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Fruit easy, healthy for students

By Krissy Tripp

Published Oct. 1, 2010

Fruit really is all it's hyped up to be, and most college students could use a bit more in their diet. What's not to love about it anyway? It's sweet like a dessert, so it'll satisfy your sugary cravings. Plus, it's made mostly of water, so it's better for your waistline than carb-ridden sweet treats.

If you're not yet sold, keep in mind the health benefits. Many fruits fight cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol. Sure, you might not want to start worrying about these things until you're over the hill, but fruit helps now too. A good immune system keeps cold and flu season at bay, and nobody wants to be the person coughing in the back of a lecture hall.

Maybe it's not your thing to keep apples lying around, but here are a few ways to start incorporating fruit into your daily diet.

For starters, buy a pack of apples. It's less than $3 and will last you well over a week. Apples are also some of the best lasting fruit, so you won't have to worry about throwing them out the week after you buy them. Keeping fruit in your mini-fridge is completely optional too. Eat one for breakfast or after class, or throw one in your bag to eat between classes and save yourself a dollar at the vending machines.

If you're not counting calories, fruit can make a great addition to breakfast. Throw cranberries into muffins or pancakes. This is a good way to eat pancakes sans syrup, which is great for lowering your sugar intake for the day. Raspberries, strawberries and bananas all make great substitutes if you're not into cranberry goodness. If cooking in the morning isn't your thing, try slicing a banana and eating it with your Cheerios.

Also, keep a little box of blueberries handy. Blueberries are a college student's best friends, because they're known to increase brain function and keep a person sharp and focused. Personally, I think blueberries are good plain, but if they're a bit too tart for you, try sprinkling a little sugar over them.

Got a blender? Instead of spending $5 at the j Café, make your own smoothie. Tip: If you want one for breakfast, make it at night and stick it in the fridge. It'll still taste great the next morning. Try mixing half a cup of low-fat yogurt with half a cup of skim milk, then adding a few of your favorite fruits. If you like your smoothies thicker or thinner, adjust the yogurt/milk ratio accordingly. If you're not sure what fruits to mix, start with simple mixtures such as strawberry and banana or berry fusion. Eventually, you'll get more creative.

Not sure how to incorporate fruit into lunch or dinner? Try having an apple as a side. It helps freshen breath and tastes good sliced on its own or in a salad. For brown baggers, try putting banana on a peanut butter sandwich.

The possibilities are endless, and the mass of flavors makes it impossible to not find something you like.