By Community Correspondent Tony Bishop-Weston

The underlying theme of the current NHS change for life campaign and National Vegetarian Week 2009 is 5 a day - encouraging people to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Research leaves us in no doubt that over 85% of us would benefit from eating a greater variety of vegetables, a revitalised NHS five a day campaign encourages us to do more. Renamed ‘Change for Life’ the campaign now encompasses all aspects of a healthy lifestyle including exercise but eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables still remains an integral part.

A Swiss based restaurant chain in London encouraged more people to eat more fruit and vegetables by body painting a vegetarian nude model into five portions of fruit and vegetables then displaying her in their restaurant window.

In Croydon, Croydon nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston plans to go a few steps further to highlight the benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables by encouraging a little healthy competition between Croydon’s many offices.

The nutritionist says “We hope that the CHOP (Croydon Healthy Office Project) campaign will encourage not just office managers and their teams but also restaurants and local gyms to work together to make healthy eating and healthy lifestyles much easier to adopt in the Croydon area”

"Ultimately it will be good if we can even involve the fruit and vegetable market stalls in Croydon's 300 year old Surrey Street Market - they have a valuable role to play too."

“There are so many simple inexpensive changes that can be easily made in the office environment that could make a big difference to energy, concentration, general health and thus performance and the number of sick days” says the nutritionist.

Croydon Vegetarians are one of the oldest vegetarian groups in the UK having formed in 1886 and still fit and strong 123 years later. Their members agree - "There's no doubt in our minds it's more fruit and vegetables that we need to stop our nation getting sicker - not more meat"

If you would like to help develop the CHOP project or have a restaurant, office team, gym, leisure centre or shop that would like to take part please contact Yvonne through her Foods for Life website or via Oasis Natural Health, High Street Croydon.