More fruits, please!

Are you trying to lose weight? Do you want to lighten up and improve your digestion? Do you want skin that glows? Then add more fruits to your diet.

It’s summer, ladies, and the choices of fresh, ripe, luscious fruits are amazing!!! Peaches, plums, canteloupes, oh my!!! Do your body a favor and indulge in all that this season has to offer. Fruits satisfy that sweet craving, with many fewer calories than cookies! And, fruits are packed with a plethora of good things including great taste. Think rainbow when you are choosing fruits for health. Red and purple fruits like grapes, watermelon and plums boast flavenoids, resveratrol and lycopene, all health-boosting and cancer-preventing compounds. Orange and yellow fruits like peaches, papayas, and mangoes abound with carotenoids, also cancer-fighting and great for the skin. Berries are the bomb when it comes to antioxidants and fiber—those little guys are a healthful powerhouse of nutrients, so eat up! Because they contain so many antioxidants, fruits can help protect you from sun damage from the inside out, as well as offering protection from other oxidizing insults such as pollution, stress and too much coffee or alcohol.

I know, some of you think of fruits as being high in sugar and possibly not so good if you have bloodsugar concerns. That can be a true concern, but I have an answer for you. Firstly, fruits should always be eaten in their whole fruit form, not as a juice, and preferably with their skin as well(as long as they are organic!). Nutrients and fibers are found in the skin and fiberous parts of the fruits which also slow down the digestion and break down of sugars. This is why fruits are so much better for you than their juice counterparts. In addition, I recommend eating whole fruits with a protein/fat compliment to further slow down their absorption into the bloodstream. This means having a handful of raw nuts with your peaches and berries, or having fresh fruits over muesli with soymilk or yogurt, or perhaps apples and peanut butter or a chunk of raw cheese. Oh, I’m getting hungry!!

So you see, there is so reason not to have several pieces of fruits every day. They help to hydrate you, replenish nutrients and sugars to boost your energy, and protect your body from oxidative and sun damage. Look for new melon varieties, or mini watermelons. Freeze up some berries or peaches for wintertime treats. Go bananas!
enjoy~
Diane