Efforts need to be made to include five portions of fruit and vegetables in an everyday diet, even if it means cutting out other foods.

This is according to Yvonne Bishop-Weston, nutritionist at Foods for Life, who said that less healthy parts of a diet need to be removed.

"Once you get to eight portions you have little option but to start reducing some of the less desirable parts of the modern diet and the ratios and balance change between good and bad," she pointed out.

Ms Bishop-Weston suggested that the majority of people need more minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, essential fats and fibre in their diets, which are found in fruit and veg.

She revealed that it is easy to integrate these into a daily routine through snacks such as dried fruits, nuts and seeds.

According to recent research published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, a diet high in fruit and vegetables and carotenoids results in healthier looking skin.