In Defense of Fruit

I know that for most people, fruit is usually an afterthought - a garnishment or filler that you can easily do without. I can't think of the last time - or the first time - I've ever craved it.

But, let me tell you: fruit is one of the great, underrated foods of all time. It has become the anchor of my diet. It's never exactly what you want, but it's cheap, low calorie and nearly impossible to overeat.

Ignore the naysayers who say they contain too much sugar and you should limit how much you eat. They are natural, unprocessed sugars and contain very few calories. No one ever got fat eating fruit.

Fruits require about zero prep time and add quite a bit of bulk to an empty stomach. Also, with an assortment of different fruits and a little skim milk, they can be blended into a smoothie that'll easily hold its own against any high calorie dessert. Some frozen berries mixed into some plain Greek yogurt is also a pretty awesome snack.

Some fruits are sweeter than others, so don't be afraid to experiment. I find that bananas add quite a bit of natural sweetness to my smoothies, but if you don't have any or don't like them, you can add some artificial or a couple teaspoons of sugar if you think it needs it. Try some different blends and find the one that works best for you.

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