To keep our immune systems healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, proper nutrition is an absolute must. Many Americans arent getting the essential nutrients their bodies need. [4 min read]

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables boosts the immune system, protecting against COVID-19, but many Americans get less than a single serving a day. (Photo courtesy: Shelley Pauls/Unsplash)

The connection between the pandemic and our dietary habits is undeniable. The stress of isolation coupled with a struggling economy has caused many of us to seek comfort with our old friends: Big Mac, Tom Collins, Ben and Jerry. But overindulging in this kind of food and drink might not just be affecting your waistline, but could potentially put you at greater risk of illness by hindering your immune system

Hear the word nutrition, and often what comes to mind are fad diets, juice cleanses and supplements. Americans certainly seem concerned with their weight; 45 million of us spend US$33 billion annually on weight loss products. But one in five Americans consumes nearly no vegetables less than one serving per day.

When the emphasis is on weight loss products, and not healthy day-to-day eating, the essential role that nutrition plays in keeping us well never gets communicated. Among the many things I teach students in my nutritional biochemistry course is the clear relationship between a balanced diet and a strong, well-regulated immune system.

Along with social distancing measures and effective vaccines, a healthy immune system is our best defense against coronavirus infection. To keep it that way, proper nutrition is an absolute must. Although not a replacement for medicine, good nutrition can work synergistically with medicine to improve vaccine effectiveness, reduce the prevalence of chronic disease and lower the burden on the health care system.

Scientists know that people with preexisting health conditions are at greater risk for severe COVID-19 infections. That includes those with diabetes, obesity, and kidney, lung or cardiovascular disease. Many of these conditions are linked to a dysfunctional immune system.

Patients with cardiovascular or metabolic disease have a delayed immune response, giving viral invaders a head start. When that happens, the body reacts with a more intense inflammatory response, and healthy tissues are damaged along with the virus. Its not yet clear how much this damage factors into the increased mortality rate, but it is a factor.

What does this have to do with nutrition? The Western diet typically has a high proportion of red meat, saturated fat and whats known as bliss point foods rich in sugar and salt. Adequate fruit and vegetable consumption is missing. Despite the abundance of calories that often accompanies the Western diet, many Americans dont consume nearly enough of the essential nutrients our bodies need to function properly, including vitamins A, C and D, and the minerals iron and potassium. And that, at least in part, causes a dysfunctional immune system: too few vitamins and minerals, and too many empty calories.

A healthy immune system responds quickly to limit or prevent infection, but it also promptly turns down the dial to avoid damaging the cells of the body. Sugar disrupts this balance. A high proportion of refined sugar in the diet can cause chronic, low-grade inflammation in addition to diabetes and obesity. Essentially, that dial is never turned all the way off.

While inflammation is a natural part of the immune response, it can be harmful when its constantly active. Indeed, obesity is itself characterized by chronic, low-grade inflammation and a dysregulated immune response.

And research shows that vaccines may be less effective in obese people. The same applies to those who regularly drink too much alcohol.

Nutrients, essential substances that help us grow properly and remain healthy, help maintain the immune system. In contrast to the delayed responses associated with malnutrition, vitamin A fights against multiple infectious diseases, including measles. Along with vitamin D, it regulates the immune system and helps to prevent its overactivation. Vitamin C, an antioxidant, protects us from the injury caused by free radicals.

Polyphenols, a wide-ranging group of molecules found in all plants, also have anti-inflammatory properties. Theres plenty of evidence to show a diet rich in plant polyphenols can lower the risk of chronic conditions, like hypertension, insulin insensitivity and cardiovascular disease.

Why dont we Americans eat more of these plant-based foods and fewer of the bliss-based foods? Its complicated. People are swayed by advertising and influenced by hectic schedules. One starting place would be to teach people how to eat better from an early age. Nutrition education should be emphasized, from kindergarten through high school to medical schools.

Millions of Americans live in food deserts, having limited access to healthy foods. In these circumstances, education must be paired with increased access. These long-term goals could bring profound returns with a relatively small investment.

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Meantime, all of us can take small steps to incrementally improve our own dietary habits. Im not suggesting we stop eating cake, french fries and soda completely. But we as a society have yet to realize the food that actually makes us feel good and healthy is not comfort food.

The COVID-19 pandemic wont be the last we face, so its vital that we use every preventive tool we as a society have. Think of good nutrition as a seat belt for your health; it doesnt guarantee you wont get sick, but it helps to ensure the best outcomes.

Grayson Jaggers, Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) For decades, researchers have studied what diet is best for good health. New findings show a twist on the traditional Mediterranean diet may be ideal for cardiovascular health.

A review of research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows a Pesco-Mediterranean diet, which is rich in plants, nuts, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, and emphasizes seafood as the main protein, may be the way to go.

Preventive cardiologist Dr. James OKeefe authored the research.

We have a lot of first-level scientific evidence showing that this really makes a difference in your cardiovascular health, in all-cause mortality, in preventing dementia, preventing diabetes, and maintaining a healthy weight, he says.

Intermittent fasting is recommended as part of this diet.

When you dont consume calories for at least 12 hours, the inflammation starts going down, Dr. OKeefe says. Its not as hard as it sounds because when you follow this kind of diet, the low sugar, low refined carbohydrates, high vegetable, high fat, it changes your hormones around so youre less hungry and you sleep better.

Dr. OKeefe says its also best to avoid artificial sweeteners and added sugars because they can raise insulin levels.

Red wine should be limited to one glass a day for women and up to two for men, according to Dr. OKeefe.

He also says be sure to drink lots of water.

Darren Thomason, 31, tries to eat a healthy Mediterranean-style diet with fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

Fish, and some chicken, and then I try not to eat too much red meat, he says. Eating a good diet sort of makes me feel like Im doing the right thing for my body.

Darrens first meal of the day is usually lunch.

That equates to not eating for about a 15-hour period of time during the day, but thats not necessarily something Im deliberately trying to do. I tend to have snacks during the day, like vegetables or nuts.

He knows exercise is also important, he even ran a marathon last year.

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Study: Twist On Traditional Mediterranean Diet May Be Ideal For Cardiovascular Health - CBS Miami

Ayesha Curry is giving fans a glimpse at her daily diet.

The 31-year-old actor and cookbook author, who is married to NBA star Stephen Curry, recently revealed that she lost 35 pounds, and now she's breaking down the healthy foods that help her stay in shape.

In a new video for Harper's Bazaar, Curry opens up about her approach to nutrition and reveals that working out has become more important to her over time.

"Fitness wasn't really a part of my lifestyle and I'd say the past year and a half post having all of my kids, it's really become a staple for me and it helps me have mental clarity," she said. "I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel happier when I work out. So I do try to work out at least five days a week."

Curious what Curry eats on an average day? Here's her typical daily diet:

Curry's day begins with a fresh cup of coffee, and she prepares the caffeinated drink a few different ways depending on whether or not she's been fasting.

"If I'm intermittent fasting, I'll do it with a little bit of coconut oil, grass-fed butter and some MCT oil, which is for your brain fuel and so that you can function," she explained.

On days where she's not fasting, the 31-year-old prefers to pour a touch of Coffee-mate's French vanilla creamer into a super strong brew.

The mother of three usually only eats breakfast on the weekends and has a tried-and-true meal she loves to prepare.

"I love a good smoked salmon scramble. It's something that I put in my first cookbook 'The Seasoned Life' and I still eat it to this day," she said, adding that she slow cooks the scrambled eggs and adds in a bit of dill, salt and pepper before tossing the smoked salmon in at the very end.

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To stay hydrated throughout the day, Curry loves to sip on hot water. "I'm not a huge fan of ice water. I don't know why," she said.

Like many busy moms, Curry often finds it hard to sneak in the time to eat a midday meal. When she does have a few moments to eat lunch, the author typically likes to work out first and opts for a salad (arugula or spinach) with a seared protein on the side like shrimp, salmon or tuna.

"I love a good poppyseed dressing on my salad, a little bit of red onions in there, dash of salt and pepper, alongside some sort of chocolate protein shake," she said.

The TV personality doesn't snack all that much, but when she does get the munchies she usually opts for banana chips, cucumbers or carrot sticks.

"My family is probably laughing watching this right now because I go through banana chips like crazy," she said.

Dinnertime in the Curry household takes place around 7 p.m., right before the kids go to bed, and that's the meal the 31-year-old puts the most effort into.

"That's where my focus is when it comes to preparing a meal for my family. It's not breakfast, it's not lunch, it's definitely dinner because that's the time I know we're going to get to sit around the table together," she said.

The cookbook author's latest book, "The Full Plate," focuses on quick dinner recipes like 20-minute, sheet-pan dinners, pasta dishes and simple steak dinners. And Curry says she's always looking for "fast, simple and easy" meal options.

"(The cookbook) is really a very good reflection of how my life is right now," she said.

Whenever she can, Curry likes to honor her Jamaican roots in her cooking and she especially enjoys whipping up one traditional dish.

"My absolute favorite meal to cook is oxtail rice and peas and fried plantain," she said. "Again, I'm Jamaican, that is my heritage, that is the food that I grew up with. It just brings me so much comfort and joy when I make it."

While she's been trying to eat healthy whenever she can, Curry admits that she's only human and likes to indulge every now and then. For instance, ketchup chips and donuts are two of her guilty pleasures, and she also digs mezcal margaritas with maple syrup and cocktails like whiskey sours.

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Ayesha Curry weight loss: Diet that helped her lose 35 lbs - TODAY

The food we eat not only provides us with energy to carry out daily activities but also plays an essential role in keeping us healthy and disease-free. Whenever suffering from any health-related ailments, it is advised to take special care of the eating habits for a speedy recovery and the same goes for jaundice. Jaundice is a common disease related to the liver and occurs widely in newborns, young children, and immune-compromised adolescents and adults.

Jaundice is a buildup of bilirubin in the blood, which is a yellow pigment released during the breakdown of red blood cells. This happens when the normal function of the liver is hampered due to some reason, which is typically responsible for clearing out all the toxins and damaged cells from the body. Too much bilirubin pigment causes the skin, eyes, and gums to turn yellow.

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Jaundice: How to choose the right diet for a speedy recovery - Times of India

As per Rujuta, the first sign of an unsustainable diet is that it promises quick weight loss. We all know that weight loss is a time taking process and you have to have a realistic goal when aiming to lose weight.

She said that in an unsustainable diet, you can surely lose weight quickly in the beginning, but it will cost your health. Moreover, the weight loss is for the short-term. After a while you tend to gain the lost weight again.

The second common thing about unsustainable diet trends is that it always revolves around carbs, protein, fat, calories and mostly suggests eliminating a food group entirely from the diet. Rujuta added that the easy way to distinguish these diets is by their names. She said that these diets always come with fancy names like Keto, LCHF, Paleo, IF, Atkins and others.

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Weight loss: Rujuta Diwekar shares tips on choosing the right diet plan - Times of India

Teddi Mellencamp from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills got emotional while discussing the backlash her diet accountability program is receiving.

Teddi Mellencamp fromReal Housewives of Beverly Hillshas been facing fierce backlash over her All in By Teddi diet program. She has been trending all week after users of the programaccused it of promoting extreme and unsafe weight loss practices.

The program is oneMellencamp credits for helping her lose weight after giving birth to her third child in February. However, former users of the program have been speaking out with claims they were "bullied" into dieting a certain way.According to the anonymous accounts, members of the program have to sign an NDA and allegedly pay upwards of $700 to start and $150 a week to continue. They're allegedly allowed to consume about 600-1000 caloriesa dayand take photos of every meal. Some accounts claimed the coaches would talk down on them for consuming carbs or not working out.

Related:RHOBH: Charlie Sheen Supports Ex-Wife Denise Richard's Decision To Leave Show

Mellencamp addressed the claims on the latest episode of her podcast,Teddi Tea Pod with Teddi Mellencamp.The 39-year-oldReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsstarslammed recent criticism against her accountability coaching business' alleged viewpoints on dieting, exercise and NDAs.She admitted that she didn't want to speak on the criticisminitially "because it's very aggressive and there's some hate going with it," but she decided to use the opportunity as a "learning" experience to "talk about what's going on."Mellencamp became emotional while discussing the backlash, which she credited to "strangers" on social media speaking against her coaches and current clients.

"The reason I started All In With Teddi had nothing to do with the business. I wanted to change my own life. I wanted to feel good in my own skin," she said. "That's how the business was formed. And I realized that my calling, my purpose, was not just to change my life, it was to help others feel good in their own skin, feel confident, feel comfortable, reach their goals, to know they're not alone," she said. "And that has been something that lights me up every single day. It makes me feel proud, I am excited about it, and I love every second of what I do. I know that so many lives have been changed. I love the community that's been formed."

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Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Teddi Gets Emotional Talking Diet Plan Backlash - Screen Rant

Following other videos where he recreated the diets and training routines of movie stars like Jason Momoa and Mark Wahlberg, fitness YouTuber Will Tennyson most recently spent the day living like actress Gal Gadot, best known for playing Diana Prince, a.k.a. Wonder Woman, on the big screen.

With Gadot primed to reprise her famous role in the upcoming DC sequel Wonder Woman 1984, Tennyson decided to try out the workouts and meals that she shares on her social media accounts, to see just how hard she works to get into superheroine shape.

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Tennyson starts off with shakshuka for his pre-workout breakfast; a tasty, protein-rich Mediterranean classic made with poached eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices, and a freshly mixed green juice, all of which amounts to 530 calories. And while the spicy eggs are a hit, he is not a fan of the smoothie. "It tastes like a Jamba Juice practical joke," he says.

Then it's time for the first workout of the day, a high-intensity circuit consisting of rows, bear crawls, backward bear crawls, burpees, crab walks, board jumps, pullups and ring pushups, all done for 10 seconds all out, followed by 50 seconds of recovery.

Next up is lunch: chicken breast with chickpea cakes and salad (566 calories). "I really like her diet, it's really fresh, I love fresh herbs," he says. Then, for a mid-afternoon snack, Tennyson heads out for avocado toast (260 calories).

The second workout of the day is a barbell complex, which requires Tennyson to do a series of different exercises including the Romanian deadlift, bent over row, reverse curl, push press and squat without putting the bar down at any point. "This is some sick cardio," he says.

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For the final meal of the day, Gadot prioritizes vegetables with a hand-sized serving of protein, so Tennyson opts for some prepped shrimp with garlic mushroom rice (486 calories), with chocolate and ice cream for dessert (500 calories).

At the end of his day following Gadot's routine, Tennyson admits to having been pleasantly surprised both by the food and the quick, intense training sessions. "It just goes to show," he says, "you don't need a lot of time for a good workout."

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If we think logically then it might not seem harmful to combine the two diets as keto is all about restricting the food intake and in intermittent one has to restrict the time interval. They do not overlap in any case.

But as per experts it might not be a good idea. First of all, keto is a restrictive diet, which means the body is already missing out on necessary nutrients. Pairing it with intermittent fasting might put more stress on your body, which might have great repercussions. The overwhelming experience might lead to mood swings, irritability and fatigue.

Also, as per some research, weight loss due to keto stays for a short term. But maintaining the diet can have a positive impact on weight, triglycerides, and blood glucose level.

Combining keto with Intermittent might work for some and might not for others. It might be more harmful to pregnant women and people suffering from chronic disease.

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Intermittent with Keto diet: Is it safe to follow them together? - Times of India

In response to a call from the 58th World Health Assembly (May 2005), the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Guidelines Review Committee (GRC) in 2007 with the purpose of developing and implementing procedures to ensure that WHO guidelines are developed in ways consistent with internationally recognized best practices, emphasizing the appropriate use of systematically reviewed available evidence. The robust guideline development process being implemented by WHO is described in detail in the WHO Handbook for guideline development (2014).

In accordance with the Organization-wide transformation in strengthening WHOs role in developing evidence-informed public health guidance, the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD) has strengthened its role and leadership in providing evidence-informed policy and programme guidance to Member States for promoting healthy diets and nutrition throughout the life course, in partnership with relevant internal departments and partners, and guided by the new WHO guideline development process. This normative mandate was reaffirmed through a request from the 63rdWorld Health Assembly (May 2010) to strengthen the evidence base on effective and safe nutrition actions to counteract the public health effects of the double burden of malnutrition, and to describe good practices for successful implementation. More recently WHOs commitment to strengthen its normative work was reiterated in the13thGeneral Programme of Work (2019 2023)was endorsed by the 71stWorld Health Assembly (May 2018). It states that Setting norms and standards is a unique function and strength of WHO and further noted that WHO will reinforce its science- and evidence-based normative work.

To implement the strengthening of evidence-informed nutrition guidance, NHD established in 2010 theWHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG)guided by theWHO Steering Committee for Nutrition Guidelines Development, which includes representatives from all Departments in WHO with an interest in the provision of recommendations in promoting healthy diets and nutrition. Membership in NUGAG is usually for three to four years and NUGAG includes experts from various WHO Expert Advisory Panels as well as experts from a larger roster including those identified through open calls for experts, taking into consideration a balanced mix of genders, breadth in areas of expertise, and representation from all WHO Regions.

The NUGAG will provide advice to WHO on the following:

In 2010 2011, the NUGAG consisted of four subgroups: 1) micronutrients; 2) diet and health; 3) nutrition in life course and undernutrition; and 4) monitoring and evaluation. However, due to organizational changes implemented in NHD in January 2012 and in an effort to reduce the administrative burden of managing multiple subgroups, the number of NUGAG subgroups were reduced to two: 1) diet and health; and 2) nutrition actions which were subsequently renamed as the guideline development group (GDG) on nutrition actions. In 2018, the NUGAG Subgroup on Policy Actions was also established.

Updating of the dietary goals for the prevention of obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has been the focus of the work of the NUGAG Subgroup on Diet and Health. After completing the work on updating the guidelines on sodium and potassium intakes (published in 2012) and on sugars intake (published in 2015), the NUGAG Subgroup on Diet and Health had been working on the updates of the WHO guidelines on the intake of total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, non-sugar sweeteners and carbohydrates including dietary fibre. The draft guidelines on saturated fatty acids and trans-fatty acids were completed, launched for public consultation in May 2018, and are currently being finalized for release in 2019. The draft guidelines on intake of total fat, polyunsaturated fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), non-sugar sweeteners and carbohydrates are being prepared for public consultation in late 2019 early 2020. Over the past several years, the NUGAG Subgroup on Diet and Health also began reviewing the issues related to dietary patterns, in which interest and concern are growing as a result of rapidly changing food environments.

Updating of these dietary goals and developing guidance on dietary patterns are important elements of WHOs efforts in implementing the NCD agenda and achieving the triple billion targets set up by the 13th General Programme of Work (2019 2023), including one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being. This will also contribute to the implementation of the Political Declaration of the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs held in New York in September 2011 and the outcome document of the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on NCDs (A/RES/68/300) held in New York in July 2014 as well as the implementation of the NCD Action Plan for 2013 2020 which was adopted by the 66th World Health Assembly held in May 2013. Furthermore, it had also provided inputs to the work of the highlevel Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity established by the WHO Director-General in May 2014.

In November 2014, WHO organized, jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2). ICN2 adopted the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework for Action, which recommends a set of policy options and strategies to promote diversified, safe and healthy diets at all stages of life. Subsequently, the 136th Session of the WHO Executive Board (EB) held in January 2015 and the 68th World Health Assembly held in May 2015 endorsed the Rome Declaration and Framework for Action and called on Member States to implement the commitment of the Rome Declaration across multiple sectors, by expanding WHOs evidence-informed guidance.

Furthermore, in April 2016, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared a UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), recognizing the role of nutrition in achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Decade calls for eradicating hunger and preventing all forms of malnutrition worldwide, particularly stunting, wasting, and overweight in children under five years of age; and anaemia in women and children among other micronutrient deficiencies; as well as for reversing the rising trends in overweight and obesity and reducing the burden of diet-related NCDs in all age groups. Therefore, the goal of the Decade is to increase action at the national, regional and global levels in order to achieve commitment of the Rome Declaration adopted at ICN2, through implementing policy options included in the Framework for Action and evidence-informed programme actions.

Updating of the dietary goals being carried out by the NUGAG Subgroup on Diet and Health contributes not only to the implementation of the ICN2 commitments but also to the achievement of the goals of the Decade. But further prompted by the increasing requests from various Member States for WHOs guidance on effective policy measures to develop enabling food environment for promoting healthy diets and nutrition, NHD initiated in 2017 the establishment ofthe WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Policy Actions, which works alongside the NUGAG Subgroup on Diet and Health.

The Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Diet Unit (CC Healthy Diets) of the new Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) established in the beginning of 2020 as part of the WHOs transformation process serves as the Secretariat of the NUGAG Subgroup on Diet and Health and also now the NUGAG Subgroup on Policy Actions. The NUGAG Subgroups are generally expected to meet annually, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very unlikely to hold any physical meetings, including those of the NUGAG during 2020. Therefore, it is planned to hold a series of virtual meetings to progress the work of the NUGAG on Diet and Health with a view to finalize pending guidelines. The first virtual meeting was held on 15 16 June 2020.

1. Finalize the recommendations on saturated fatty acid andtrans-fatty acid intake, including drafted rationale and remarks, taking into consideration:

2. Review and identity implications for future research, taking into account on-going research and any existing controversies; and

3. Review and identify challenges for implementation of the guidelines.

Theexpected outcome of the meeting is, therefore, to finalize the recommendations and accompanying rationale and remarks on saturated fatty acid andtrans -fatty acid intake.

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Second virtual meeting of the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) - subgroup on Diet and Health - World Health Organization

If you're watching your weight, add these under-50-calorie fruits to your plate.

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Summer may be over, but that doesn't mean it's time to ditch fruits. In addition to providing essential vitamins, fruits are a great, low-calorie alternative to sugary snacks.

Even with something as healthy as fruit, however, portion control is still important.

"You have to listen to your body's hunger and satiety signals before diving in for the second handful even when it comes to fruits," dietitian Rebecca Guterman, RD, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

"But the natural fiber in fruit will keep you full longer than other more processed or refined snacks."

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When choosing fruit, Guterman says that "the more colorful, the better," and variety is key. Here are the best low-calorie fruits to add to your diet.

Strawberries are high in vitamin C.

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While they're delicious on their own, strawberries are also great in breakfast cereals and parfaits. If you coat them in yogurt, kefir or sour cream, they make for a great low-calorie and healthy dessert option as well.

Additionally, they're "a great source of vitamin C to ward off colds that often accompany the change in weather," Guterman says.

Look for the dark red strawberries, as those are usually the sweetest.

Did you know the peel of the kiwi is edible?

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This tangy fruit is best to eat by cutting in half and scooping out the flesh. However, while most people prefer peeling away the fuzzy brown skin, Guterman says that it's safe to eat.

"Plus, it makes the kiwi an even quicker, portable snack." Kiwi also contains some fiber, which is good for keeping us fuller for longer.

Vitamin C is a nutrient we could all use more of.

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No surprise here: Oranges are a great source of vitamin C, which can help boost your immune system and heart health.

But Guterman recommends skipping the OJ and eating oranges instead to avoid concentrating all of the natural sugars and losing out on the belly-filling fiber.

This easy-to-peel fruit delivers almost half your daily vitamin C needs.

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Just one clementine packs 40 percent of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C.

Guterman recommends "slicing them thin and adding them to sandwiches or salads for a new burst of flavor to change up your usual routine."

Blackberries are a great source of gut-benefitting fiber.

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According to Guterman, these tiny berries are "little nutrition powerhouses."

They're high in antioxidants, fiber and vitamin K a fat-soluble vitamin that's crucial for blood clotting and beneficial for bone health, per an October 2015 report in Open Heart.

Add blackberries to your overnight oats for a pop of flavor and to stay full all morning long.

This underrated fruit is a source of vitamin C.

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These tropical, red-skinned fruits are native to China and often overlooked. If you can find them, grab a bag because lychees are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants and dietary fiber.

Unlike many other fruits, the leathery skin of lychees is inedible. But once you peel it away, you can enjoy the burst of flavor that comes with this highly portable fruit.

A third-cup of these juicy arils pack just 7 grams of sugar.

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"Sweet and tart, these antioxidant powerhouses are a great snack," Guterman says. "And if you eat them individually, the slow pace of your snacking will leave you feeling satisfied with this natural treat."

Pomegranate seeds get their deep, red color from polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants.

Combine pitted cherries, figs and raspberries with a banana and protein powder for a delicious smoothie.

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"Having to eat around the center pit will slow you down when sitting to snack on cherries," Guterman says. "This makes your snack last longer, leaving your body time to listen to its hunger and satiety cues."

Plus, cherries are linked to a reduced risk of inflammatory diseases including, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, per a March 2018 review in Nutrients.

They may be hard to cut, but the effort is well worth it.

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"Slightly higher in natural sugars than other fruits, this makes pineapple the perfect swap for higher-calorie and fat-containing desserts," Guterman says.

In addition to feeling like an actual treat, pineapples are a rich source of vitamin C and dietary fiber. And since they're up to 86 percent water, they'll also keep you hydrated.

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Low-Calorie Fruits to Include in Your Diet - LIVESTRONG.COM