Feast on Fruit for a Healthy Diet
Including fruit in your daily diet can be a struggle, but it's a great way to boost overall health, become more adventurous with food, and ensure that you're getting a rich amount of essential vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Whether you want to increase your intake of fruit purely for health reasons, or you want to find new and exciting recipes, we have plenty of handy fruit hacks to help you incorporate more fruit and create a healthy diet every day.
Start the Day with Morning Fruit
Just like morning stretches or a few glasses of cold water, starting the day with fruit is a great way to wake up with some healthy habits. It's easy and fun to add fruit into your daily morning routine with a tasty breakfast - perhaps try a smoothie with a blend of bananas, berries, and mangoes, or topping a bowl of porridge or muesli with sliced berries, coconut, or apples.
If time is tight in your work week, a fruit salad can be a great Sunday or midweek meal prep for a quicker and fruit-filled breakfast, making a healthy diet well within reach.
Pocket Fruit for A Speedy Snack
Keeping fruit snacks on hand is a super easy way to increase the fruit in your diet. Fresh fruit, dried fruits like apricots, dates, or raisins, or a cereal bar or snack box of trail mix are great quick snacking options. Keep snacks close to hand, in bag pockets or desk drawers at work, to make sure you can keep your energy levels consistent throughout the day, whilst sneaking in some extra nutrients throughout the day.
Find Your Favorite Fruit-Based Recipe
Fruit can often be neglected from a lunch or evening meal, but there are plenty of options to incorporate more fruit into all of your meals, making for a healthy diet throughout the day. A salad can be a great main dish with some added legumes or filling avocado, fish, or lean protein, or a tasty smaller side dish. Pomegranates, tomatoes, and apples are all tasty additions to a range of salad recipes.
You can also try your hand at making some fruit-based salsas or chutneys to accompany an evening meal - making mangos, pineapples, or peaches a regular on your evening plate. Fruit can also roast very well with cooked vegetable dishes; include apples or pears with a roast veg tray or couscous dish for a tasty evening.
Welcome New Fruits
We can all get stuck in our ways and play it safe when it comes to our regular food shop. But why not challenge yourself to try one fruit a week you've never tasted before? This can be a great way to increase your fruit intake, improve a healthy diet, and add some curiosity and creativity back into your daily cooking.
Make the most of seasonal as well as exotic fruits to enjoy a wide range of nutrients, and the freshest and tastiest flavors.
Drink Your Fruits
Boost your hydration as well as your fruit and nutrient intake by adding fruit slices or fresh berries to your water - lemons, limes, strawberries, or cucumbers are all great choices. You can also add fruit into infused fruit teas for a warming hydration hit to soothe the senses and boost your daily fruit intake.
Bake & Preserve
If the kitchen is your happy place, attempting to increase your fruit intake for a healthy diet is the perfect excuse to whip out the apron and get baking or preserving of a weekend. Fruit muffins and breads like a banana loaf cranberry loaf, or even courgette muffin, can be a great midweek treat, with an added starchy hit for a steady energy release after an afternoon slump.
Apple crisps or berry or peach pies can be a great sweet treat, whilst pickles, preserves, or jams are fun and easy to cook up for an evening, to enjoy fruit throughout the year.
Understand the Nutritional Benefits
Understanding the active impact of eating more fruit can be inspirational enough for you to eat more and create a healthy diet throughout the week. For instance, citrus fruits, strawberries, and kiwis are all high in Vitamin C - essential for keeping well and healthy with a strong immune system, whilst also supporting clear, healthy skin.
Apples, pears, and berries promote satiety and healthy digestion with a high fiber content, whilst blueberries, cherries, and grapes pack a great punch of antioxidants to help protect cells from damage and bodily inflammation, promoting all-round health.
Nurture A Healthy Diet with Daily Fruit
Adding more fruits into your diet and creating an attitude of curiosity and adventure when it comes to your weekly meal planning is a great way to nurture a healthy diet and live a more joyful and healthy life. From baking and preserving to fresh fruit breakfasts and handy snacks, there are plenty of ways to boost your fruit intake - and reap all the benefits of a healthy diet.
