Britain leads the world in five-a-day health challenge
BRITAIN has topped league tables across the Western world for getting its “five a day”, according to a new report.
Only one in three of us hit the target, but that is more than twice the average across Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations examined. Food experts said the figures showed Britain was a nation of closet vegetable lovers.
The OECD report shows that Britain and Ireland share the position at the top of the table – far ahead of countries like Greece, Spain and Italy, the homes of the “Mediterranean diet”. While 33 per cent of adults in Britain consume five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day, in Greece the figure is just 12 per cent. Spain and Italy both fared worse on 11 per cent.
Across the 30 Western nations compared, the average figure was 15 per cent – less than half the figure achieved in the UK. France – not renowned for its love of vegetables – fared better than many countries in southern Europe, with a figure of 20 per cent.
The report said diets low in fruit, vegetables and legumes caused around 2.7 million deaths around the world annually. A portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g and the five-a-day recommendation is based on advice from the World Health Organisation.
The campaign encouraging Britons to eat five a day was launched in 2003. Rob Percival, the head of food policy at the Soil Association, said: “We Brits are a nation of closet veggie chompers. This may be the first time the UK has topped a European league table for the right reasons.”
Anna Daniels, a registered dietitian and spokesman for the British Dietetic Association, said: “It is very encouraging that the UK and Ireland are leading in consumption of fruits and vegetables with one in three achieving the five-aday target. “However, there is certainly room for improvement,” she said, describing fruits and vegetables as “a powerhouse of nutrients”.
She added: “There are still two in three not getting their five a day. It can be as easy as adding a handful of spinach into pasta, or peas into rice. The benefits are huge and once you are in a good routine, it is easily done.”
Despite Britain’s couch potato reputation, the report also shows the UK doing better than most for its activity levels. In total, 61 per cent of us spend at least 150 minutes a week keeping active, the report shows – compared to an OECD average of 40 per cent.
But we remain one of the fattest nations in the western world, with 64 per cent of adults overweight or obese, against an OECD average of 53 per cent.
Andrea Leadsom, the Public Health minister, said: “We are continuing to empower people to make healthier food choices by giving people access to the right advice and information, including introducing calorie labelling on food sold in restaurants, cafes and takeaways.
“As we go into a new year, it’s a great time to boost efforts to be physically active – which is why we’re supporting people to stay fit with a range of fantastic free apps like Couch to 5K and Active 10.”