Eating the five daily servings of fruits or vegetables may be a challenge for you. One way to improve your chances of reaching this requirement is by consuming fruits at your morning meal. The American Cancer Society recommends eating fruits to help reduce your cancer risk. Morning fruits can be added to your regular breakfast foods such as a banana on cereal, or you can create a meal entirely of fruit.
Fresh
Fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, plums and grapes do not require any preparation so you will save time in the morning. You can refrigerate your fruit if you prefer it cold or keep a bowl of fresh, washed fruit on your table. Berries such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries can be mixed together and placed in plastic storage bags for easy serving-size portions and on-the-go morning eating.
Milk
Fruit and milk mix well together. You can add fruits such as bananas, berries and peaches to your cereal and skim milk. You may also want to add fruit to low-fat yogurt for your morning breakfast. Smoothies can be made with skim milk, low fat yogurt and a variety of fruit choices. You may choose to make a strawberry and banana smoothie, or a wild-berry smoothie mixed with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.
Juice
If solid food and you do not agree in the morning, you may want to try 100 percent fruit juice to drink a serving of fruits. According to Gloria Tsang, RD, and Christina Newberry, writing for HealthCastle.com, grape juice and wild blueberry juice are high in antioxidants, which can boost your immune system. Cranberry juice contains flavonoids that can lower your risk for heart disease. You can freeze juice in your ice cube trays for a refreshing summer morning treat.
Tips
Aim to eat a variety of fruits in the morning. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests purchasing fresh fruit when you can, but also to keep canned fruits available when needed. Canned fruits in 100 percent fruit juice or water are healthier for you than fruits packaged in heavy syrups. When storing your fruits, keep fruit away from meat, poultry and seafood. The same is true when you are shopping and preparing your fruit. Always wash your fruit before you eat it to remove dirt and chemicals.
Member Comments