A good rule of thumb is to choose the darkest-colored fruit in the bunch. The darker, the more phytochemicals. This does not mean to always choose red apples over yellow pears because red is a darker color than yellow. It simply means to choose the reddest apple in the bunch of apples, the darkest plum in the group of plums, and the darkest strawberries of all the strawberries. Many people wonder whether or not juice is as good for you as eating the food from which the juice was extracted. The simple answer is no. Whole foods of any kind provides more nutrients than juice, such as fiber and its ability to fill you up and keep your hunger levels in control. Fruit juice usually has some added sugar as well, which packs in unwanted calories to your daily intake. Beware of beverages labeled “fruit juice” that are mostly sugar. These drinks will have about 10% or less real juice in them. The rest is sugar. Some examples of these are lemonade, orange drink, and fruit punch.
The strongest detoxifying effect is caused by the acid fruits. Especially (red) grapefruit and lemons are detoxifying. Citrus fruit is all acid fruit but also tomatoes and pineapples are acid fruits . Squeeze 3 oranges, two mandarins and half a red grapefruit for breakfast. It's the quickest energy supply to wake you up in the morning! Be a little-bit careful with the acid fruits when you are ill. Your body is already very busy detoxifying and when stimulating this process it could cause an over-reaction of your body to clean itself even more and could make you even feel worse for that moment. So don't go squeezing 20 oranges to get better. If you are really sick and don't want to eat or drink, the best drink is a glass with the juice of half a lemon filled up with boiled water and a bit of cane sugar (not refined white sugar!) Because you only use half a lemon the detoxifying effect is not so strong but your body does receive much vitamin C.
According to the USDA, the amount of fruit a person should have daily is based on their age, physical activity level, and sex. On average, adults should have about 2 cups per day, while women over 31 need about 1½ cups per day. These amounts are for people who engage in moderate exercise beyond their normal daily activities for about 30 minutes a day. If you exercise more, you can get away with consuming more calories and still maintaining a healthy weight.
Eating a Healthy Diet: Fruit
