10 Tips to Help you Eat More Fruit

Fruits provide nutrients such as dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin C and folic acid which are essential for your health.  Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium and calories.  None have cholesterol.  How’s that for healthy?

Here are some tips to help make fruit part of your daily eating habits:

1. Keep visible reminders – keep a bowl of whole fruit on your kitchen table or counter or on your desk at the office.
2. Think about taste – buy fresh fruits in season when they may be less expensive and at their peak flavour.
3. Variety – buy fruits that are dried, frozen or canned (in 100% juice or water).  Be sure that there aren’t extra ingredients added such as sugar.
4. Don’t forget the fiber – make most of your choices whole or cut-up fruit, rather than juice, for the benefits that dietary fiber provides.   
5. Be a good role model – set a good example for children by eating fruit every day with meals or as snacks.  Remember…your children are watching you and will follow what you do quicker than they will follow what you say.  In other words, practice what you preach.
6. Include fruit at breakfast – top your sugar-free cereal or oatmeal with bananas, peaches or berries.  Or try fresh fruit on top of fat-free yogurt or cottage cheese.
7. Try fruit at lunch – pack a tangerine, banana or grapes to eat or choose fruits to sprinkle on to your salad such as apples, pears or berries.  Apples and almonds are a nutritious snack packed with protein and fiber.
8. Experiment with fruit at dinner – add crushed pineapple to coleslaw, or include orange sections, dried cranberries or grapes to a salad.
9. Snack on fruits – dried fruits (unsweetened) make great snacks.  They are easy to carry and store well.  You can keep them in your desk drawer at work or in your car when travelling.
10. Keep fruits safe – rinse fruits before preparing or eating them.  When possible, try to buy organic.  If it’s too expensive to make all your fruits organic then your most important choices for organic fruits should be apples and grapes.  They contain the highest amount of pesticides.

 Source:  USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)

Have a fit and fabulous day!

Lisa