Eating fresh fruit with breakfast
The Basics
“Fruit provides a selection of important vitamins and minerals along with other compounds, called phytochemicals, that help to keep us healthy,” writes Tony Hirving RD.
“…By increasing your consumption of fruit, it can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and cataracts. There is also evidence that suggests eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day can help lower high blood pressure”.
When you follow GetFit Nutrition’s® healthy eating weight loss programme (uses the unique Nutrition Card® system), 1 apple, pear, orange or banana is equal to 1 Nutrition Card® portion from the fruit and vegetables food group.
Common Myths and Misconceptions
- “Adding fruit to cereal will curdle the milk in the stomach”. There’s absolutely no scientific evidence to support this theory. Your stomach is naturally very acidic (around pH 2) so eating fruit won’t increase the acidity any further. If you feel your stomach is sensitive in the morning, try eating less acidic fruits such as bananas for example
- “Fresh fruit is expensive”. If you buy home-grown fruits in season they will be cheaper than tropical fruits that have been imported from other countries. If you find fresh fruit expensive try using canned or dried fruit
Tips and Tricks
- Start the day with a healthy smoothie. Pop a handful of soft fresh fruit (berries, banana, mango) in a blender with a pot of low fat yoghurt and a little milk. Pur&eactute;e until smooth. For a dairy-free smoothie, blend fruit with 100% fruit juice, soya milk or soya yoghurt.
- If you don’t have time to eat breakfast before you leave the house in the morning take some fresh fruit to work with you.
- If you eat porridge in the morning try stirring in a mashed banana, some raspberries, strawberries, diced mango or a sliced kiwi fruit.
- Fresh fruit always taste better when it is ripe – to make sure you’ve always got ripe fruit available buy it a couple of days before you plan to eat it to give it time to ripen.
- Spread a mashed banana on toast instead of the usual jam or marmalade – you could probably even leave off the spreading fat.
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