December 23, 2018

A sweet summer without the guilt

This time of the year is all about celebration which often involves numerous sweet treats. Some of us tend to overindulge while some may feel overly conscious or guilty about eating certain foods. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Fortunately, there are plenty of fine-looking fruits in season this time of the year and you can use these to fuel your body with energy and nutrients, help cool you down and stay hydrated. Here are some ways to incorporate summer stone fruits:

  1. Mangoes are a great source of fibre, vitamins A and C and contain potassium, folate, B6, iron and vitamin E. Despite containing lots of vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytochemicals and antioxidants, this fruit often gets a bad name for being ‘too sweet’. Many will avoid it for this reason or think that they are cheating on their diet if they eat one. Yes, mangoes are higher in sugar compared to most fruits but this is natural sugar. There is no need to be scared of mangoes because the sugar naturally occurring in fruits are perfectly okay. As the sugars are present with other nutrients (such as fibre for mangoes), it changes the way our body digests and absorbs the natural sugars. In this case, the sugar (fructose) in mangoes are encased in fibre which helps slow down the absorption and affects the way it metabolises in our bodies. This means that it doesn’t get fast, direct access to the liver like it does when it the sugar is ‘free’ (i.e. added sugar).

Some healthy ways to eat mangoes include using them in moderation in your milkshakes or smoothies and smoothie bowls. You could also make them part of a main course by tossing them into a green salad, adding them in veggie skewers, grilling on the barbeque or adding into your curries. Click here to read about other sweet and savoury ways to get more mango in your life. Some Christmas recipe ideas include a mango tiramisu AKA mangomisu, Christmas trifle using mangos and mango chia pudding. 

  1. Apricots are packed with vitamin A and rich in fibre. They are a good source of vitamin C, copper, and potassium. You could chop apricots and add them to your morning cereal or yoghurt, add them to your batter when making pancakes and in your salads. Apricot goes well with green leaves, feta, and almonds.

Apricot also has a great potential to shine at the Xmas table by including them in cakes, tarts or pies. You could also use them to make a gluten-free stuffing or in a chutney that can be served with bread.

  1. Some other stone fruits in summer include peaches, plums and nectarines. These are rich in vitamins A, C and E, as well as dietary fibre, potassium and antioxidants. One cup of sliced plums or apricots can provide you with a quarter of your daily vitamin C needs. Two small peaches have the same amount of potassium as a medium banana. Plums are good sources of vitamin K; two of these purple fruits can give you around 10% of your daily vitamin K needs.

You could add these in your salads or desserts or include them as a Christmas fruit platter. Click here to find some more inspo using stone fruits.