It’s summer! It’s hot! And as we try to find ways to cool down and fill up without having to chug down a bunch of sodas and munch on bags chips, we turn to the things we can make from the fruit basket.

You hear all the time that you need to have five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to maintain a healthy immune system and for overall health, but seriously, how many of us do that? Not many. But there is a way to get these servings in without having to eat all that.

Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a basket full of fresh fruits and a blender? Using a blender helps to retain the soft fibers, which are good for cleaning and maintaining a healthy colon.

So, making fruit juices, fruit smoothies or fruit salads can help you to improve your health. And these are based on whatever is in season. And, remember, fresh fruits are always better than the canned or processed variety. Notice all the heavy syrup that accompanies those canned fruits? Yup, that’s the same sugar you are trying to avoid.

Another way to ensure you get the daily required fruit intake is by adding pieces of fruit to your regular meals, for example, fresh bananas and strawberries in your cereal or using fruits for dessert instead of that cheese cake. It’s hard, I know. But you know what they say about cheese cake – 1 minute on the lips, 1 hour in the stomach and forever on the hips.

However, sometimes you feel you just don’t have the time. And in our rush hour lives, it seems quite impossible to make our own foods, so we buy the ready-to-eat variety. But wouldn’t you prefer to wash and prepare your own fruits? You can do this once you take the fruits home from the store especially if you hate to have to peal and cut fruits every time you want them. So, wash all fruits, cut and store fruits like cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapple so it’s easy to reach into the fridge and take some out. It’s easier to grab and go if they are already prepared.

And, don’t forget that you are improving your overall health by adding fruits to your diet.