8 Reasons You Should Be Eating Fruit on a Daily Basis

Experts recommend eating numerous servings of fruit each day to improve your health, and there are several reasons why you should fill your shopping cart with a variety of fruits during each supermarket visit. Here are eight reasons why you should eat fruit each day. 

Reason 1: Consuming More Healthy Potassium 

You probably know that bananas contain a lot of potassium, and this nutrient helps with the maintenance of your body’s blood flow. Potassium also protects your cardiovascular system, so you should choose fruits such as apricots, grapefruits and cantaloupes that also contain potassium. Learn how to use fresh fruit in your recipes at home to add flavor to other ingredients. 

Reason 2: Avoiding a High Consumption of Sodium 

Fruit is naturally low in sodium when it hasn’t been processed with additional ingredients. If you have high blood pressure, then you should avoid any foods that are high in sodium such as potato chips or pretzels. When you are buying dried fruits, make sure to read the label on the package to avoid consuming any ingredients that contain added sodium. 

Reason 3: Easy to Carry In Lunches 

If you need a food that won’t spoil in your lunches that you take to work or school, then pack fresh fruit. It is easy to eat a banana, pear or berries that have been washed and packed securely in a lunch container. Plan ahead the night before by prepping the fruit for your lunch so that you won’t buy candy bars from a vending machine. It is also possible to find small cans of juice-packed fruit that you can pack for your lunches. 

Reason 4: Contains High Levels of Fiber 

When you are trying to maintain your body’s weight, consuming more fiber is helpful. You don’t need to buy store-bought fiber medication products that are expensive and that have side effects because most whole fruit is high in fiber. Fiber offers other benefits for your body, including preventing constipation from eating a diet that is high in processed foods. Some of the fruits with the highest fiber content include oranges, raspberries and bananas. 

Reason 5: Protecting Your Immune System with Vitamin C 

There are great reasons why you crave oranges and lemons during the winter. These citrus fruits contain high levels of vitamin C, and this nutrient improves the condition of your body’s immune system. While drinking citrus fruit juice is okay when you have a sore throat, whole fruit is a better choice because the vitamin C isn’t damaged by any manufacturing processes. If you want to drink fruit juices, then you can make your own at home without adding any sugar or other harmful ingredients. 

Reason 6: Avoiding Desserts that Contain High Levels of Sugar 

If you enjoy eating something sweet after a meal for a dessert, then fruit can keep you from eating pastries, cookies and cake. Fruit has natural sugar, but it has a smaller amount, and with fiber from whole fruit, the food is digested slowly. Most diabetics can eat certain types of fruits without having problems with their blood glucose levels. The sweetest fruits include dates, blackberries and grapefruits. 

Reason 7: Ingesting Antioxidants that Prevent Diseases 

The antioxidants in fruits can protect your body’s cells by eliminating the free radicals that lead to aging and disease. When you want to consume more antioxidants, choose the types that are brightly colored such as red cherries, blueberries or blood oranges. Remember that a serving of fruit is small, but it can’t hurt you to eat a double or triple serving of low-calorie fresh fruit. Remember that you can use fresh fruit in smoothie beverages or on cereal. 

Reason 8: Huge Variety of Fruits 

In addition to eating apples, bananas or oranges, you should make sure to choose other types of fruits, especially ones that are seasonal such as blueberries, peaches and strawberries. Don’t forget to look for exotic fruits in the special produce section of the supermarket. Some of the exotic fruits that you might find include persimmons, passion fruit or pomegranates. By choosing a variety of different fruits, you won’t become bored from eating the same types for lunches and snacks.