It's not like your day isn't busy enough – now you've got to fit packing five portions of fruit and vegetables into it as well. But how do you get the family to eat the required amount, without fuss, tears or threats? It's easy – with a little clever thinking.

Add sliced bananas, fresh berries, pineapple chunks or apple slices to cereal.

Get lots of fruit goodness by making your own smoothies – ideal for breakfasts or during the day as a quick pick-me-up.

Swap sandwiches for a healthy salad at lunchtime; replace your regular side of potatoes or bread with a salad for dinner.

Make up goodie bags of dried fruit or vegetable crudités for lunchboxes – also ideal for picnics and car snacks for days out.

Snack on pieces of fruit or vegetable crudités during the day instead of turning to sweets, cakes, biscuits or crisps.

Add grated fruit and vegetables to sandwich fillings.

Always serve a variety of vegetables as part of your main meal; if this causes resistance from your kids you could always liquidise vegetables for a hearty soup starter or sauce to serve with pasta.

Mash vegetables such as carrots, swede and parsnips into potatoes to make them instantly more acceptable and tasty to young palates.

Add extra veg to foods like curries and stews – courgettes, marrows and aubergines are all ideal as they really absorb flavour.

Don't lose out on the chance to up your vegetable count even when ordering takeaways – go for extra vegetable toppings on pizzas, add extra side veggie side dishes to your order of Chinese or Indian.

Replace fattening desserts with fresh fruit salads. Keep it colourful to make it more attractive for the kids – try a mixture of strawberries, kiwi fruit, yellow melon, grapes and mango. Serve with low fat yoghurt or crème fraîche.

Make healthy fruit lollies for the kids by pouring fresh fruit juice or smoothies into lolly moulds and freezing.

Cooking outdoors? Tasty vegetable kebabs are great for the barbecue – you could also try some fruit kebabs for dessert.

How much is a portion?

For fruit this depends on size. One portion is two satsumas, one apple, half a grapefruit. For vegetables count the serving size – three tablespoons of carrots or one bowl of salad count as a portion. This is an adult portion; and while children should still be served five portions a day, a child's portion will be smaller. No access to fresh produce daily?

Don't worry. Frozen, chilled, canned, juice and dried fruit and vegetables all count. However, remember that canned food in particular may contain added salt or sugar – check the label.

And remember...

Potatoes don't count as a vegetable. Fruit juice can only be counted once a day, even if you drink more than that. It's important to vary the fruit and vegetables you eat on a daily basis as each contain different combinations of vitamins, fibre and minerals.

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