How to be a Fruit Ninja

Those of you that were members before the ProPoints plan launched in late 2010 will remember the days where we actually had to allocate points for fruit...  0.5 for an apple, 1.5 for a banana.... Shocking, but true!

I was not alone in jumping for joy when fruit became a zero ProPoint food! It was like all my Christmases had come at once and I made the most of it... however a few years down the line, and slipping back in complacency... I know I don't take full advantage of this wonderful gift... do you?

So lets go back to basics and look at how we really can embrace our love of these Zero Heroes again :)

* Having a FRUIT BOWL in plain view, full of fruit will make it easier to grab a healthy snack - and by eating the WHOLE fruit, basic, as it is...you get all that extra fibre and vitamins that hide in the skin (i wouldn't recommend eating the skins of Bananas, Pineapples or Citrus however - yuk!)

*If eating whole doesn't float your boat... how about making a lovely big bowl of FRUIT SALAD up in the morning while you're making breakfast / lunches for work - maximise your time in the kitchen and do it early in the day so its done and ready for when you are feeling peckish... lets face it...we can be lazy, and we can't really be trusted in the kitchen, so the more we can make up in advance - the safer we'll be :)

*Add to Cereal/ Porridge - this is the easiest way to make that 30g worth of cereal or porridge go much much further while packing in a couple of portions of fruit - AND making it more filling. Bananas, berries, chopped apple - the possibilities are endless.

*Why not make a huge filling SMOOTHIE? add whatever fruit you want with either ice, yoghurt, milk etc... and you can have a guilt free treat with just minimal ProPoints values.

*FRUIT JUICE.... now... this is important...

Whole fruit - ZERO

Blended fruit into a smoothie or puree - ZERO

Juiced - ProPointed - 1pp per 100ml (basically, because you're removing all the filling pulp and leaving the calories and sugar)

So, although you have to ProPoint it - it is still fruit, and does still count towards your 5 a day :)

*Ice Pops - what a brilliant way to cool down on a hot day for 0pp! We sell Ice Pop Kits in our meetings... have you tried them yet? Blend up some lovely fruit combo's and freeze them - perfect!

*Frozen - a great cheaper alternative to fresh... and still 0pp! what about freezing your own fresh fruit as its coming to the end of its life? Saves throwing out food and wasting money. A favourite of mine is frozen bananas - peel them, chop them, freeze them, eat them (at a much slower rate ;) - and again - great for this hot weather!)

*Pre-prepared - OK, so this is more expensive than preparing it yourself...  but if you know you are the sort of person who buys fruit with the best of intentions, but never get around to peeling, coring, chopping it all up, then end up throwing it away because it's gone bad... then actually... buying pre-prepared is cheaper!

*Tins... yes really... and why not!? As long as they are in juice and you've drained them - they still remain ZERO ProPoints :) These are handy for those end of the week - cupboards running empty - all fresh food gone - eating meals with the word "surprise" in them situations.

Why not add drained tinned fruit to your sugar free jelly - a double hit of filling food still for Zero ProPoints :)

Buying from your local Market or Greengrocer will also make your £'s go further for your Fruit, as do those "Pick Your Own" farms that you can go to.

So.... before you rush off to make an Eton mess type desert with fruit, meringue nest and yoghurt - adding extra fruit to that jug of Pimms - or simply chopping up an apple to enjoy in front of the TV this evening... bear in mind that the more you fill up on these lovely ZERO HEROES, the more satisfied you'll be - therefore more in control of whether you are actually hungry... or simply just wanting to eat something.

See you soon! 

Becky xx