Sunny Fruit and Veg Offerings...

A week's holiday might be associated with indulgent eating, but this doesn't need to be the case. While I'm not going to say that I didn't treat myself to cake, ice cream and other treats on my recent week in the sun, it was certainly very easy to eat plenty of fruit and veg. Each morning at breakfast there were freshly squeezed fruit juices, slices of melon, papaya and pineapple, as well as a selection of whole fresh fruits and dried fruit. In the evening there was a wide range of salad veg and I was surprised how enjoyable the blanched broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans and peas were from this spread; a number of hot vegetable-based dishes were also on offer each day. The only area where the buffet was lacking were dishes that included pulses or nuts; for vegetarians or vegans who would usually rely on these for their main source of protein, they would have been disappointed, as these did not make an appearance all week.

Staying at this hotel - or at any similar around the world - you would struggle not to meet your 5 A Day target for fruit and veg. Many of the factors which stand in the way of adequate fruit and veg consumption are removed. Purchase and preparation have been taken care of and with so much choice, you are bound to find some you enjoy and don't run the risk of getting bored. Admittedly you could have succumbed to the temptation of the bread, pastries and cheese at breakfast or the desserts in the evening, just as you might as you wandered through a supermarket. However, there is also something about good weather that encourages you to eat well; fruit and salads are much more appealing when you don't feel the cold. If you treat a holiday as an opportunity to take good care of yourself and be more active than you would usually have the opportunity to at home, eating well goes hand in hand with this. A week of eating more fruit and veg on holiday could be the kick start that helps some people to carry on with this after their suitcase has been stored away for another year; even if not, every little helps.

Photo by Marisa DeMeglio from NYC, USA via Wikimedia Commons