For the eternity of human history, fruit and vegetables have been a crucial part of the human diet. Even today, people who actively avoid meat and dairy – AKA vegans – live purely off fruits and vegetables and their wide range of nutrients. However, for some people, fruits and vegetables are not a crucial part of their diet, which can be detrimental to their health.
The NHS recommends that you eat five portions of fruit or vegetables a day as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Evidence shows that there are significant benefits of getting at least five portions of a selection of fruits and vegetables each day.
The five a day campaign is linked to the World Health Organization that recommends eating a minimum of 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a week to lower the risk of serious health problems such as stroke, heart disease and some cancers. Fruit and vegetables are also a good source of vitamins and minerals and an excellent source of dietary fibre.
What happens if, despite knowing all of the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables, you are one of those people that just isn’t that keen on these food groups? The good news is that just because you aren’t a fan of fruit and veg in their raw or cooked forms, that doesn’t mean you can’t get your five a day. It’s just a case of being creative with how you consume them, that’s all.
Bake it
Dried fruit is delicious and is often used in baking, to top breakfasts, or as a healthy snack throughout the day. However, dried fruit is packed full of sugar and isn’t that good for you, whereas baked fruit can be. You can choose to buy readily baked fruit from brands like Urban Fruit, which sell a selection of baked fruits with nothing added or taken away. Or, you can choose to bake fruit yourself at home slowly in the oven. The great thing about baked fruit is that it tastes more like sweets than fruit and is convenient to eat anywhere.
Freeze dry it
Freeze dried fruit is totally delicious, in fact, it tastes a lot like some sort of chewy sweet. It’s a real treat to eat, which is great because it is packed full of all the vitamins and nutrients that fresh fruit has and counts as one of your five a day. You could opt to freeze dry your own fruit, or you could pick some up at the supermarket – a great brand to try is Snack Organisation, as they have a wide range of freeze-dried fruits, from strawberries to banana.
Blend it
Another way to make eating fruit and vegetables easier is to blend them into a breakfast smoothie. All you will need is to buy a smoothie maker on Amazon and a selection of fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables to use, in addition to your milk of choice – dairy-free milk tends to work best in smoothies. Some classic combinations to try include strawberry, banana, and oat milk; orange, carrot, and almond milk; avocado, spinach, apple, and strawberry with rice milk.
Roll it
Did you love fruit roll-ups as a kid? If the answer is yes, then this is a great method of eating more fruit. Fresh fruit (and vegetables) can be baked into tasty roll-ups that make great snacks. You can choose to buy readymade ones at the supermarket – just make sure nothing has been added – or you can make them yourself. Believe it or not, it’s much easier than you would think to make homemade, healthy fruit roll-ups.
There you have it, some tips for loving fruit and vegetables more in 2018.
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