Did you know that we're supposed to eat 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit a day? With 1/2 cup servings that's 3-5 servings a day of just fruit alone! Only 40% of Americans eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables.
I recently lost 10 pounds by doing nothing. I didn't workout. I didn't diet. There was one day where I had several servings of french fries (homemade, of course!) throughout the day. One of the ways that I accomplished this weight loss is by adding more fruits and vegetables into my diet.
We know that fruits and vegetables contain all of the vitamins and minerals that our body needs, along with protein. It's actually better to get all of your vitamin and mineral needs from your diet rather than a supplement. Most of what you take from the supplement ends up in your urine and not in your body, while eating fruits and vegetables, your body hangs on to those nutrients.
Because of my "lifestyle" change, I'm more full. I crave food less. I have more energy. However, it's been tough adding in the extra fruit and so forth. First was the expense. Figuring out how to much to buy was tough for me. Sometimes, I bought too much and I ended up throwing away rotten fruit. Sometimes, I bought too little and ended up craving something sweet, so I would hit my local grocery store for overly processed cakes.
Adding more fruit to my diet was easier than adding more vegetables. I love for my snacks to be sweet. I have forgone my favorite snack of graham crackers with honey roasted peanut butter in order to eat more fruit. Because fruit is naturally sweet, it's a lot tastier than say Brussel sprouts.
How to Add in More Fruit
2. Since we have to eat more whole grains, why not eat a bowl of oatmeal with fresh or frozen fruit? You can skip those boxes of instant oatmeal and buy a large canister of quick cooking oats. It's cheaper in the long run. I like to divvy 1/4 cups of oatmeal into little sandwich bags. I add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the bag and a pinch of salt. I can take these bags to work, just add water and there I have a quick breakfast. You can also add dried fruit like cranberries or blueberries.
3. Add fruit to your cereal. Liven up a those boring cornflakes with slices of bananas and strawberries. Take a risk with peaches and raspberries. If you're using frozen fruit, I would pour the milk in first and then the fruit, let the fruit thaw out a little in the milk and then add your cereal. This way your milk gets sweetened and you don't lose all of the flavor of the fruit.
4. Forget Jamba Juice! Make your own smoothies! While I personally prefer to eat my calories, you can make a satisfying snack and/or breakfast in a few minutes. Take some fruit, some yogurt or milk, blend and you're on your way. You can add in a tablespoon or two of almonds or ground flax seed. Or you can add in a scoop of whey or soy protein and have your smoothie as your recovery drink after a long and hard workout. Get creative.
I recently lost 10 pounds by doing nothing. I didn't workout. I didn't diet. There was one day where I had several servings of french fries (homemade, of course!) throughout the day. One of the ways that I accomplished this weight loss is by adding more fruits and vegetables into my diet.
We know that fruits and vegetables contain all of the vitamins and minerals that our body needs, along with protein. It's actually better to get all of your vitamin and mineral needs from your diet rather than a supplement. Most of what you take from the supplement ends up in your urine and not in your body, while eating fruits and vegetables, your body hangs on to those nutrients.
Because of my "lifestyle" change, I'm more full. I crave food less. I have more energy. However, it's been tough adding in the extra fruit and so forth. First was the expense. Figuring out how to much to buy was tough for me. Sometimes, I bought too much and I ended up throwing away rotten fruit. Sometimes, I bought too little and ended up craving something sweet, so I would hit my local grocery store for overly processed cakes.
Adding more fruit to my diet was easier than adding more vegetables. I love for my snacks to be sweet. I have forgone my favorite snack of graham crackers with honey roasted peanut butter in order to eat more fruit. Because fruit is naturally sweet, it's a lot tastier than say Brussel sprouts.
How to Add in More Fruit
Fruits
Adding more fruit to my diet was easier than adding more vegetables.
1. Instead of having adding the chocolate or caramel syrup to your ice or cake, try to add a fruit compote. Take some fruit, a little sugar, heat over the stove until desired doneness. Or you can recreate your own fruit sauce. Raspberry Sauce is delicious and takes five minutes to make. All you'll need is a 10oz bag of frozen raspberries or any other fruit, 3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pop everything into a blender and blend until smooth. You can add it directly to your dessert or you can strain it so that the texture is a litter more smoother. This serves 4-6 people.
Another example is just adding fresh fruit to Angel Food Cake. Delicious! See tomorrow's post for Microwave Angel Food Cake!
Another example is just adding fresh fruit to Angel Food Cake. Delicious! See tomorrow's post for Microwave Angel Food Cake!
2. Since we have to eat more whole grains, why not eat a bowl of oatmeal with fresh or frozen fruit? You can skip those boxes of instant oatmeal and buy a large canister of quick cooking oats. It's cheaper in the long run. I like to divvy 1/4 cups of oatmeal into little sandwich bags. I add a tablespoon of brown sugar to the bag and a pinch of salt. I can take these bags to work, just add water and there I have a quick breakfast. You can also add dried fruit like cranberries or blueberries.
3. Add fruit to your cereal. Liven up a those boring cornflakes with slices of bananas and strawberries. Take a risk with peaches and raspberries. If you're using frozen fruit, I would pour the milk in first and then the fruit, let the fruit thaw out a little in the milk and then add your cereal. This way your milk gets sweetened and you don't lose all of the flavor of the fruit.
4. Forget Jamba Juice! Make your own smoothies! While I personally prefer to eat my calories, you can make a satisfying snack and/or breakfast in a few minutes. Take some fruit, some yogurt or milk, blend and you're on your way. You can add in a tablespoon or two of almonds or ground flax seed. Or you can add in a scoop of whey or soy protein and have your smoothie as your recovery drink after a long and hard workout. Get creative.
5. The USDA says that 100 percent fruit juice and count as well. I personally think you lose a lot of the fiber and some nutrients by drinking juice alone, but it is something.
6. Instead of buying frozen waffles or pancakes, make your own. Skip the pancake mix. If you have a well stocked kitchen (see previous post) then you have all of the ingredients needed to make a batch of pancakes. Just add fruit to the batter. To save time, I like to make a big batch on the weekends and freeze them so I can have them for the rest of the week. While buying a box of frozen waffles costs $4 and buying all of the ingredients to make pancakes costs about $10. In the end, a box of frozen waffles or pancakes serves only four people. You can make a hell of lot more pancakes if you have all of the ingredients.
7. Another simple way to add fruit is to your frozen pancakes and waffles or to your french toast. Just plop your favorite fruit on top and cover with syrup.
See the next post for a great smoothie recipe!
6. Instead of buying frozen waffles or pancakes, make your own. Skip the pancake mix. If you have a well stocked kitchen (see previous post) then you have all of the ingredients needed to make a batch of pancakes. Just add fruit to the batter. To save time, I like to make a big batch on the weekends and freeze them so I can have them for the rest of the week. While buying a box of frozen waffles costs $4 and buying all of the ingredients to make pancakes costs about $10. In the end, a box of frozen waffles or pancakes serves only four people. You can make a hell of lot more pancakes if you have all of the ingredients.
7. Another simple way to add fruit is to your frozen pancakes and waffles or to your french toast. Just plop your favorite fruit on top and cover with syrup.
See the next post for a great smoothie recipe!
