Fruit is colorful, sweet, satisfying and full of vitamins and minerals! Imagine eating beautiful rosy apples, sweet cherries and purple plums plucked straight from trees in an orchard.
It's summertime and there is a grassy area beneath a bright green apple tree.
The weather is warm and the sun is shining.
You stretch out, relax, look at the sky, and take a bite from a crisp crunchy apple.
This is how it should be, but it rarely is.
In fact, many people don't eat enough raw fruit to boost health and nutrition.
Most supermarkets have a wide variety of fresh fruit available such as apples, bananas, and melons, so it's easy to find.
But even when the fruit bowl at home is full, fruit often goes uneaten due to lack of time, interest, or sweeter alternatives.
It is important to eat fruit for fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and weight control -- all key components to health.
Here are three easy ways to eat more of it every day.
1.
Smoothies Smoothies are pureed fresh fruit with water or soy milk and additional ingredients such as a sweetener, seed oils, or protein powder.
There is no better way to consume a wide variety of fruit than making and drinking a large smoothie in the morning.
It's a quick way to empty the fruit bowl and even use fruit that's overripe.
Almost all fruit flavors blend together and with the addition of a sweetener such as agave nectar, the beverage will taste fresh and delicious.
Adding flaxseed oil or flaxseed meal is a good way to increase fiber and omega 3s.
In addition, adding avocado or silken tofu thickens the mixture without altering the flavor much and adds even more nutrients including protein, so there's no need to buy expensive soy protein powders.
The best way to simplify the smoothie making process is to buy a small blender and keep it on the counter top.
Making a smoothie every morning is a big step to a healthier lifestyle.
2.
Snacks Fruit makes the best snack because it's low in calories, fats, sodium, and contains no processed sugars.
Although it's common to snack on chips, popcorn, or baked goods, it's much healthier and just as easy to eat fruit.
In fact, filling up on fruit is a good way to reduce weight and deal with hunger pains in between meals.
One of the most effective fruits to snack on is melon, especially watermelon.
It's filling, easy to eat large quantities, consists mostly of water, and is sweet enough to make it enjoyable and refreshing.
Seedless watermelon is available in most supermarkets and even mini watermelons are prevalent which are easy to chop up and store.
Once you find a fruit that makes a great snack, it's natural to add other ones for variety such dates, figs, bananas, berries, and apples.
Dried fruit such as cranberries, mangoes, and raisins is also perfect snacking food! 3.
Salads Fancy restaurants don't have to be the only place where salads are served with fruit.
It can be done at home.
Fruity ingredients to top salads include dried cranberries, avocado, blueberries, sliced strawberries, pineapple chunks and sliced apples.
Dried cranberries go great on kale or lettuce salads.
Blueberries are a nice touch with spinach along with sliced strawberries.
Sliced apples are wonderful in cabbage salads since both ingredients have a crunchy texture.
It doesn't require a lot of fruit to make the salad more nutritious and colorful.
Also, a fruit salad complements a main meal or sandwich just as nicely as a lettuce salad.
It's important to consume fruit regularly for nutrition.
With these three ways, it will quickly become a tasty part of the daily diet.
In a short time, it will be hard to imagine going a day without some form of fresh fruit as a snack, in a smoothie, or topping a delicious salad.