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Fantastic Fruits

Fruit is one of nature's perfect foods. Fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories and are a good source of fiber and other important nutrients.

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Updated:

August 4, 2014

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Photo credit: Marcia O’Connor, Flickr Creative Commons

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Nutrition Information

Fruit, especially whole fruit, is one of nature's perfect foods. Fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. They are good sources of fiber; none contains cholesterol. Fruits are also important sources of many nutrients. These include potassium, vitamin C, and folate (folic acid).

Potassium

Potassium helps reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure. Fruits rich in potassium may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and protect against bone loss. Fruits high in potassium include:

bananas
cantaloupe
dried plums and prune juice
dried peaches and
apricots
honeydew melon
orange juice

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important for growth and repair of all body tissues; it helps heal cuts and wounds, and keeps teeth and gums healthy. Fruits high in vitamin C include:

citrus fruits
kiwi
guava
strawberries
pineapple
mango

Folate

Folate (folic acid) helps your body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who become pregnant should consume adequate folate. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects and brain development problems as the fetus grows. Having adequate folate in your diet helps in heart health. Fruits high in folate include the following:

oranges
cantaloupe
papaya
bananas

Tip: Purchase fresh fruit in season and frozen or canned fruit in winter months to stretch food dollars.

Other Benefits

Eating a diet rich in fruit as part of an overall healthful diet may reduce the risk for:

stroke and coronary heart disease
diabetes
certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colorectal cancer
weight gain by lowering overall calorie intake

Tips Affecting Different Age Groups

How Much Fruit Should I Eat Each Day?

The amount of fruit you need to eat depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. In general, adults need 2 cups of fruit each day. School-age children need 1½ cups, and teens need 1½ to 2½ cups.

What Counts as a Cup?

One cup of fresh or frozen fruit, 1 cup of 100 percent fruit juice, or ½ cup of dried fruit can be considered equivalent to 1 cup from the fruit group. Limit juice to 1 cup per day to avoid excess weight gain.

Other examples of servings equal to 1 Cup of fruit

Apple: one small or ½ large
Banana: one small or ½ large
Cantaloupe: 1 cup chunks or 1 medium wedge
Dried fruit: ½ cup
Grapes: 1 cup or 32 seedless
Grapefruit: 1 medium
Orange or pear: 1 large
Plums: 3 medium or 2 large
Raisins: ¼ cup
Strawberries: 8 large berries or 1 cup sliced
Watermelon: 1 small wedge (1 inch thick)

Tips for Increasing Your Fruit Intake

Keep a bowl of whole fruit on the table, counter, or cut up in the refrigerator.
Buy fruits that are dried, frozen, and canned (in water or juice) as well as fresh so that you always have a supply on hand.
Consider convenience when shopping. Buy packages of precut fruit (such as melon or
pineapple chunks) for a healthy snack.
Select fruit canned in 100 percent fruit juice or water rather than syrup.
Make fruit kabobs using pineapple chunks, bananas, grapes, and berries.
Top off a bowl of hot or cold cereal with some berries or a banana.
When eating out, choose options such as sliced apples, mixed fruit cup, or 100 percent fruit juices.
Individual containers of fruits like peaches or applesauce are easy to pack in lunches.
For dessert, try baked apples, pears, or a fresh fruit salad.

Examine Your Choices

Food	What I do now	What I plan to buy/change
Eat more fruit	Only drink juice; eat little fruit	Purchase fresh fruits in season and add fruit to my lunch and as an afternoon snack

My Goal: _______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Fruit Smoothie

Combine 6 to 8 ice cubes, 1 cup skim milk, 8 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt, and 10 strawberries in a blender. Serve at once (various fruits may be used in the recipe; try banana, blueberries, mandarin oranges.)

This is a great low-calorie, high-calcium recipe.

Prepared by Katherine A. French, extension educator.