5-a-day for babies
Fruit & vegetables are a staple during the first stages of weaning, but many parents don’t know how much they should feed their baby, once weaning is established. Here we answer your questions on feeding your little one 5 portions of fruit & veg a day.
Why do we need 5-a-day?
- Fruit & vegetables are part of a balanced diet and keep us healthy
- Fruit & vegetables are a good source of vitamin and minerals, including potassium, vitamin C and folate.
- Fruit & vegetables are a good source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation.
- A diet including plenty of fruit & vegetables helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
- They taste great and there is a wide variety to choose from
The type of food offered in infancy can predict foods that will still be in their diet when they are older, so including 5 different portions of fruit & vegetables in your baby’s daily diet will help them to learn to love a wide variety.
What is one portion for a baby?
5-a-day advice for adults is based upon the World Health Organisation guidance which recommends eating at least 400g of fruit & vegetables a day.
This makes the recommended size for one portion of fruit or veg for an adult approximately 80g. As there are not yet any formal recommendations for baby or toddler portion sizes our nutritionist suggests using the following as a guide:
- At stage 1 (around 6 months) one portion is equal to 30g
- At stage 2 (from 7 months) one portion is equal to 35g
- At stage 3 (from 10 months) one portion is equal to 40g
The toddler portion sizes are based on guidelines issued by the Caroline Walker Trust and the younger portion sizes have been scaled down from these.
One portion of fruit juice is 60ml for stage 1, 70ml for stage 2 and 75ml for stage 3. Juice can only count as one portion per day, no matter how much is drunk.
Have a look at Helen's advice on portion sizes in her video below.
5-a-day must come from a variety of different fruits and vegetables. Eating 3 apples does not equal 3 portions, as each type of fruit or vegetable contains different nutrients.
What fruit & veg counts towards 5-a-day?
All fruits - fresh, frozen or tinned (in natural juice or water, with no added sugar). Dried fruit counts as one portion per day, but no more.
All vegetables - fresh, frozen or tinned (in natural juice or water, with no added salt or sugar) except potatoes, cassava, yams or plaintain as they mostly contribute to starch in the diet.
Fruit and vegetable juice - No matter how much you drink, juice can only contribute to 1 portion of 5-a-day. This is because it doesn’t contain the edible fruit pulp. Smoothies can count as a maximum of 2 portions a day, as long as they contain 2 different portions of fruits or vegetables.
Beans & other pulses also contribute to 1 portion per day, but no more, as they do not contain as many vitamins and minerals as other vegetables.
Tips on how to reach 5-a-day
Here are some handy tips to ensure your little one gets their 5-a-day:
- Add pureed, mashed or chopped fruit to breakfast cereal
- Offer chopped pieces of soft fruit or vegetable sticks with homemade dips for a snack
- Make tasty desserts by mixing pureed, mashed or chopped fruit with natural yogurt, their favourite fromage frais (with no added sugar) or baby rice.
- For a quick and easy meal, most HiPP jars and desserts contain a portion of fruit or veg. Our NEW fruit pouches contain up to 2 of a baby’s 5-a-day fruit portions. Take a look at our foods pages for the options
A variety of fruits and vegetables need to be offered every day. Foods with the same colour contain similar nutrients so by eating a rainbow of colours it will ensure that your little one gets all the important nutrients they need.
To help you meet your 5-a-day you can
download our handy chart and keep a 5-a-day diary all week for you, your baby or the whole family.
Our products
Each fruit or vegetable-containing HiPP product now tells you how many portions it contains, making it easier for you to give your little one the very best. You’ll find this on the back of pack in the heart bullet points.
5-a-day on a budget
If you need to work to a budget, don’t worry! Swapping ready meals and salty snacks for more fruit & veg can improve not only long term health but also your bank balance! Just follow these handy tips:
- Buy loose fruit and veg, rather than packeted which is often more expensive. You can then also buy the amount of you need, and avoid waste.
- Reduce your carbon footprint and support British farmers by eating seasonally. When certain fruits & veg are in season they will be cheaper
- Look out for supermarket deals on fruit & veg
- Fruit & veg are often cheaper at your local market
- Rather than throw away fruit and veg that are over-ripe, use them in cooking. Use veg in purees, stews or casseroles and whiz fruit up into a tasty smoothie or make milk more exciting by whizzing it up with some fresh fruit
- Make quick meals from scratch for the whole family using canned tomatoes with herbs or spices as a basis for main meals, instead of using expensive pre-prepared sauces, which are often high in salt and sugar.
- Frozen veg counts towards 5-a-day and is often cheaper than fresh.
- Cook in bulk and freeze dishes to use at a later date
For more tips on 5-a-day take a look at the
NHS choices website.