Fruit is good for you, we all know that, but what difference does it really make to our health? Has anyone ever explained it properly? Understanding just how important it is to factor fruit into our daily diets is essential to keeping healthy and keeping our weight under control. Once you know why it's so important, you're far more likely to grab an apple next time your tummy rumbles.
Hydration
Hydration is essential to our every day health. Being properly hydrated helps us feel alert, keeps our brains and vital organs functioning properly and keeps our skin healthy. A large percentage of fruit is made up of water and eating a few portions a day can go a long way to helping us stay hydrated and working at our best.
Fruits that contain a high water content include strawberries, oranges, watermelons and grapefruit. Fruit has it's highest water content when at it's freshest so buy fresh fruit every morning or use a fruit delivery service such as www.fruitfuloffice.co.uk.
Control Your Waist Line
Fruit offers a healthy snacking option to keep you going in between meals. In fact it's actually recommended that you have a healthy snack twice a day to avoid dips in blood sugar and keep your metabolism going. By eating a little more fruit you can actually cut down your calorie intake helping you control your weight better. By eating a small piece of fruit an hour or so before a meal this will stop any over eating at meal times.
A healthy sized fruit snack includes- an apple, 10-15 grapes, a handful of berries, 10 strawberries and two satsumas.
Essential Fibre
Fibre is so important in our daily diets and eating more fruit can help you reach your fibre needs. Getting enough fibre helps keep your gut happy, keeps things regular and healthy and helps prevent any future stomach related diseases.
For fruits high in fibre try- Figs, oranges and berries.
Vitamins and Minerals
Meeting your bodies needs for essential vitamins and minerals is really important to your health. These vitamins help keep your immune system strong, help keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels low, keeps your organs, bones, muscles and skin healthy and can work towards preventing diseases. Ensuring you get your five a day is a sure way to keep your body happy and healthy.
Vitamin rich fruits include: Pretty much all fruits but particularly blueberries, bananas, oranges, strawberries and kiwis.
Be Healthy For The Long Term
Looking after your health early on is essential to ensure you are healthy later on in life. So many of us assume while we are young we have our health and won't have to work hard to keep it, but making sure you eat a balanced diet from a young age is important for your future health. Eating 3-4 portions of fruit a day will go a long way to helping you stay fit and healthy for the long term. The fibre, vitamins and minerals found in fruit will help maintain healthy organs, bones and muscles that will leave you fighting fit.