Admittedly I am not very good at getting my five-a-day fruit intake, because I very often forget or never seem to finish off the portion I prepare for myself. According the recent UK survey, the average person can only manage three or less of their five-a-day intake. Furthermore, people prefer to drink more fruit juices rather than eating a piece of fresh fruit. What people do not realise is that some fruit juices have added sugars and additives; therefore you are piling on the liquid calories.



This is not to say that fruits do not have a certain amount of calories, however they are not fattening and so people eating a good amount of fruit are more likely to curb their cravings, or prevent themselves from snacking in between meals. Overeating is the main source of weight gain, which is why when adopting the routine of eating fruits and vegetables more often, along with a portion of protein you are more likely not to snack in between meals.

It is more difficult to become adjusted to a weight loss diet; however, studies have shown that if your body does not go into calorie deficit then you will not lose as quickly as you would want to. Studies have also shown that no matter how much exercise you do in a week, if your diet is not at its optimum then you will not lose weight or your body will plateau. This is not to say that just eating fresh fruit portions a day will guarantee you a healthy weight loss, as it is about portion control, how often you eat and balancing your meals.

Furthermore, by eating more fruits and vegetables, and less saturated fat, will mean that you lower the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease. In a recent study involving the study of men eating less saturated fat and more fresh fruits and vegetables, were 76 percent less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. Studies had also shown that certain combinations of fruits and vegetables, further helped to protect the body from future heart diseases.

There are antioxidant vitamins that are believed to be most beneficial and contributing towards the protection of serious heart ailments. Vitamin C rich fruits are one of the most important sources for boosting the strength of your immune system. Other nutritional values to eating plenty of fruit and vegetables that contribute to a healthy heart are folate, fibre and potassium. Getting into a habit of keeping ready-to-eat veggies in the fridge is a good idea to becoming accustomed to snacking on healthy foods.

One other way of keeping up with your fresh fruit and vegetable intake is to stock these in your kitchen, and avoid buying things like crisps, chocolates, biscuits and other foods high in saturated fats. These tend to be high in salt content and the main cause for weight gain, as not many people are aware of the amount of calories in a single biscuit or piece of chocolate. These are fine in small doses; however, they become a problem when one begins to stock them up!

An alternative treat would be to bake your own vegetable crisps, by thinly slicing each vegetable (potato, carrots, yams, suede, etc), placing them onto baking trays and lightly coating them in olive oil. Bake in the oven under a high temperature until golden and crisp. These make for a healthier alternative and are good at satisfying any craving. Other treats could include dark chocolate (as they are rich in antioxidant cocoa), small glass of red wine, eating a portion of nuts and snacking on dried fruits (this will count in your five-a-day). You should even consider mixing your own smoothies, using honey to sweeten.