Jamie Oliver has thrown out one of the most common pieces of health advice, saying that “five a day is a lie” and that seven to eleven portions of fruit and vegetables are better for “measurable benefits”.
The 50-year-old known for his legacy of ushering in healthy school meals across the UK said that the advice – supported by the NHS – is a myth.
“Five a day is a lie,” he told The Times. “It’s a lie based on someone deciding that we’re not to be trusted. And I don’t like liars.”
He explained that people do not “see any measurable benefits” until they have had “seven to eleven portions of fruit and vegetables”, adding: “Someone in the government has said that five a day is what you should be getting because they don’t think we can handle the truth.”
The NHS says that “evidence shows there are significant health benefits to getting at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.” It clarifies that this means five portions of fruit and vegetables in total and not five portions of each, with one portion weighing in at 80g.
The campaign is based on advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which recommends eating 400g of fruit and vegetables a day at a minimum in order to avoid the risk of serious health problems including heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
But Oliver is insistent that Brits can do better.
“Britain can handle it,” he said. “At first they might say, ‘Seven to eleven?!’ but after a month they will get over it. I’ve got recipes in here [his new book Eat Yourself Healthy] that have 11 portions.
“By the time you finish it you will be full, so you won’t be complaining about going hungry on some bloody Jamie Oliver diet. You’ll be stuffed.”
Earlier this year, research confirmed that 11 portions of fruit and vegetables a day are indeed linked to better health outcomes.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, analysed data on more than 670 adults from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey between 2016 and 2017.
As the TV chef turned 50 this year, he also admitted that he has seen his recipes being “nicked” on social media.
“I’ll see recipes going viral on social media or TikTok and be like, that’s my effing recipe they’ve nicked,” he said.
“And I am not getting credit for it. But I think I can still control my old man’s annoyance. The whole point of ideas is that you don’t put them in a box. Take it, run with it, call it your own. That’s what the Naked Chef is all about.”
Eat Yourself Healthy is out on 11 September.
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