Brits are not getting their five a day

Five a day might keep the doctor away, but new figures published by the government show that few people consume that amount of fruit and vegetables.

According to a study published in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, less than a third of adults get their recommended five portions each day and for children the figure is just one in ten.

Indeed, the study, which was conducted using 3,000 people over the course of three years leading up until the end of 2011, found that just 31 per cent eat the amount they are supposed to.

Researchers also found that not enough people are eating foods like oily fish – which are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and have been found to significantly lower the risk of dying from heart disease.

It also found that people are consuming too much saturated fat, a leading contributor to high levels of cholesterol and cardiac problems.

"It's disappointing that a year on there has been no real improvement in the number of young people eating their five-a-day," said Tracy Parker,  a lead dietician at the British Heart Foundation.

"Fruit and vegetables help young minds and bodies develop and should be an integral part of any teenager's diet.

"It's not just young people though - all age groups are failing to clear the five-a-day bar. The nation is consuming too much saturated fat and too many people have high cholesterol - a major risk factor for heart and circulatory disease."

The figures, though, are marginally better than the ones published by the World Cancer Research Fund earlier this year, which reported that just 20 per cent (one in five) Brits eat the recommended five a day.

A Department of Health spokesperson said that the best way to live healthily is to consume a balanced diet combined with an active lifestyle.