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You've probably heard by now that eating fruit in addition to other healthy, natural foods will help maintain your body's health. How much should you be eating, though? Here are some thoughts about whether or not you're getting enough fruit in your diet. And if you're not, we have some tips that might help you get into the routine of having enough fruit every day. While you may get a different number depending on who you talk to, you should be eating at a minimum five portions of fruit (and vegetables) a day. Some recommend as many as nine portions of fruit and vegetables a day. You don't want to go overboard, but you do want to make sure you have at least five portions of fruit or vegetables each and every day. Ok, so you know you need to eat five "portions," but what exactly is a portion? It depends primarily on the size of the fruit (and how many calories it contains), but for most fruit a single portion would be one piece of fruit - one apple, one pear, one orange, one banana. That said, when it comes to smaller fruits (like berries), you'll want to measure out a cup of them to consider it one portion of fruit. This varies fruit to fruit, but one cup is a good starting point to make sure you're getting a full portion. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about ways to help make sure you actually eat enough fruit everyday. Variety is the spice of life. I love pizza (a lot), but if I had to eat it every single day, I'm sure I would soon get tired of it. To combat getting 'tired' of eating fruit (and being healthy), try to mix it up a bit. Maybe a pear on Tuesday's instead of an Apple. Or some papaya or mango instead of another watermelon. By keeping the fruit varied, you also help make sure you're getting enough variety of vitamins and minerals. Different fruit has different good things in it for you, so you want to make sure you don't get stuck in an apple rut and mix up your fruit choices. Another idea to make sure you stay on track with eating enough fruit every day is to prepare the fruit beforehand. This won't work with all fruit, but if you can just pop in the fridge and grab some grapes that are already cleaned and in a bowl, you might be more apt to eat them rather than open a bag of chips or something else that's already prepared but might not be as healthy for you. For example, if you get a watermelon, cut it up into bite size chunks and place it in a covered bowl in the fridge. This way it's a lot easier to get a portion or two without having to slice you off a piece, deal with the seeds and the mess, etc.
For more information and healthy recipes visit Fruity Health Directory.
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