everyone (and their mother) knows that fruits and vegetables are two of the most important food groups, not only for changing one's lifestyle, but for daily functioning of the body. this week i'm going to focus on my favorite of the two, fruits!
the darker and richer in color the fruit is, the more vitamins it packs, same story goes for vegetables.
fruits like: mango, cherry, any sort of berry, banana, plums, apples, avocado-yes avocado is a fruit not a vegetable, apricots, and oranges are bound to have more vitamins in them due to the rich color of their outer skin. the rich color comes from the ratio of vitamins to water, if the fruit has more vitamins than it has water, then it will have a darker, more vibrant outside.
fruits like, watermelon, kiwi, strawberry and lychee are mostly water, so they pack way less of a punch when it comes to vitamins. that is not to say, however, that they are any less delicious or important to a well balanced diet. a "party plus" for some people when it comes to these watery fruits is that they are extremely low in calories!
another reason fruits are so important, and why it is recommended for us to have atleast 2-4 servings daily of both fruits and vegetables (a task i will be concurring this week) is that they are packed with antioxidants.
antioxidant rich fruits: pomegranate, acai, blue berries, black berries, raspberries, prunes (or what i like to consider their more delicious cousin-raisins!), red grapes, and cherries (anti0xidant-fruits.com). something you may notice in the listing of these antioxidant fruits is that they are all various shades of red and purple, (next week when i list antioxidant vegetables, you will see a similar pattern. very sneaky, mother nature.)
just for a quick overview of why antioxidant rich fruits are important, the definition of antioxidant is found easily in it's name. in this case, anti means: inhibiting, and oxidant, means, well- OXYGEN! so, antioxidant is the act of inhibiting the oxidation of the skin in animals. which assists, but is not a cure-all, in helping the skin age more gracefully. another party plus for the fruits!
today when i go shopping i put a list together of the following fruits i will eat for this week, and the reasons behind why each fruit is extremely important on the journey to both health and weight loss.
katie's fruit-licious shopping list:
all antioxidant fruits (see above)
oranges (vitamin C- hello!!)
watermelon (delicious, in season, and only 90 calories- IN HALF A WATERMELON)
avocado (can make delicious guacamole, or for less calories slice it up and add some tomato with salt, but beware avocado is very high in fat-good fats!- but fat none the less, eat in moderation)
tomato (another sneaky fruit turned vegetable turned fruit. delicious, watery, full of vitamins A, B & K)
pears (so i can get my potassium on)
banana (see the reasoning for 'pears')
nectarine (vitamin C)
pomegranate (vitamin K- so it can aid in my blood clotting, and it is said to help prevent cancer-whatever that means)
on friday i will post a delicious fruit recipe that i will come up with this week, as well as give the details of what eating 2-4 servings of fruit every day has helped me achieve. i hope to feel more energized and have a more regular stomach cycle.
until then, happy eating! and as always-work it.
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