Go Bananas With Fruits : How To Make Your Diet Fruitful For You

Your diet can make or break you. Here are a bunch of clever tips to get the most from your diet – by adding fruits!

A bowl full of vibrant and colourful fruits, the gooey pulp, and the sweet and tangy flavourful juice is sure to lift your spirits up in minutes, appealing to all your senses. Red, blue, orange, yellow, green, brown, purple, black and white- all the hues can be found in the ‘hue’mongous list of fruits. Sweet, sour, tangy, citric – there is a flavour to tickle each and every taste bud. And the heavenly whiff that hits the nose as you bite into one!

Palatable to the tongue and pleasing to the eyes, fruits pack in a punch and a whole lot of nutrients, bearing a testimony to nature’s bounty. All of us know/hear/talk about an ideal, healthy diet being rich in fruits and greens. But do we know the multifarious benefits of fruits enough to include them in our daily diet? Here is a ready reckoner to the tender and juicy treats, their benefits, and ways to make them a part of your diet:

• Countless nutrients and micro nutrients lie hidden within fruits that can keep you young, energetic, healthy, hydrated and full.
• Fruits are low in calories, fats, sodium- the ills that plague our eating habits- and  have no cholesterol at all.
•  Most of the fruits have 60% or more water content which not only replenishes the body but also keeps the skin supple.
•  As we go through our daily grind, our cells and tissues undergo a constant wear and tear.A sufficient intake of fruits is essential to revitalize and rejuvenate them.
• Fruits are a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants, and phyto-chemicals which act as a crusader against infections and diseases.
• Reducing the chances of heart attack, cancers, high blood pressure, bone loss, kidney stone, cholesterol, and constipation are some of the functions performed by the ‘fruit’ful nutrients.
• Fruits are also known to improve the immunity and digestive system.

However, knowledge of these boons bestowed by the nature will amount to nothing if 2-3 servings of different fruits are not incorporated in your diet. The best thing about fruits is that you can nibble on them anytime, anywhere, and even on the move! Fruits can be made a part of your breakfast, brunch, snack time or even dessert. It is always best to have raw, uncut, thoroughly rinsed fruits to retain all the nutrients. But you can add a dash of variety to your diet by whipping up some fruit based recipes.

 The knowledge of these boons bestowed by the nature will amount to nothing if 2-3 servings of different fruits are not incorporated in your diet.

Here are some tips to add a fruity zing to your life:

1. Play around with the fruit colours and try to use as many tints as possible. Dice multi coloured fruits, add your favourite dressing to this and rustle up a healthy and fun fruit salad.
2. Kick start your day with your favourite fruit based smoothie. Simply churn a couple of fruits, a handful of nuts, sugar and some curd (optional) to get a thick, creamy smoothie. Kids can be lured to have this by using ice cream or chocolate sauce.
3. The weight watchers can opt for a green smoothie. Just add a cup of green veggies to an equal amount of fruits; throw in some dates instead of sugar, and add flax seeds, oats or muesli. Blend into a fine smoothie to be enjoyed during brunch.
4. Adding dry fruits like raisins, prunes, figs and dates not only give a rich, sweet flavour to your smoothie, but also up the nutrient factor with their iron, zinc, and calcium content.
5. Blend any fruit pulp. Add to this paste some chopped cashews, almonds, apples, grapes, and pomegranate seeds. Freeze for half an hour, and your fruit pudding is ready to be devoured!
6. Try vegan fruit ice creams which are simple and quick to make, and amazing to taste! Just blend any pulpy fruit like mango, cheekoo, litchi, or banana, with dates and a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Transfer this into a container and freeze the mix for a couple of hours. Top with a blob of fruit jam or chocolate sauce (optional).

With the great Indian summers already here, it is the best time to make the most of the fresh produce of the season. So this summer, spoil yourself silly with these delicious fruity indulgences without any guilt!

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 Pic credit: Dave Emerson (Used under a CC license)

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Vichitra Agarwal

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