Fruit is the ultimate dessert; it is almost always sweet, energizing, and the varieties seem endless! So it shouldn't be difficult to eat 4-5 serving of it each day.
What is a serving of fruit? About 1/2 cup, or:
- The size of an average woman's fist (apples, oranges, peaches, pears…)
- The amount which can fit into one cupped hand (grapes, berries, sliced fruit…)
- A small to medium-sized banana (large bananas can be 2 servings)
Got that? Now we should aim for 4-5 servings each day.
Breakfast:
Eating fruit in the morning gives you that energy you need to start the day
- Add some freshly cut up fruit to your cold cereal (I love bananas for this)
- ….Or to your hot cereal. I cook oatmeal sometimes with pears or apples, and sometimes with frozen berries
- Mix some fresh fruit in with your yogurt and/or granola
- Eat some fruit with cottage cheese
- Slice up an orange instead of pouring some OJ
- Add fruit to your pancakes
- Make a fruit sauce, rather than using syrup on french toast, pancakes, or waffles
Lunch:
- Save some room for a piece of fruit at the end of your lunch–as a dessert!
Snack:
- Toast some bread, then add peanut butter and a sliced banana (or lose the bread all together)
- Mix or mush in some berries with pain non-fat yogurt
- Make a smoothie! (Recipe to follow soon)
- Slice up an apple, and dip in peanut butter
- Add some dried fruit to your trail mix (apricots, cranberries, prunes, raisins, blueberries…)
Dinner:
- I usually save most of my fruit-eating until the end of dinner, but it doesn't hurt to get creative. Fresh applesauce goes great with pork, and if you're planning out some kind of salsa, add in mango, pineapple, or peaches for a nice sweetness
- Add some fruit to your salads: apples give a great crunch, and dried fruits such as cranberries are nice and sweet too
After dinner:
- I love mixing in fruits with my wine–almost like sangria. Pears, peaches, and apples all taste great with red wine.
- Top your dessert with caramelized fruit: bananas with brandy, mixed berries, roasted apples, pears poached in wine, you name it! (Some vanilla ice cream wouldn't hurt here)
If you take one suggestion from each “meal” every day, you'll be on the right path to feeding your body what it needs!
Marina Bedrossian is a Northport, NY dietitian nutritionist who helps people with holistic nutrition solutions and food sensitivities. Visit this page to schedule an appointment and don’t forget to join the private Facebook group “Ingredients For Healthy Families” more information here.