Sweet, Juicy and Delicious Fruits

What do you love about
fruits?  They are a fun food, a guilty pleasure, and a great anytime
snack to me!  And have you noticed how you can cook ANY fruit and it
gets sweeter, richer, and more beautiful in every way?Here are
some tips* about enjoying them while minimizing overindulging: 1.
Watch your portion size if you enjoy cooked or dried fruit over fresh
fruit.  A plum is a plum until dehydration turns it to a prune, but one
prune and one plum are similar in calories if no longer size.  Read the
back of dried sugar bags to check for sugar additives.  Use only a
tablespoon of them in your morning oatmeal or breakfast, or with some
mixed (unsalted) nuts at snack time.2. Buy in a cost
effective way.  Buying fresh berries in New Mexico is incredibly
expensive (even via Costco) so buy them when seasonally fresh and
cheap.  Rinse, drain, and lay them on a baking sheet in the freezer. 
Once frozen, bag them for storage.  Add a few frozen berries to some
plain chopped fruit, throw them into your pancake or waffle batter, mix
them into yogurt.  They thaw incredibly fast and are delicious, and
inexpensive!3. Try a new fruit once or twice a month. 
Research kiwis, melons, anything in season before buying so you have a
plan about enjoying them and are more excited to get to the store for
it.I have to admit I have a mental block toward fresh
Pineapple.  I had some vinegar-tasting fresh pineapple at an Easter
buffet as a child, with a subsequent food illness.  I still squirm when
my husband carries one home and dices it up for himself and our kids. 
Fortunately, I have no barriers toward canned pineapple.  So a tip for
buying those cans: read the labels, watch the sugar additives, and drain
off the liquid.  When oranges are out of season or I am running out the
door, I drain a can and divide it between my daughters.  A sweet and
healthy treat!Tomorrow: How to be Smart about Meat *This
is a personal commentary on food from a Fitness Professional, and
should not be used as nutritional advice.