I remember being a kid, and dressing up in sweatpants and tall socks in the middle of summer in order to be allowed to go pick raspberries from their thorny bushes in my backyard. I argued with my mom that the halloween fabric painted sweatpants were too hot for the summer. And then I remember being thankful when a sharp thorn ripped the cloth and not my leg.
I remember sitting in the grass, eating blueberries from a bowl, while my mom was picking them from the bush. I remember her face, as she looked down after twenty minutes of picking out the ripest blueberries, a face that was wondering why the bowl still was almost empty.
I remember the fall leaves turning, and apples being picked, and how i would shine them up with my sundress and eat them right then and there. I'm sure I lost quite a few of my baby teeth from those crunchy fall apples. I remember my mother taking the rotted apples from underneath the trees and throwing them out into the woods so that the animals could have some too. And I remember the crab apple tree that stood in our front lawn, and how I learned quickly that those apples were rather icky.
I remember picking blackberries, and the sour face I made every time I tried one, forgetting that I didn't like them much. Of course that bowl always filled up fast.
Well that's all changed, now I love blackberries, and the house we lived in is no longer ours, so we settle for buying our fruit from the supermarket and farmer's market.
Parents give their kids what is good for them, fruits included. So what changed? I grew up? We moved? I got lazy? What?
The sad truth is, I think I got lazy. On my own, and caught up in my busy schedule, I think I forgot how yummy fruits were, and how easy and convenient they could be. Fruits are high in nutrition, water, and fiber. And as an added bonus, many take more calories for your body to digest than are actually in them!
So, today's tip is....
Tip 32: Eat more fruits!
Fruits are so healthy for you! They're sweet and yummy, and low in calories. Fruit is a guilt-free treat. Click "read more" for some fruit calorie counts, ideas on how to incorporate fruit into your diet, and other useful tips. :)
Some calorie counts....
- medium apple (between 65-90 calories)
- 1 cups strawberries (50 calories)
- 1 grapefruit (80 calories)
- 1 cup sliced watermelon/honey dew/cantaloupe (approx. 60 calories)
- 1 cup grapes (100 calories)
- medium banana (80 calories)
- clementines (35 calories per fruit)
Ideas on how to incorporate fruit into your everyday diet:
- add fruit to yogurt, cereal, or granola for breakfast
- use fruit as a treat
- make fruit an after-dinner dessert
- use fruit as one or both of your daily snacks
- use apples or bananas to top a breakfast sandwich (with peanut butter yum!)
- microwave apples and cinnamon for an apple-pie-like treat!
- blend frozen fruits into smoothies (add milk or cooled brewed green tea or water for a low calorie treat, but NEVER ice cream!)
- try grapes or raspberries (or experiment with other fruits) frozen for a cool icy treat
- cut strawberries or grab a bunch of grapes and pair with a glass of wine for a romantic treat with your loved one (but skip the chocolate on those strawberries!!)
- keep an apple or a banana on your desk at work or in your bookbag or purse so that you always have a good quick snack on hand
There are so many ways you can include fruit, I can't possibly list them all!
Other fruit tips:
- make an effort to learn which fruits are in season when. when the fruit is in season, its usually fresher, sweeter, and cheaper!
- just because something is not in season doesn't mean its bad. it might be a few cents extra, but if it looks good, go for it!
- some fruits are almost always in season because of how popularly they are grown, like apples and bananas
- farmers markets are great for local fruits (and veggies!)
- if you see a fruit that interests you, go for it and then google the name later to find a recipe and how to prepare the fruit. or, find a new fruit online that interests you and go to a food store that is likely to carry it (Wegmans is a popular chain that has a lot of ''different'' fruits and veggies available)
- if you're planning to make smoothies or cook with the fruit, sometimes it's cheaper to go for the frozen fruits. they're picked at their peak so they have the most nutrition.
- avoid having dried fruit that often, its high in calories.
- fruit juice can be a good source of a fruit serving, but make sure that the juice you buy is not "from concentrate" and that is has no added sugar (this is different from having artificial sweeteners- which are bad for you! check the label!). My fave is Mots for Tots apple juice- it has 60 calories per glass, compared to 120 calories for normal apple juice. and, ditch anything called "fruit punch" haha, its not real fruit, and its loaded with extra sugar.
- for smoothies, premeasured amounts of fruit can be put into sandwich bags and frozen, so that way when you're reaching for a smoothie everything is conveniently prepackaged and ready to use
Just Another Whale,
MyzzLyzz
No comments:
Post a Comment