WHY FEAR THE HUMBLE FRUIT?
In my experience with all my clients, I’ve seen a general fear when it comes to fruits. Some of them have followed diets that restrict fruits completely, while others have been on diets where they’re allowed only limited fruits like apples and pears!
They all seem to fear the sugar and carbohydrate content of fruits and feel they will gain weight with as little as 2-3 servings of fruits in a day! If you’re one of those people too, continue reading till the end because with this article I hope to educate all of you about the various reasons fruits should make it to your plates every single day and also why they should be enjoyed guilt free!
WHY SHOULD YOU LOVE THEM INSTEAD?
Firstly, fruits are a powerhouse of VITAMINS and MINERALS, which help nourish each and every cell in the body. They are loaded with ANTIOXIDANTS, specially VITAMIN C that helps boost immunity and also helps neutralise the effect of harmful free radicals.
Most importantly, they’re rich in DIETARY FIBRE that helps keep your digestive system remain healthy and ensures your gut is happy! They provide ample amount of ENERGY and help keep you active too!
SEASONAL FRUITS-ENJOY A VARIETY OF FRUITS YEAR ROUND!
With modern agriculture, newer technologies applied while importing food and the latest trends in food processing, most fruits today are available year round. What we need to remember is, the availability of fruits changes with seasons! So even though a particular fruit is made available to us any time of the year, it’s best to opt for fruits that are in the season instead!
This is because the nutritional content of the fruit changes in accordance with the season they’re produced in! Also, in order to preserve them, they’re covered in waxes, pesticides etc and it’s just not worth it, to put all of that in our bodies!
So just remember to always go and check what’s in season, what’s local and what’s available at your local grocery store! This ensures dense nutritional benefits because the fruits are harvested at the peak of their freshness! Its also important to enjoy a variety of different fruits as all of them have different nutritional profiles and help the body in different ways.
MY TOP PICKS FOR THIS SEASON-LYCHEE, MANGO, CHERRY AND PEACH!
This season, enjoy these delicious, colourful, power-packed and nutrient dense fruits!
Cherries-a storehouse of antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, Lychees- an amazing tropical water-based fruit, rich in vitamin C, boosts immunity and its nutrients aid in blood circulation and formation, Peach- contain no saturated fat/cholesterol, are an excellent source of dietary fibre, boost cardiac health and help prevent cancer,Mangoes-help prevent heart disease, improve digestion, improve the health of your hair and skin and promote weight loss too!
HOW MUCH?
Its safe to have 2-3 servings of fruits a day.
At a time enjoy- one cup serving size
For example- 1 banana OR 1 apple OR12-15 lychees OR 1 cup cherries OR 2 medium sized peaches OR 1 while mango etc.
WHATS THE BEST TIME TO EAT FRUITS?
I’d say that the best time to eat fruits is
- In the mornings, as the first meal f the day
- Pre and post workout meal
- As a meal in itself, and NEVER to be consumed immediately after or in combination with a cooked meal.
I hope this article helps make you love and include more fruits in your daily diets without fearing them! So enjoy a variety of fruits and enjoy them guilt free!
-NOURRIR by