Five portions a day?

rubberbiscuit

Thanks for the ideas! Im def going to try a few. And its good to know that veg is more important than fruit, I love veggies!!:D

LondonDreamer

EstherH wrote: »

I always see that tinned fruit in natural juice is as good as fresh but if I wash the syrup off fruit tinned in syrup why wouldn't that count. It is always much cheaper than when it is tinned in juice.

Esther x

I think it should still count, but you'll be getting more sugar and calories (even rinsed, as some will soak in to the fruit fibres) which is why in juice is recommended over syrup. Some fruits don't have an "in juice" alternative available, and IMO an in syrup version is better than no fruit at all.

I compared with tinned pineapple, as it was the first I thought of that's readily available in both. A tin in syrup has 20g more sugar and 70 extra calories than a tin in juice. I don't know whether this is drained or not, as there would obviously be more sugar consumed if you drank the syrup than if it was drained away.

maman

daska wrote: »

If you don't like it then don't worry about the fruit, it's the veg that's important. Berries are good for you though, the nutrients more concentrated (and they taste nicer IMO).

I'd agree with that; veg is every bit as good for you so if you're not a big fruit fan don't worry. I think there can be problems having too much fruit juice/smoothies if you're trying to lose weight. Thre's quite a lot of sugar in fruit and by 'drinking' it you're getting through far more than you could if you were eating it. E.g. you might manage several oranges or several pieces of fruit pulped down into a drink but you're unlikely to be able to eat all that at a sitting.

Owain_Moneysaver

LondonDreamer wrote: »

I compared with tinned pineapple, as it was the first I thought of that's readily available in both. A tin in syrup has 20g more sugar and 70 extra calories than a tin in juice. I don't know whether this is drained or not, as there would obviously be more sugar consumed if you drank the syrup than if it was drained away.

You could use the drained pineapply syrup and a dash of rum in a caribbean coffee or cocktail.

ada1988

In order to lose weight.You can eat some fruit befor you eat a big dish.
Except apple and banana which can not eat before meals.

hilstep2000

I did baked apple the other day. Just cors, cut a line around the middle (so they don't split) Fill the middle with dried fruit, brown sugar and a dollop of golden syrup. Bake for 20 minutes, delicious!
Stick blenders are great for smoothies. I don't like bananas, but can take them in a smoothie.

lisa26_2

I make porridge with chopped apple or pear mixed in with some ginger or cinammon (or both!) added to make a lovely flavour.

FairyPrincessk

I do similarly with frozen fruit in my porridge. I also enjoy grapefruit in the morning when it isn't too expensive and I can find nice ripe ones. Recently, I've been using avocado as a snack. OH and I often buy nuts and I realized that half an avocado cost the same and I really enjoy them. They are higher in calories than some other fruit and veg, but I find that I feel full longer when I eat them so I think it probably evens out. I also cut up peppers/carrots/cucumbers into strips and eat those sometimes as I can find the sugar in fruit actually makes me hungrier if I eat it for a snack. You might also try fruit suspended in jelly, or various frozen types. For example, bananas dipped in chocolate and then frozen on lolly sticks--not much chocolate but just enough and a full serving of fruit. Frozen grapes can be nice or make up a sorbet out of berries. In a few months when strawberries are in season, perhaps a bowl of those with a small spoon of cream or sugar for pudding.

I wouldn't discount fruit entirely--fruit can be where you get some of the variety in colour that ensures you're getting different micro-nutrients. If you aren't into it, then certainly try to make the bulk of your fruit and veg with veg but I'd still try to get at least one or two in.

Lippycow

I use fruit in soups Watercress and Pear and Sweet potatoe and Apple, both soups are delish:-)

Need2bthrifty

I rarely eat desserts/puddings and I know that some people don't like mixing sweet and savoury on the same plate but I love having some fruit in my salads. I put grated apple in with some shredded cabbage, beansprouts, small amount of green chilli and grated ginger and dress with some lemon juice - makes a delicious crispy, fresh salad which goes nicely with cold meats and I've even had it along with curry.

A few grapes or peach/orange segments mixed in with a green salad are also nice.

As others have said I freeze stewed rhubarb/apples and have it with either porridge, yoghurt, cornflakes for breakfast.

I only recently found somewhere on this forum that you can freeze bananas - I had a banana ice-lolly the other day and it was lovely - the freezing had changed the texture of the banana and much to my surprise it was very much like a nice smooth ice cream.