Choosing the power of fruits

For some reason fruits aren’t the first thing I reach for when I’m hungry. I like them, but instead I choose other things that satisfy my cravings but aren’t healthy. I realized that lately I haven’t been doing some things that I should just because it doesn't come naturally. It has made me think about the importance of mindfulness, even about something as simple as eating a fruit, and since I want all the good things fruits have to offer, I’ve decided to eat more fruits on purpose.

Do you want to add more fruits to your diet?  Here are some ideas:  

- Use them for decoration at home: Make it easy to grab them and go.  Apples for example are rich in fiber and their skin contains quercetin, an antioxidant that protects against heart disease. If you want to feel full longer, eat a banana which is one of the best sources of resistant starch.

- Eat them from a beautiful bowl or plate: You don’t have to wait for guests, prepare just for you a bowl of cut oranges to keep your immune system strong and to add fiber, potassium, calcium, folate, and other B vitamins. Eat some pomegranate for antioxidants or papaya for vitamin C and vitamins A and E.

- Use them for a smoothie: You can choose to mix fresh fruits or add to your regular smoothie some powered açaí berry which is full of antioxidants.

- Make them a snack: If you get hungry, eat a grapefruit and keep your heart healthy by lowering cholesterol and adding antioxidants to your diet. Or prepare a bowl of cantaloupe for younger-looking skin.

- Add them to your salads: Fruits add color and flavor to salads. Add blueberries to improve your brain function and memory, strawberries for vitamin C and folic acid, avocados for monounsaturated fat and fatty acids.

- Make them a side dish: Use tomatoes to complete your meal. They are packed with an antioxidant called lycopene, and are high in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

- Cool yourself during hot days: Make some aguas frescas made with watermelon for an extra serving of lycopene, vitamins A and C.

- Decorate your yogurt or cereal:  Fruits not only make your food look more enticing, but they will add amazing flavor too. Add blackberries to get fiber and extra antioxidants and to fight against cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

- Add them to your meals: Mango or pineapple in a styr- fry will add special flavor to your dish along with vitamin C and bromelain to improve digestion.

Bad habits, whether related to food or anything else, sneak slowly into our lives, and before we realize it they’re part of our routine. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When we make conscious choices thinking not only about what we want now, but also what we want later, it’s easier to make the right decisions. Enjoy the power of fruits one bite at the time.

Manuelita@manuelitaotero

Some information taken from: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20606331,00.html

Fruit Salad Recipe

Since we are talking about fruits here is the recipe for a delicious and easy fruit salad

Ingredients:

• Fruits (if you have blueberries those go great, but it's not necessary)
• Honey
• Lemon
• Basil

1. It’s better to prepare the salad one hour before you serve it.
2. Select some fruits, try to choose equal amonuts.
3. Cut in small sizes the fruits you have chosen and mix them.
4. Put lemon and honey.
5. Leave the salad covered for one hour outside the fridge in a cool spot.
6. Put some basil to decorate and give it a great flavor.

Enjoy it!