Currently, one of the health problems that most affects the world's population are eating disorders, which usually lead to malnutrition, or obesity and overweight. These alterations can also generate an increased risk of suffering from other pathologies such as type 2 diabetes or diseases related to the cardiovascular system.
The best way to combat weight problems is to include healthy habits in our daily lives, such as adequate rest, regular physical exercise and incorporate a good diet. One of the foundations of a healthy and balanced diet is to include fruits and vegetables in the menu of each day. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the intake of five pieces of fruit or vegetables a day. Fruit is necessary to cover the basic nutritional needs of our body, especially for the vitamins and fiber they provide. If you find it difficult to include it in your diet, in we explain how to eat five pieces of fruit a day.
Tips for taking 5 pieces of fruit a day
If you are not used to taking fruit on a daily basis, it is normal that when you try to include five pieces in your intakes it costs you a lot of effort. We recommend, then, the following:
- At first: start trying to take this food in your breakfasts, at lunch and at snack time, as if it were a snack. You can start with small fruits if it costs you a lot.
- Eat your skin: in addition, we advise you that the pieces of fruit, if possible, ingest them with skin. Logically there are some varieties in which it is not possible, such as pineapple, orange or kiwi, but in others such as apple or pear, its intake means a considerable increase in the percentage of fiber that food can provide us.
- Fruit and another food: it is also recommended that you add another food in your lunches and snacks apart from the fruit. A dairy, such as a yogurt, or a handful of nuts can perfectly complement the piece of fruit.
- At breakfast: with respect to breakfast, it should be complete and contain carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins. If you don't know how to include everything, here's an example: toast with Iberian ham and olive oil, coffee with milk and kiwi. Do you prefer something sweet? Replace olive oil with margarine and/or jam and coffee with milk with a yogurt with natural strawberries.
Fruit in the dessert
Surely you have heard on many occasions that the fruit for dessert makes you fat and you have ended up wondering how much fruit you should take a day so as not to get fat. It is one of those false myths that have been installed in the food of today's society. It's okay to have fruit for dessert, lunch or dinner. In fact, fruit is one of the most beneficial foods we can take. If you think the problem is in sugar, think that it is a natural sugar, and not like the one we can find in chocolate or other processed foods. Therefore, do not be afraid to eat fruit – fruit does not make you fat.
What's more, if you are still not entirely convinced, in this other article we teach you how to lose weight by eating fruits.
How to take fruit for dessert
If, despite this, it is still difficult for you to incorporate it, try to avoid certain heavier fruits, such as apples, and take those whose percentage of water is very high, such as pineapple, melon or watermelon. Small fruits, such as strawberries or cherries, will also be easier to digest as a dessert.
Simple ways to include fruits in your daily meals
If you still find it very difficult to eat fruits during your daily routine, there are some tricks and recipes that can help you.
- Juices: as we have previously explained, it is better that you take the complete piece of fruit, if possible, with skin, to ingest all the possible nutrients. But if you find it difficult you can, at first, take one or two pieces of fruit from the five daily in the form of juice, even if you lose fiber and the satiating capacity that a whole fruit has.
- Pieces of fruit and yogurt: another trick is to chop the fruit and take it with your yogurt at breakfast, lunch and snack. If you want you can also add nuts and honey.
- Fruit as a first course: does it cost you a lot to take it at dessert? Here's a trick. Instead of leaving it for the end, you can add it to the starter or the main course. Try adding apple or pomegranate to your salads or use the pineapple with the meats. Pear or grapes can also be part of starter crepes.
- Macedonia: if you prefer a very sweet finish, you can prepare a delicious salad, with different varieties of fruit, and with a base of orange or tangerine juice, to give a slightly acidic touch.
- Fruit compote: Another easy way to take fruit at that time is to make a homemade fruit compote. It will be like having a yogurt for dessert, only with another texture and with a sweeter taste.
Now that you know how to eat five pieces of fruit a day, you may also be interested in this other article from on How to make fruit pudding, another option to take fruit in your day to day.
