.
* Tinned fruit and vegetables.
* Dried fruit and vegetables.

One portion is equivalent to about 3 ounces (80 grams) or a heaped handful. It should be easy to picture the amount needed for one portion whether preparing food for a child or an adult. Some examples are shown below.

Children under five years old should also eat 5 A Day but in smaller quantities than adults. They should be introduced to a wide variety of fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables. Hopefully they will develop a life long love of these foods, which will protect their health in the future. Just click Tip. 1 The following will give an idea of some of the foods to choose as one of your Five-A-Day items.

1 medium apple
1 medium pear
2 medium plums
2 halves of canned peaches
1 handful of grapes
1 medium banana
7 strawberries
3 whole dried apricots
7 cherry tomatoes
1 cereal bowl of salad
3 tablespoons cooked kidney beans
3 heaped tablespoons of peas
12 chunks of canned pineapple
2 satsumas
1 cereal bowl of salad
3 tablespoons carrots
2 broccoli florets
3 heaped tablespoons of sweetcorn
1 tablespoon of raisins

As you can see – just a case of mixing and matching, good judgment and common sense. Also, you will be able to think of many more items you would like to eat that suit your particular taste.

Don't forget such standard green vegetables, including cabbage, beans, brussels etc.

How can I keep to my budget? Easy - don’t waste your money on junk food and ciggys.

It doesn't need to cost you more eating well fruit and vegetables - just try and stick to these that are in season. For a cheaper buy, choose produce in season and look out for special offers in the local markets and shops. Often, because everything is now 'date' coded in supermarkets, fruit and vegetables are often marked down in price just for this reason. They are still perfectly OK to eat. Morrisons are known for this.

Think about growing your own, see our gardening diary such as tomatoes in a grow-bag or carrots in a tub. Swap the extra produce with friends and neighbours.

Right! I now know eating well means keeping healthy - How can I eat more fruit and vegetables?

No problem. If you are a porridge fan add a handful of sultanas to the mix before cooking, then prior to serving, slice an apple over the top of the porridge. This way you have accounted for two of your minimum of five servings and your day has only just started. If you prefer packaged cereals, choose the low sugar and low salt varieties and add fruit as a topping.

Grapefruit is good when topped with sugar and popped under the grill for a couple of minutes.

Have a banana or some dried dates for your mid-morning snack. Dates are particularly good for a quick energy boost as well as keeping your tummy/bowel working.

Lunch could either be a tuna sandwich with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, coleslaw, or our Pick and Mix salad, and homemade Cheats Risotto with tuna and beetroot.

Evening meal is easy. If you are having a pizza, add some extra chopped peppers, mushrooms or courgettes. If you are serving a cheese omelette, or fish, or meat, just add carrots and broccoli Then, in the winter there is always that famous standby – vegetable soup, which was surely designed for the five a day diet. You can add extra vegetables to almost any soup. Be careful not to incorporate too many tinned soups in your diet as these are usually heavy on salt content which is definitely not eating well.

Use tinned sweet corn as a quick and easy way of adding additional vegetables to both salads and cooked meals. Tomatoes are another colourful addition to any meal.

Sweet course is again easy. Fresh fruit with some sinful ice cream, custard or yogurt. Alternatively, if you have been batch cooking you may have a supply of stewed apples and sultanas in the freezer.

Keep a fresh bowl of fruit where the family can see it. This is easier than searching out the biscuit tin, which could always miraculously be low on supply! Great on eating well!

Try the following to encourage children to eat their five fruit & vegetables a day:

* Make vegetables interesting by threading them onto a skewer and grill or BBQ them to make vegetable kebabs. (Hot tip - sprinkle fruit kebabs with brown sugar to caramelise and make them more tempting):
A tip here - put a sheet of kitchen foil in the grill pan to catch any drips from the vegetables and fruit that are being grilled
* Make desserts fun by getting the kids to make their own banana boats, fruit sundaes, and Knickerbocker glories;
* Let them make their own bread pizza and get them to add cooked onions, tomatoes and chargrilled peppers and mushrooms and a cheese topping
* If they don't like the look of vegetables, try pureeing vegetable soups so they can't recognise the lumpy bits!
* Serve up veggie burgers in buns with a slice of tomato, gherkins and cheese.
* Add fruit and bananas to ice cream and whiz in the liquidiser to make fruit smoothies.
* Chop vegetables into interesting shapes and use them for vegetable and pulse based dips such as tomato salsa, houmous and guacamole.
* If you can involve the children in preparing their own food and guiding them towards fruit and veg, because they have prepared it themselves they are more likely to eat it, and of course, be eating well.

Remember any meals made up with tinned vegetables and tinned tomatoes are also counted as portions of vegetables. Try adding onions, mushrooms, carrots etc. to Bolognaise sauce, cottage pies, casseroles and home made pizzas. All part of the 'eating well' campaign.

Save Money - Get the Most from Fruit and Vegetables

To get the most out of your fruit and vegetables that you choose and how you store them is important. Overcooking also greatly reduces the nutritional content and wastes fuel.

Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged. Where possible store in a cool dark place and then ripen at room temperature. In the ‘fridge.

Choose a packet of frozen vegetables where the produce doesn't feel stuck together - it has probably been defrosted already and this will reduce the vitamin and mineral content. Store in a freezer at below -18°C; check the packet to see how long it can be kept. This is a safeguard guide for the manufacturers – but remember Scott of the Antarctic – his food kept remarkably well for a very long period!

Choose tins that are free from dents or rust. Store in a dry cool cupboard. Once opened, empty any unused contents into an airtight container and store in the ‘fridge. Eat within two days.

Choose packaging that is not damaged. Store out of direct sunlight in an airtight container.

Follow all the tips here and you will soon be eating well!

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