Different types of fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables don't have to be fresh to count as a portion. Nor do they have to be eaten on their own: they also count if they're part of a meal or dish.

These all also count towards your 5 A Day:

• Frozen fruit and vegetables
• Tinned or canned fruit and vegetables. Buy ones tinned in natural juice or water, with no added sugar or salt.
• Fruit and vegetables cooked in dishes such as soups, stews or pasta.
• A 30g portion of dried fruit, such as currants, dates, sultanas and figs, counts as 1 of your 5 A Day, but should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a between-meal snack, to reduce the impact on teeth.
• Fruit and vegetables in convenience foods, such as ready meals and shop-bought pasta sauces, soups and puddings.

Some ready-made foods are high in salt, sugar and fat, so only have them occasionally or in small amounts.

You can find the salt, sugar and fat content of ready-made foods on the label.