You can’t argue with the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits. These include the lowering of blood pressure; reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and probably some cancers, lowering the risk of eye and digestive problems and a mellowing effect on blood sugar that can help keep your appetite in check.
Fruits are a great source of nutrients and vital for a healthy diet. You should have at least three to five portions of fruit each day whether fresh, tinned (in natural juice), frozen, juiced or dried. Go for colour and variety, dark green, yellow, orange and red.
Have a plan
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- For breakfast: One small glass (roughly 100 ml) of fresh orange juice or smoothie (one portion). Drink smoothies 20 minutes before you consume other meals. This way the fruit will not ferment in the stomach and the nutritious elements can be absorbed by the blood effectively.
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- Mid-morning snack: An small pack of dried apricots (one portion); one handful of grapes or two handfuls of cherries or berry fruits (one portion).
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- For dessert: Strawberries (one portion) or one slice of fruit, such as melon, mango or pineapple as dessert (one portion); a small tin (roughly 200 g) of fruit (one portion); three tablespoons of fruit salad or stewed fruit.
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- Mid-afternoon snack: One piece of medium-sized fruit, such as an apple, peach, banana or orange (one portion); one tablespoon of dried fruit (one portion).
Keep fruit out where you can see it. That way you’re more likely to eat it. Keep it on the kitchen counter or in the front of the fridge and remember that some fruits contain many of their nutrients just under the skin, so eating them with the skin on can have greater nutritional benefits and the maximum amount of fibre, compared to just drinking the juice of the same fruit.
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours if you want to discuss a diet rich in fruits.