This Is the Simplest Way to Sneak Fruit into Your Diet

How to eat more fruit, like a boss.

I have nothing against fruit. I think fruit is fun. It’s bright. It’s delicious. My main issue with fruit is accessibility. I don’t mean a lack of availability, because despite the fact that I don’t live in an area where fruit grows on trees, it is still readily available at every grocery store and farmers’ market.

What I’m talking about is prep. While there are a few foods you can pick up and go (grapes, pears, bananas, apples, berries and cherries), there are quite a few you can’t (oranges, pomegranates, pineapples, pitaya/dragon fruit), and in my opinion, these are the better fruits. So how do you get more of those fruits into your diet?

BREAKFAST
I don’t know if I’m alone in this but I’m still riding the smoothie train. Ever seen the Will it Blend? series on Youtube? Whether you have or not, all fruit blends. All fruit. Pomegranates? Blend. Bananas? Blend. Oranges? Blend. The great thing about blending is that you just throw it all in there and it’s done. It’s all natural sugar, and because fruits tend to be full of water it’s good for staying hydrated.

If you’re over the smoothie thing, you could try a smoothie bowl, like this beautiful purple-pink one from Minimalist Baker. And if smoothie bowls aren’t your thing either, you can top regular oatmeal or chia puddings with fruit.

LUNCH + DINNER
Long live the fruity salad! No but seriously, when I first discovered that I *gasp* could put fruit in my salads I felt liberated. If you have yet to try this, consider this your cue to do so. Start simple, get your leaves – spinach, radicchio, arugula, romaine or kale; then add tons of fruit: pomegranate seeds, slices of orange or slivers of mango, watermelon, plum, or peach. Following this, I add seeds or nuts, a little cheese (blue cheese, brie, and goats cheese are my go-tos). Wonderful.

Most salads are cold, what if you want something hot and fruity for lunch? Well for starters, salads don’t have to be cold. They can be warm. If you still don’t want a salad, there are ways for you to cook with fruit. Try threading them onto kebabs, sautéing them, or roasting them.

DESSERT
This is where fruit thrives. You can throw it on some plain greek yogurt. You can dip it in dark chocolate. You can make nice-cream. You can make a naked pie.

I’d say it’s pretty straightforward.

/Femi, The Girl Who Hates Working Out

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