THE hard task of whipping up enthusiasm for healthy eating has been given a boost with the help of National Lottery cash.

The New Opportunities Fund, which distributes lottery money, is appointing nine regional co-ordinators to work on its health programmes in England, with special focus on a scheme to boost the consumption of fruit and vegetables.

The Five-a-Day initiative started in the USA in 1991, where it was found that eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces people's risk of developing cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and macular degeneration (a leading cause of failing eyesight in older people).

After the introduction of the programme, the proportion of Americans who knew they should be eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day rose from eight per cent to 36 per cent.

The actual average consumption of fruit and veg also increased, from 3.9 portions a day in 1989-91 to 4.6 per cent in 1994-6.

The Department of Health is hoping the success of the US project will be repeated here, where the average adult consumption of fruit and vegetables is still less than three portions a day and only 17 per cent of children eat fruit more than once a day.

Nutritionist Zoe Griffiths, the new healthy eating co-ordinator for the South West region, explained: "If you start them young and get them to eat healthily at an early age, children form good habits for life."

One of her tasks will be to support the school fruit programme, which has been piloted in 500 schools. Four out of five children involved in the pilot took the fruit offered to them and their consumption of fruit was maintained.

From next year, the pilot is being extended to give all schoolchildren between the ages of four and six the right to a free piece of fruit every day.

"A lot of schools are very good at promoting healthy eating and are already doing this by funding it themselves. When children go home and ask for fruit and vegetables, they are much more likely to be offered them," said Zoe.

She added that Parliament was due to debate whether to ban junk food advertising during children's programmes. "If that went ahead, it would be fantastic. It would make things much easier," she said.

"Improving the diet is the second best way of preventing cancer, after giving up smoking. If everyone ate five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, it would cut deaths from chronic disease by 20 per cent." Zoe, who takes up her appointment next month, has worked in public health for nine years. She plans to tour the region talking to other organisations involved with health improvement.

Alison McGinley, community dietitian with Bournemouth Primary Care Trust, said that some schools had already introduced fruit tuck shops.

"It's much better to eat fruit and vegetables rather than have a vitamin pill instead. There's lots of research to show that fruit and veg contain nutrients that protect us against heart disease and cancer," she said.

"People need to realise that it's OK for them to have frozen, dried, tinned and juice: it doesn't have to be fresh veg. In some cases, you couldn't really describe them as fresh. You don't know how long they've been sitting in the supermarket or at home when all the while their nutrient content is going down."

Both Alison and Zoe advise eating a range of fruit and vegetables each day. "There's no point in eating five bananas a day. It's important to eat different fruit and veg because they contain different nutrients," explained Alison.

And what constitutes a single portion? Zoe says you should aim for around 1lb of fruit and veg each day in five portions for example an apple, a banana, a glass of fruit juice, a side salad and a couple of tablespoons of cooked vegetables.

Baked beans count towards your daily allowance, but potatoes don't, and a dish such as spaghetti bolognaise could count as two portions if the sauce contains different vegetables.