For the past decade, The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have encouraged consuming a minimum of two servings of fruit a day. Sadly, the majority of Americans do not reach this goal. To harness the healing power of fruit, it is important to eat more than two servings a day. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends eating nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, almost double the amount recommended in the Dietary Guidelines. This is because the more servings of fruits and vegetables eaten per day as part of a healthy diet, the lower your risk of obesity, digestive problems, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Step 1
Eat a minimum of three servings of fruit a day, but aim for more. The vitamins, minerals, fiber, water and phytochemicals work together to give fruit its protective and healing properties. These compounds help to ward off disease and are essential for a healthy body.
Step 2
Eat a serving of fruit at breakfast. Chopped or shredded apples and pears can be added into many breakfast foods, including breads, muffins, pancakes and waffles. The oil in many recipes can be substituted with mashed bananas, pumpkin or applesauce. Fresh fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries, can easily be added to cereals and yogurt.
Step 3
Eat a serving of fruit at lunch. Add banana slices to your peanut butter and honey sandwich. Spread sliced or mashed avocado on sandwiches, wraps and burgers.
Step 4
Eat a serving of fruit at dinner. Raisins, cranberries and mandarin oranges can be tossed into salads. Add dried fruits and pineapple to either coleslaw or broccoli salad. Add guacamole to burritos, tacos or fajitas.
Step 5
Eat a serving of fruit with your snack. Cut up watermelon, pineapple or cantaloupe ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator to grab for quick snacks. Add fresh fruit to cottage cheese or yogurt. Add frozen fruit such as mangos, bananas, blueberries and strawberries to a smoothie. Eat an apple or banana slices with peanut butter. Add lemon and cucumber slices to watermelon.
