In our private facebook group we were talking about how much fruit people buy in their weekly shop. It was prompted by me trying to organise myself better, to make sure I was sticking to my ZEN Beach Diet.

It’s one thing knowing WHAT to do and HOW to do it,

but actually DOING it is another thing entirely.

Some people are super focused on food prep and planning their meals and to be honest, I wish I was far more like that. But I’m not, so that’s why the basic outline of a meal in the ZEN Beach Diet is so helpful, because at least you easily know what each meal is supposed look like macro-wise.

So in each meal we talk about 2 cups of fruit. So three meals a day and that would equate to at least 42 cups of fruit in the week. Roughly one piece of fruit like an apple, pear, medium banana would be equivalent to 1 cup, when you chop it up and put it in a cup.

As I write this, we are one month away from Summer here in Australia.  In Queensland where I live it’s already 30C (86F), sunny and beach weather. Fruit is plentiful in the stores and when it’s warm like this, you actually feel like eating fruit. Last week this is what I purchased in my shop for myself:

8 cups mango (4 large mangoes)

8 bananas

10 apples

4 pears

2 cups strawberries (one punnet)

3 cups rockmelon (was half of one)

3 cups blueberries (Frozen 1 packet)

4 cups mango (Frozen 1 packet)

42 cups total

I also purchased more cucumbers, tomatoes and other fruit that my husband likes to eat, but the above list was all for me. (Please note the image doesn’t match the list above, as it is a picture of this week’s shop which was slightly different.)

Now over winter, there is no way that I would have bought all of this and matching the amounts was purely an accident. But at least doing this exercise, I now know the quantity I do have to buy to get close.

I only know how much the rockmelon and strawberries cut down to in the cup measures, as I always cut up the rockmelon and put it in air tight containers to eat for the week. With the strawberries I chopped them all up to try a new ice cream recipe (will post it soon.)

Some of the fresh mango went into a variation of the 3 Ingredient Yogurt Cake to try versions with fruit in it. I haven’t quite perfected that recipe yet, but I will post it as well when I do.

Through the week some of the ways I am eating all this fruit is:-

• Just sliced up with turkey breast slices and cheese slices
• Chopped up with Greek yogurt and honey
• In my Fruity Oat Bran porridge—recipe here.
• Apples go in Turkey Burgers & I eat them with more fruit on the side
• Frozen mango & Blueberries, with cottage cheese & sweetened condensed milk (I take this to work in a container and by the time I’m ready to eat it through the day, the fruit has defrosted and softened up.)
• In my 3 Ingredient Yogurt Cake fruity experiments
• Some of the additional fruit I bought goes in my husband’s quick muffins—recipe here.
• Smoothies
• Applesauce
• Fruit ice cream
• Cucumber & Mango salad – I have this with chicken or tuna
• Sometimes I just eat a mango, pear or apple by itself as that’s what I feel like eating for a snack.

In a pro metabolic diet, it’s really important to get a handle on incorporating fruit in our diet.  Nutritionally it’s the most beneficial for carbs, as well as water, fibre, vitamins, minerals and enzymes from fresh fruit especially.

We almost need to take the lead from the raw vegans who eat/prepare the volume of fruit we should be eating – with all their beautiful smoothie bowls and brightly coloured smoothies. We just pair it with animal protein though, as we know that it’s the most nutritionally beneficial to do it this way.

Discovering Australian grown frozen fruit over past few weeks has been a great boost to my fruit consumption. It’s just so convenient and already chopped up which is always a help. I plan to continue this as there is no wastage, which is brilliant. (The frozen mango in the picture is not Australian grown as this is not yet available yet where I live. This one is from Peru.)

I must add too that this fruit haul doesn’t include my fruit juice which I buy as well. Usually about 2 litres (half a gallon.)

I hope this has given a little insight as we all navigate our way through the pro metabolic lifestyle. Lots of fruit for the win!

Kristy x