Kitchen

How Many Vegetables Should You Eat? More Than 5 a Day, Says the Research

September 7, 2026 · 5 min read · Nutrition & Recipes

Assorted fresh vegetables including broccoli and peppers

“Five a day” is one of the most famous nutrition messages in the world. But is five portions the ideal, or just a good start?

What the research found

In 2017, Dagfinn Aune and colleagues at Imperial College London published a systematic review and meta-analysis in the International Journal of Epidemiology, analysing 95 prospective studies on fruit and vegetable intake and long-term health.

95prospective studies analysed

200 ga day was already linked to lower risk

800 ga day — about ten portions — where risk was lowest

Aune et al., International Journal of Epidemiology (2017)

Key findings, from observational data:

Even 200 g a day (about two and a half portions) was associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and early death, compared with eating none.
Risk continued to fall with higher intakes, with the lowest risk around 800 g a day for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
For total cancer, the benefit appeared to level off around 600 g a day.

Fruit and vegetable intake: milestones from the research

Linked to lower risk vs none200 g/day

"Five a day" (5 × 80 g)400 g/day

Cancer benefit levelled off600 g/day

Lowest risk of heart disease and death800 g/day

Aune et al. (2017). One portion is about 80 g.

View as table

Item	g/day
Linked to lower risk vs none	200
"Five a day" (5 × 80 g)	400
Cancer benefit levelled off	600
Lowest risk of heart disease and death	800

Observational studies can’t prove cause and effect — people who eat lots of vegetables often have other healthy habits — but the consistency across 95 studies is striking. Fruit and vegetables are also major sources of fibre, which a separate large review linked to lower risk of several chronic diseases.

What counts as a portion?

A portion is about 80 g:

Food	One portion (~80 g)
Broccoli	2 spears
Carrots	3 heaped tbsp, sliced
Salad leaves	1 cereal bowl
Tomatoes	1 medium or 7 cherry tomatoes
Peas, sweetcorn	3 heaped tbsp
Apple, banana, pear, orange	1 medium fruit
Berries	2 handfuls
Beans or lentils	3 heaped tbsp
Dried fruit	1 heaped tbsp (30 g)

Ten a day sounds a lot — here’s how

Meal	Add	Portions
Breakfast	Berries on oats; spinach and tomato in eggs	2
Lunch	Big salad, or a veg-loaded soup	2–3
Snacks	A piece of fruit + carrot sticks with hummus	2
Dinner	Half the plate vegetables; beans in the sauce	3

That’s 9–10 portions without a single “diet” meal.

Tricks that work

Half-plate rule: fill half your dinner plate with vegetables before adding anything else.
Frozen is fine: frozen vegetables and berries are nutritious, cheap, quick and don’t go off.
Hide them: grate courgette and carrot into pasta sauces, chilli and burgers.
Roast in bulk: a big tray of roasted veg on Sunday covers several meals.
Start with soup: a vegetable soup before dinner adds two portions easily.
Eat the rainbow: different colours tend to bring different nutrients.

Budget-friendly picks

Carrots, cabbage, onions, frozen peas, frozen spinach, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans, bananas, apples and seasonal produce are usually the cheapest per portion. Frozen and tinned options (in water, without added salt or sugar) count fully.

Build up one portion a week

Jumping straight to ten portions is a big change. Add one a week instead:

Week	Add	Running total (from 3)
1	A piece of fruit at breakfast	4
2	Salad or soup with lunch	5
3	A vegetable snack such as carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes	6
4	An extra portion of veg at dinner	7
5	Beans or lentils in one meal a day	8
6	Berries or fruit with yoghurt	9
7	Spinach or peppers in your eggs or wrap	10

The fibre bonus

Vegetables, fruit and legumes are also among the best sources of fibre. A large set of reviews in The Lancet found that people eating 25–29 g of fibre a day had a 15–30% lower risk of death from all causes and from cardiovascular disease than those eating the least (Reynolds et al., 2019). Ten portions a day goes a long way towards that target. More in our fibre guide.

Stop vegetables going to waste

Produce	Store it	Use it within
Leafy salad	Fridge, in its bag with a dry paper towel	3–5 days
Broccoli, peppers, courgettes	Fridge crisper drawer	About a week
Carrots, cabbage	Fridge	Two weeks or more
Onions, potatoes	Cool, dark cupboard, apart from each other	Several weeks
Bananas, tomatoes	Room temperature	Until ripe, then eat
Anything near its end	Chop and freeze, or roast and refrigerate

Eating out

Order a side salad or side of vegetables with every main.
Choose tomato-based sauces, soups and stir-fries.
Start with a vegetable starter instead of bread.
Ask for extra vegetables in wraps, burritos and sandwiches.

FAQ

Do potatoes count? In many guidelines potatoes count as a starchy food rather than a vegetable portion, but they’re still a nutritious part of a meal — especially with the skin on.

Does fruit juice count? A small glass usually counts as one portion at most, however much you drink. Whole fruit is better because it keeps the fibre.

Are smoothies OK? Yes, especially if they contain whole fruit and vegetables. They’re best alongside, not instead of, whole produce.

Do I need organic produce? The research above is about eating more fruit and vegetables in general. Eating more of any kind matters more than which kind.

Are tinned vegetables as good? They count, and they’re convenient. Choose versions in water without added salt or sugar.

The bottom line

Five a day is a good start, but the research suggests more is better — up to around 800 g (ten portions). Use frozen veg, the half-plate rule and big batches of roasted vegetables to get there.

Sources

Aune D et al. (2017). Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality. International Journal of Epidemiology. doi:10.1093/ije/dyw319
Reynolds A et al. (2019). Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9

This article is general education for healthy adults, not medical advice. Check with a qualified professional before starting a new exercise or nutrition plan, especially if you have a medical condition. Full disclaimer.