I was a cheerleader back in my high school days. When my squad was training for competitions, we really worked out long and hard. Many times, the muscles in our legs would visibly shake with strain. Our coach, restricted from recommending vitamins or anything of that sort, always brought bananas with her to practice to help us with muscle weakness and muscle cramps. Bananas aren't my favorite fruit, but I have to admit that they helped.

While bananas are a decent source of potassium, there are many other options. Potassium-rich foods are important for your diet. Not only do they help with muscle cramps, but they can also have a positive effect on blood pressure. Good sources include:

• Avocado
• Baked potato with skin
• Edamame
• Papaya
• Sweet potato
• Salmon
• Tomato sauce
• Winter squash
• Cantaloupe
• Dried apricots

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Spring is here and I, for one, am glad. I mentioned to my mother the other day that I had bought a box of individually flash-frozen asparagus spears and they were really good. I told her I'd pick a box up for her. Her reply was "They sound great... but I'll buy fresh for now." And she's right! Asparagus is just one of the delicious, healthy foods that abound in spring. Depending on where you live, other delicious seasonal treats include Swiss chard, peas, strawberries, rhubarb, avocado, watermelon, apricots, spinach, Romaine lettuce, and basil.

Buying food in season not only ensures you're getting the freshest produce available, it's also good for the environment. Buying local food supports the farmers in your own community and reduces the distance food has to travel from the farm to your plate. Visit a farmer's market this spring and see what produce is in season!

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One of the reasons I would hesitate to try a low-carb eating plan is that fruit is sometimes banned from such diets. Frankly, fruit is not something I'm willing to give up because it's one healthy thing that I really enjoy. But if you're going low-carb, you don't necessarily have to give up fruits -- some are better than others. According to Mark's Daily Apple, here's how they stack up:

• The best low-carb fruits include berries (all of them), cherries, apples, pears, grapefruit, peaches, apricots and figs.
  
• The worst low-carb fruits are mangoes, melons, papayas and pineapples.
  

I would sure miss my mangoes and melons, but I think the low-carb fruits sounds pretty tasty too, don't you think?

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If you are a grape or apple fan, you may know that those fruits (and their skins) are some of the healthiest things you can eat these days. Fruits like tangerines and apricots are a little more exotic, but have immense health benefits as well.

Not only do many fruits -- including apricots -- combat cancer, they are good for helping prevent heart disease as well as helping to prevent cataracts.

In other words, if you're not eating a daily dose of fresh fruit, what are you waiting for? The benefits are simply tremendous. The taste is not bad either! Start a healthy habit this summer and get hooked on apricots.

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