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| home : how we can help : prevention, screening, & diagnostics : answers to cancer : diet & nutrition
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Question: I know the recommendation is to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day. I have the hardest time trying to include fruits in my diet daily. When I buy fruit, I'm not in the habit of eating it and it often rots in my refrigerator. I'm worried that I'm missing out on getting some of the nutrients I need. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer: You certainly are correct in thinking that you might be missing out on important nutrients by not eating enough fruit. We now know that fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy diet, which can help prevent cancer and other chronic diseases. The following are a couple of suggestions that may be helpful in increasing the fruit in your diet. Remember, new habits are usually difficult to establish; choose one new behavior to increase the amount of fruit you eat and gradually add new behaviors or habits until you are satisfied that you are meeting the goals of a healthy diet.
Hints for increasing fruit in your diet:
- Buy seasonal fruits. They are usually the freshest and tastiest, and may be particularly appetizing if you haven't had them for awhile.
- Buy at least some fruit that you can put in a bowl or basket on the counter or table. It will be more visible and you will be reminded to eat it when you see it. Hidden fruit in the refrigerator is easier to forget about it.
- Try having 100% fruit juice at a meal or snack each day if you're having a hard time consuming whole fruit.
- Consider adding some dried fruit to your diet. It has a long shelf life and makes a convenient snack. (A great no-mess snack for the car.) The most common dried fruit of course are raisins, prunes, dates and figs. But how about trying apricot, banana, papaya and apples?
- Add fruit to your cereal regularly.
- Make it a habit to have fruit for dessert.
- Keep unsweetened canned fruit on hand for an easy dessert or snack.
Hints for reducing spoiled fruit in your refrigerator:
- When shopping for fruit, buy smaller quantities when possible. You may have to shop for fruit more frequently, but this will allow you to eat the fruit at its freshest and not waste fruit that rots before you can eat it.
- Share your produce shopping with a friend so that you each split a quart of strawberries or a bag of apples, etc.
- Do not wash or cut fruit before storing in the refrigerator. It will lose some of its nutrient content and spoil faster. Prepare fruit as close to serving it as possible.
- If you have bought more fruit than you can eat, try freezing such things as strawberries and blueberries. They are great to pull out later to snack on, put on cereal or put in the blender with juice to make a fruit smoothie.
- If your fruit is starting to spoil, bake with it (if you have time of course). Apple crisp and banana bread are two favorite ways to use "past their peak" apples and bananas.
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