Taste the Rainbow - a Healthy Way...

When your looking for something sweet to eat, we often go towards sugary treats such as cookies or cakes or candy.  And with another holiday weekend starting again today, the choice of "junk food" vs. " healthier options will appear a lot!  However the sweetness of fruit can also be used to help relieve that need for something sweet and is also often found at many BBQs and gatherings.  I know for me, I've found that frozen grapes are a great way to use nature's "candy" to eliminate the cravings and a giant bowl of fresh cut fruit is also eaten at any event I bring one too!  But the benefits of fruit go much further beyond helping to deal with sweet cravings.

It's also a great option to add into not only your lunch but also the lunches you pack for your children for school.  I know my minions are incredibly excited when they see me cutting up fruit for their lunches.  Nicky is a huge fan of any berries (especially raspberries) and kiwis.  Matty is more of a banana and stone fruits kinda guy - though he loves strawberries too.  And of course, they love to steal my frozen red grapes as well!

• Including fruits into your diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
• Eating a diet filled with fruits (and vegetables) can help protect against certain types of cancers.
• A diet rich in fruits is typically also a diet rich in fiber and may help reduce the risk of diabetes as well as obesity (well think, fruits instead of treats... that makes sense).
• Choosing fruits instead of higher calorie foods can also obviously lower your caloric intake.
• Fruits are also sources of many essential nutrients - such as potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid.

So the next time your considering what to snack on - instead of grabbing something processed from the cabinets consider grabbing a piece of fruit instead!




Until Next Time...