Get fruity! Why you should have more fruits in your diet

‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. There is a reason that this saying exists. Fruits are a great way to improve your health. Replace ‘apple’ with ‘fruit’ and you tap into an even wider range of benefits. 

Fruits are often sweet, easy to prepare (you don’t have to peel some) and can often be eaten by anyone, including the youngest members of a family, with no trouble. From pomegranates to figs and grapes, the Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits. Here are a few reasons to add more fruits into your diet.

A great source of vitamins and minerals

We need vitamins and minerals like calcium to function and stay healthy. Calcium is known for keeping our bones strong and healthy but it has a multitude of other functions including playing a role in regulating heart rhythms and nerve functions. Some people buy multivitamin tabs to get these nutrients but whenever possible, it is worth it to add actual fruits to your diet. Calcium can be found in tangerines, oranges, mulberries, black berries and guavas. 

They feed the eyes 

Part of the joy of eating is in consuming food that looks beautiful. Fruits come in a range of colours; purple mulberries, green grapes, orange oranges and red apples. If the food looks good, you will want to eat it. A dish of colourful fruits gives meaning to the phrase ‘Eating the rainbow.’ 

They give a boost of energy

In addition to looking and tasting good, some fruits are great fuel for your day. If you need a boost of energy, put down the energy drink and reach for a handful of dates instead. Dates are high in sugar, iron and are easy to digest. This is part of the reason why they are popular during Ramadan. 

A great source of fiber 

You probably know that fiber helps to keep you full for longer and helps your bowel work well but that’s not all it does. Fiber helps to lower your cholesterol, it helps to control blood sugar and can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fiber rich fruits include; apples, bananas, oranges, raspberries and strawberries. Eat the fruits, as opposed to juicing them in order to get all the fiber. 

They are good for hydration 

The world is yet to agree on how much water a day a person actually needs. Some say 6to 8 glasses while others say it’s around 3 to 4 litres a day. The truth is that how much water you need depends on a number of things including where you live in the world. However, you can add onto your hydration needs with fruits. Watermelon, strawberries and grapefruit are just a few of the fruits you can reach for to increase your water intake.