How to Eat More Fruit Every Day

Eating more fruit (and vegetables) seems crucial for good health and avoiding weight gain. Here are techniques to work more fruit into daily meals and snacks.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• refrigerator and pantry stocked with fruit
• desire to improve your weight and health

1. Keep a good selection of fresh fruit in the refrigerator. Also stock the pantry with canned fruit like pineapple chunks in case one day you're low on fresh fruit. Stock in frozen fruit as well, like frozen blueberries. Fruit may seem expensive, but consider the cost of poor health. Buy what's in season to get the best prices.
2. Make a big bowl of fruit part of the daily breakfast. No matter how off-track your eating gets the rest of the day, you have a good start. This fills you up so you won't crave Pop Tarts or bacon or other high fat foods. A fruit and yogurt breakfast (sprinkle some fruit and granola on top) makes your doctor happy.
3. Take easy-to-eat fruit to work for break time (banana or apple). Keep the small packages of raisins , individual servings of applesauce, or dried fruit on hand for a sweet, but healthy snack.
4. Keep fruit juice or apple cider on in the refrigerator. Savor a glass of it instead of reaching for a cola or a glass of wine. It counts towards your fruit servings for the day.
5. Instead of cake, pies and other high-fat desserts, look for fruit dessert recipes. Strawberry shortcake (without the sugar) or poached pears will up your fruit intake for that day. See the link below for fruit recipes for desserts.
6. Once a month, try out a new fruit. Expanding the variety of fruit you eat prevents boredom and keeps you from turning to non-nutritious sweets. Also sample fruits that you've had as a child and think you dislike. Tastes change over the years and maybe you'll like it better now.