Eat More Fruit!
As you've grown up, there is no doubt that you were told many times that you should eat more fruit and vegetables. Your parents, teachers and doctors have all tried to impart the importance of a well balanced diet to you-especially the part of the balance that is fruity or leafy. It's highly likely though, that unless you have declared yourself vegetarian, you probably won't listen to the urges of the "pro fruit people" until you find that your health is declining or that you are gaining too much weight.
Before we get to the healthy reasons why eating fruit is good for you, here are a few other reasons you should buy more fruit (and eat it):
1. In the long run, fruit is far cheaper than its more expensive counterparts. Next time you want something sweet, buy a bag of oranges. It will come in at half the cost of the giant bag of skittles you were thinking about buying.
2. The energy provided by fruit lasts a lot longer than the energy provided by sugary snacks. This means that you don't have to buy as much fruit to get the same results that you would get from eating a bag of candy (and you won't suffer from the sugar crash either).
3. It isn't hard to grow your own fruit trees-then you won't have to buy the fruit at the store (saving on the cost of the fruit as well as the cost of the gas it takes to drive to the store)!
4. Eating fruit is good for the environment! Fruit is free of plastic packaging (usually) which means that there is less trash associated with eating fruit. The trees also supply oxygen to the atmosphere-so the more fruit you eat, the better it is for the planet!
5. Fruit can be stored just about anywhere. This means that you can keep it in your desk at work and you don't have to worry about it being poached from a communal refrigerator or eating area.
Those reasons all revolved around the money aspect of why eating fruit is a good idea. Now that we have the attention of your wallet, let's see if we can get the attention of your body.
1. Fresh fruit tastes better than candy or other snacks and it is far more satisfying. You are more likely to feel satisfied after eating a piece of fruit than eating candy or other snacks.
2. Fruit is made up of mostly water. What isn't water is almost completely vitamins and minerals that your body needs. There is very little of the fruit that your body will not use.
3. Fruit contains no bad cholesterol.
4. Fruit contains more natural fiber than any other food you can eat. Fiber is important for a number of important bodily functions. It regulates blood pressure, heart disease, etc.
5. Fruit gives you natural energy. Some fresh fruit will give your body a much needed energy boost and the best part about this energy boost? There is no annoying sugar crash when your body has finished processing the fruit (unlike the sugar crash that comes after eating too much candy).
6. In addition to a natural boost in energy, fruit helps boost mental function as well. People have reported that eating even half of an orange has helped them regain focus and increased their work productivity. They retain more information and their cognitive functions improve dramatically after eating fruit. Fruit has also been known to improve a person's moods. This is because eating enough fruit helps to increase the amount of dopamine (good-mood-maker) in your brain.
7. Fruit has healing powers. We've all heard about how vitamin C can help you fight the flu. The truth is that there are stories of people with serious illnesses who see those illnesses go into remission after eating a fruit-intense diet.
8. Fruit regulates your bowels. Why spend a lot of time or money on a "cleanse" when you can simply eat fruit and get the same effect?
So how do you make sure that you eat enough fruit every day? It's easy!
1. Skip the soda and have some fresh fruit juice with your meals! Fruit juice is an excellent way to make sure that you get at least a few of your servings of fruit each day.
2. Instead of ice cream or a milkshake, go for the fruit sorbet and organic smoothies. These each contain copious amounts of fruit!
3. Substitute a piece of fruit for the more sugary dessert you eat or use it as a topping on the desert you've already planned. Fresh fruit and frozen yogurt make for delicious and healthy desserts.
4. Berries are a great snack instead of chips or candy. Berries are a part of the fruit family and, especially in rural areas, are very easy to come by. If you are going to pick fresh berries, make sure you know which ones are okay to eat!
5. Toss a piece of fruit or a Ziploc bagful of berries into your bag. That way, when you get those hunger pains while you are away from home, you will already have a healthy way to curb the hunger and will be less likely to stop into a convenience store or hit a drive thru.
Everybody has heard the "need to eat a healthy diet" lecture, but unless you have proven to yourself that the healthy diet is just as tasty as the non-healthy diet, you are less likely to take the advice seriously. Thankfully, fruit is a tasty and healthy alternative to other unhealthy snacks! Eating enough fruit each day is not as hard as it might sound at first. Simply substitute the snacks you are currently eating with fruit and you'll have it covered! It is important that you eat enough fruit each day. Fruit is important for your brain as well as your body and your bank account will definitely thank you for making the switch.
Do yourself a favor, and take a second to learn more about how fruit can help you lose weight, it just may save your life.
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