27/6/06 portions: 14

Correction on yesterday's portion numbers: it was actually 15, as I failed to mention the two portions of strawberries eaten for my first pudding. (Green and Black's Vanilla Caramel Hazelnut was the second)

Today was fine, neither here nor there. Did a big shop today -- why do I want to shop for millions of things when I'm already laden down (with laptop and extra bag)? To celebrate our last week at work, we're having a potluck, though I don't know what you call it in this country. I'm going to make some aubergine parmesan in wraps. I did that once before, when I had extra grilled aubergine. First spread tomato sauce on the tortilla, then layer aubergine, cheeses (mozzarella and Parmesan) and some basil. Wrap. Grill in a frying pan to get some colour and crispiness and to melt the cheese a bit. Hope it works out again. But if it's good enough for me...

3 melon
1 banana
1 satsuma
1 pear
2 tomato soup
2 strawberries
1 apple juice
3 mixed, from dinner's pasta with spinach, red onion, herbs and feta dish

Great website to pass on -- Facts on Farts. Since taking on this challenge, I've been trumping like a trooper, though my life has certainly not been flatulence-free even before, as I am wedded to a vegetarian. The page consists of people asking questions, some being curious, like How much gas does a normal person pass per day?, others hilarious, such as Why are stinky farts generally warmer and quieter than regular farts?, to the downright ridiculous, Is it possible to get stoned after inhaling two or three farts in a row? Official answer: Don't Think So. Truly amazing.

25/6/06: 5 and 26/6/05: 13

Yesterday was shit. Pure shite.

Once, when I visited my mother- and father-in-law, all my mother-in-law ate for dinner was a small bowl of bland soup. She explained that she hadn't done very much that day, therefore not really very hungry. I thought she was crazy when she said that, but Sunday was my day. Didn't do anything, never left the house. And the large lot of pancakes that I made was my soup. Unfortunately, it has no fruit or veg value.

1 apple juice
2 pear
1 satsuma
1 banana

Today's much better. I must subscribe to the 'be good on school days' idea. I'm gonna have a serious difficult time with this during the 6 weeks of the summer holiday, especially when I'm away on holiday in France.

3 melon
1 banana
1 satsuma
2 pear
4 peas
1 spinach
1 apple juice

24/6/06 portions: 4

The weekends are my weakness. Weakends, they should be called. M's co-worker had a barbeque. Actually had some nice veg out -- a salad with pepper, cucumbers, tomatoes; kebabs with peppers and courgettes. I gravitated toward the potato salad made with salad cream (tasty, but no portions, even with the spring onions) and the sausages (I did have three pork and apple ones, shouldn't that count for something). Also on the cider again. But it was a very nice organic one. Unfortunately, it was 6.5% -- I was batting way out of my league. And as I result of all these factors, my very paltry sum. I am ashamed. Deeply, deeply ashamed.

1 apple-elderberry juice
1 banana
2 mixed veg (peppers, cucumbers)

23/6/06 portions: 14

Had some fish from the chippie's as I was feeling in a really funny mood (with a portion of curry sauce -- always with a portion of curry sauce). Had loads of garden peas with it to off-set all the 'badness'.

1 apple-elderflower juice
2 pears
2 satsumas
2 bananas
2 spinach
5 peas

22/6/06 portions: 13.5

Back to normal after yesterday's stellar day.

1 apple-elderflower juice
1 watermelon
1.5 satsumas
1 banana
1 strawberry
2 tomato soup
1 hummus
2 green pepper
3 spinach

21/6/06 portions: 17!!

So my ma says that a large banana is 2 portions. I'm totally going with that, as I'm having a hard time trying to get to 17. I try for some easy portions each day -- a cup of juice, always. My juice of choice has been, and will be for the near future, apple juice. Although I wasn't raised an orange juice drinker, I like it. However, ethically, I can't bring myself to drink it, so I drink British apple juice (if you're interested in why, click here). Which brings me to some of the rules of this endeavour. I try to eat organic and local (British) produce. If I do not get the choice of local, organic fruit and veg, I'll chose local. I just hate the idea that for my food to get to me, it produces so many CO² emissions. So, if I get the choice of organic, I'll always go for it. But if it's organic apples from New Zealand or regular apples from Britain, I'll chose the latter. Shoot, I'll even chose apples from France or Canada or the US. Anyway, here's my portions for the day -- and I've done it, the magic 17, on the back of a huge amount of peas:

1 British apple juice
1 watermelon (from Spain; I have ethical issues about that as well, which I'll get into another time)
1 satsuma (Spain)
2 bananas (orgin - not sure; I was so desperate I didn't bother with the Fair Trade)
1 strawberry (UK - Scottish even!)
1 organic red pepper
3 spinach (UK)
7 organic frozen peas

There's no stopping me now!

20/06/06 portions: 12

Finally bought some fruit and had a decent amout today. Still haven't figured out if Magner's cider counts as a portion... thankfully, England won, so I can continue to research this question with drinking.

1 apple juice
1 satsuma
2 bananas
1 watermelon
2 grapes
1 dried cherry
1 dried blueberry
2 tomato soup
1 hummus

19/06/06 portions: 10

The weekend is never a good time for me to get portions. I struggle a lot because I'm out with M or friends and we don't go to too many fruit and veg-friendly places! Oh, except for the Magner's. Anyway, the weekend struggle moved into Monday, as I hadn't yet bought any fruit for the week, but managed something in the end.

1 apple juice
1 hummus
2 tomato soup
3 peas, asparagus and red onion (in pasta)
1 satsuma
2 banana

18/06/06 portions: 12

Early Sunday morning, M and I were at the Cameo theatre watching The Lost Boys. If Grease and The Rocky Horror Picture Show are 10 on the cheesiness scales, The Lost Boys has to be a 7½. Mostly for the inclusion of the 80s staple: the love scene. This explains the popcorn.

1 apple juice
2 mixed vegetables (broad beans, carrots, courgettes in a tomato sauce)
2 watermelon
1 dried cherry
1 red onion
4 garden peas
1 popcorn (I'm counting it! I ate a lot, but I'll only count it as 1 portion)

17/06/06 portions: 13

Yesterday saw me having dinner over at an Italian's, watching the US v Italy match. Perhaps the 1-1 draw was the bests result with an American and an Italian in the room. We had started with cantaloupe wrapped in Parma ham, then cheesy pasta with shrimp and mushrooms. Then a nice aubergine parmesean with salad. Thank God for her or I would have never gotten any portions.

1 apple juice
4 dried blueberry
2 tomato soup
1 red pepper
1 cantaloupe
1 aubergine parmesean
1 mushroom
1 tomato
1 cucumber

16/06/06 portions: 12

Still trying to get more veg in my system. Not helped by M, who was desperate for a curry before our film (Thank You for Smoking, if you were curious; an archetypal American film). He was supposed to bring some leaf spinach for me to stir into my curry (a move used in the past fortnight with success), but forgot. Ate a pear instead.

2 watermelon
2 bananas
2 grapes
2 peas
2 aubergine parmesean (end of that, unfortunately)
1 pear
1 apple-elderberry juice (end of that, as well; on to regular apple juice again)

15/06/06 portions: 12

Again, football thwarts me. Saw England (v Trinidad and Tobago) "trying their hardest to lose and failing," as I heard some stand-up/poet say tonight at 5 pm. Was right starving, so we had some extremely salty curly fries. Ruined my dinner and now all I'm having is some lemon-corriander hummus and Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli crisps. Not good. I might have to give back some of my portions for my poor food choices of late.

2 watermelon
1 apple-elderberry juice
2 pears
2 bananas
2 grapes
2 aubergine parmesean
1 hummus

14/06/06's portions: 10

Hard to get portions; just chuffed with the double digits. It's my wedding anniversary and we went out for dinner. Before we went, I had a pre-dinner of aubergine parmesean. If you've never had it, it's lovely. Really lovely. Carnivores/omnivores and herbivores will like it alike, as it is a very meaty casserole.

1 apple-elderberry flower juice
1 hummus
1 grape
1 orange
2 banana
1 pear
1 red pepper
2 aubergine parmesean (aubergines, tomatoes, red peppers)

13/06/06 portions: 14

Sorry... too knackered to expand anymore than this:

2 pears
1 orange
2 grapes
1 dried cherry
3 vegetable crumble
1 red pepper (assuming half a red pepper is a portion)
1 apple-elderberry juice
1 aubergine parmesean (aubergines, red peppers, tomatoes)
2 garden peas, frozen

12/06/06 portions: 13

Today was difficult. The cherries that I had were going off (that was why they were only £1.50 at the greengrocers in Bruntsfield; I threw about a £1 of them away), had nothing good for brekkie and no juice. Plus, didn't bring anything good for lunch. For some reason, I persist with raw carrots. I hate them, but always have them, just in case I was 'just kidding' about hating them or they will suddenly turn into some cheese and onion crisps. Ate them joylessly.

Finally got on with the vegetable crumble. Would have benefited from some herbs or more salt and should have cut the carrots and cauliflower into smaller pieces, but otherwise, not too bad. Has six veggies in it -- the two previously mentioned, plus chickpeas, onions, courgettes, and tomatoes -- and I had two helpings, so I'm counting it as 4 portions. What? You gotta problem with that?

Brekkie: 1 cherry
Snack: 1 banana, 1 orange
Lunch: 1 carrot
Snack: 1 cherry
Snack: 1 pear, 1 orange
Dinner: 4 miscellaneous veg (read above)
Snack: 2 grapes

Also pleased to say I met a reader. Well, maybe he's only read once... anyway, I'm pleased to know that I'm not alone out here. Hurrah!

11/06/06 portions: 9

I was still feeling a bit queasy from the day before, when I tried to get all my portions from Magner's cider. Ha ha. Had an Innocent mango and passionfruit smoothie for breakfast -- couldn't manage anymore. Had some cherries, I think. Lunch was my new favourite meal: sausages, loads of peas and some leaf spinach. Dinner was a curry, but I did have two portions of leaf spinach with it!

1 cherry
1 orange
1 fruit smoothie
3 peas
3 spinach

10/6/06 portions: 7

Yesterday, England played its first match in the World Cup against Paraguay. Why this has anything to do with my portions (or lack thereof) will be plain to see shortly.

As I was saying, England played. Me and M went to a pub to see the match, though we had initially agreed to watch the match at home. I was going to cook the vegetable crumble mentioned in the featured recipe and have plenty of fruit and veg. But the pub we were watching the game at was crap and we got into an altercation with some holier-than-thou chicks sitting next to us. Plus my pal said she was sitting in a nice pub in Broughton with a whole huge table to herself, her boyfriend and his friend. So we watched the second half with them.

I ate my lunch there, substituting the tattie wedges for "Mediterranean vegetables" (aubergines, courgettes, carrots, onions, mushrooms) with some salad. 3 portions, easily. Unfortunately, after the game, we stayed with them, for the subsequent two matches. If I knew I'd be with them until midnight, I would have brought some provisions with me. Had one portion of miscellaneous veg (from the nachos eaten as a snack: kidney beans, salsa, guacamole) and another with the deep fried cheese and chicken tortilla for dinner (the salad). This left with with my meagre sum for Saturday.

But does all the Magner's cider count as a portion? It is made from 17 different varieties of apple. Lesson learned: always bring some thing, anything, with me.

1 portion of cherries, fresh
1 apple
3 portions of Mediterranean veg (including the salad)
1 miscellaneous portion of veg
1 salad

9/6/06 portions: 16

1 apple juice
2 bananas
1 apple
2 dried blueberries
5 peas
1 baby carrot
1 leaf spinach
2 grapes
1 miscellaneous fruit and veg (some apple-rhubarb crumble; some asparagus and rocket)

8/6/06's portions: 14

3 melons
1 grape
1 apple
2 bananas
2 asparagus and rocket
1 carrot
1 hummus
1 apple and rhubarb crumble
1 roasted vegetable
1 apple juice

A first, and other news

My stool is quite loose today. Some might even classify it as liquidy. It's a bit softer than normal. Just in case you were wondering.

The Guardian, the catalyst for this adventure, yesterday featured a little article entitled, "Are vegetables overrated?" with the by-line:

This week five brothers claimed to have made it into their 80s despite never having eaten any veg. So is the five-a-day rule just health-nut nonsense?

How terribly disconcerting. Here I am eating my heart out in veggies and fruit, only to be told that the Inuit, Masai, and these bone-headed brothers have survived just fine without any of it.

7/6/06's portions: 15

3 melon
2 banana
1 apple and rhubarb crumble
2 grapes
1 orange pepper and cucumber
1 carrot
1 rocket and asparagus
1 hummus
1 apple
1 apple juice
1 dried cherry

I'm eating far too much fruit and should eat more vegetables and I'm working to rectify this, as the sugars (though not refined) can't be good for me. The Japanese are recommended to eat 13 vegetable and 4 fruits and I'm doing a more inverse ratio. Anyway, I might be eating too much fruit and veg. Details to come.

A reaction from the land of the rising sun

A very good friend of mine is living in Japan and has been living there since the 1990s -- practically native, she's even losing some of her English. Here's her reaction to my kooky scheme (originally written in MySpace):

17??? good night, that's a lot! i doubt anyone actually suceeds in doing that by buying fruits and veggies and eating them sonomamade. [Not sure what that means.] nowadays everyone cheats and drinks mixed veggie/fruit juices that claim to give you all the V..F you need for one day. one of the famous ones is called "AOJIRU." it literally translates to mean blue soup. i guess in the old days there was no word for green...and everything green was called blue. so it actually means green juice. (just like the traffic lights in japan -- a green light is called ao shingou instead of midori shingou [obviously, ao is Japanese for blue; midori is green]) anyways...enough of the japanese lesson of which you probably already know. we cheat. probably no one truly does it without cheating. but ganbatte [good luck] in trying anyways, ne.

Portions: 14

3 apples
4 grapes
1 banana
1 lentil
2 courgette and spinach soup (it was a friggin' huge portion!)
1 peas, frozen
1 apple juice
1 miscellaneous (a bit of apple-rhubarb crumble; some onion in an omelet)

The fridge is heaving with veg and fruit and the food bill was enormous. I have aubergine parmesean, vegetable crumble (from the featured recipe on the sidebar), vegetable lasagna, and rocket/asparagus pasta to look forward to.

Portions: 14

The numbers refer to portions:

2 dried mango
4 grape
2 banana
1 apple
1 orange juice
1 lentil
2 miscellaneous veg (carrots, mangetout, baby corn, onion -- mixtures from lunch and dinner)
1 from courgette and spinach soup

The soup is a real problem for me. I made it from one large courgette, 5 ounces of spinach, an onion and a potato and I've eaten a quarter. Surely that can't only be one portion? I've decided to grade myself strictly on this, even though I feel I should get two portions from the soup. I'm no cheater.

By the way, the soup is absolutely lovely. I'll give you the recipe if you want.