Fruit Adds Color and Nutrition to Summer Meals

Most people know they should eat fruit every day. The current recommendation is 1½ to 2 cups a day for adults. A recent survey found that only 32 percent of adults in this country eat fruit at least two times a day. Summer is a great time to include more fruit in your meals. A wider variety of fruits are available and fruits in season are usually less expensive.

Here are some ideas to help you increase the fruits in your diet week by week.

Week One: Focus on Breakfast

Try to eat at least four different types of fruit during the week for breakfast. All fruits do not have the same nutrients. It is good to eat a variety of fruits. Try at least one new fruit this week. Bananas and apples are great for breakfast on the road. Oranges add color and flavor. Berries and peaches are great over cereal or yogurt. A fruit smoothie makes breakfast quick and easy.

Week Two: Fruit for Snacks

Include fruit as snacks at least four days this week. Fresh fruit such as watermelon and cantaloupe makes a great cool, sweet snack.

Other great whole fruits for snacks include apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, bananas, cherries and grapes. Don't forget dried fruits like cherries, peaches and apricots. Raisins also make a good quick snack.

Week Three: Include Fruit in Dinner

This week concentrate on how to include fruit in dinner. Fruit makes a tasty addition to many dishes. Add crushed pineapple to coleslaw or include mandarin oranges or grapes in tossed salad. Make a Waldorf salad with apples, celery, walnuts and a little dressing. Try a main dish that includes fruit, such as chicken with apricots.

Week Four: Fruit for Dessert

There are many great summer desserts that use fruit, but fruit by itself makes a great dessert. A bowl of sliced strawberries with a few blueberries is a tasty nutritious dessert. Fruit salad made with a combination of 3 or 4 of your favorite fruits makes a great end to the meal. Top low fat ice cream or fat-free frozen yogurt with fresh berries or orange slices or add banana slices to your favorite pudding.

With a little thought and planning it is easy to add more fruit to your meals.

Fruit Juice or Whole Fruit?

If you drink fruit juice be sure it is 100 percent juice. Products that are labeled fruit drink may have as little as 10 percent fruit juice.

Choose whole fruit, fresh, frozen or canned more often. Whole fruit has more nutrients and fiber than juice. Juice is a concentrated form of the natural sugars in fruit. Plan to drink no more than one-half cup of juice a day and eat 1 to 1-1/2 cups of whole fruit.

Remember frozen, dried and canned fruits are good and are easy to keep on hand. Try to buy frozen fruit with no added sugar. Look for canned fruit packed in light syrup or juice. If fruit is packed in heavy syrup, drain the fruit well before using.

Written by Barbara Farner, Nutrition & Wellness Educator with University of Illinois Extension Kane County.