Blog Post #4: Fruits

Let’s move on to our next food group: fruits! In this blog post, we will discuss:

- what is a fruit?

- how much fruit do I need? 

- what are the health benefits? 

- how can I add fruits to my daily diet?  

What is a fruit?

According to USDA MyPlate, the fruit food group consists of all fruits, as well as juices made with 100% fruit juice. Fruits can come in all kinds of ways: fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or dehydrated. Fruits can be eaten in many ways! You can eat them whole, cut them up and add fruits to recipes, puree fruits, or cook them.  

Foods that count as fruits include apples, bananas, pears, dates, berries, melons, grapes, grapefruit, mangoes, oranges, peaches, and pineapples. Fun fact: avocados are technically a fruit! Since avocados contain seeds (really just a large seed in the middle) and grow from a flowering plant, they fall into the fruit food group. 

How much fruit do I need?

Again, as I have said in previous posts, the serving size depends on you as an individual. You have to take your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity into consideration. If you are a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding, you will also need to take this into account. Usually for the average adult, a serving of fruit is one cup of whole fruit, one-half cup of dried fruit, or one cup of 100% fruit juice. For most women, usually one and a half cups of fruit is a daily recommendation. For men, it will be two cups of fruit. 

What are the health benefits?

Why do we need fruit in our daily lives? First, fruits are usually low in calories, sodium, and fat. Second, fruits do not have cholesterol. Third, fruits are full of essential nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

Usually, diets with a healthy potassium intake may help regulate blood pressure. However, some people need to watch their potassium intake, like people on dialysis. These foods include bananas, prunes, oranges, peaches, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Jackfruit has recently gained popularity as a meat alternative, but jackfruit is high in potassium, so watch out! Fiber helps keep you regular in the bathroom, as well as helps lower cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease. Usually, fruit juices have little to no fiber, so it’s best to eat whole fruits to get your fiber. Vitamin C is vital for the body to repair and grow tissues. Vitamin C also helps with wounds, cuts, and healthy teeth. A bonus is that iron absorbs more easily with vitamin C present, so if you need more iron in your diet, make sure to eat something acidic with vitamin C to help absorb it. 

How can I add fruits to my daily diet?

Now I know that a lot of people have been hating fruits recently because it has natural sugars. I have met a lot of people in my career who do not eat fruits because they do not want to eat sugar. But then in the same breath, these same people tell me they eat cookies! WHAT?! Guys, in all seriousness, I would rather you eat the fruit than the cookie if I were given a choice. The fruit is going to have lower calories and loads of good nutrients, while the cookie may be just empty calories and not give you a nutrient boost. Fruit is also something that you can grow from the Earth; it is not man-made. Foods that you can grow naturally are the best and most healthy options, and yes that includes fruits. There is no need to make fruits the villain. You can eat and enjoy fruits! 

So how can you incorporate fruits into your diet? You can eat a piece of fruit for dessert instead of reaching for cookies, ice cream, or cake. You can also make a fruit smoothie in the morning, you can add berries to your salad, or you can keep the fruit as a snack when you feel hungry.

Practical Steps towards a “Peachy” Living:

1) Eat a piece of fruit as your dessert twice a week. This can be a small apple, a medium banana, or a cup of berries.

2) See if you can mix fruit into your recipes. This can be putting berries on top of cereal/oatmeal, making a smoothie with fruit, or you can even try to substitute sugar in recipes. Have you ever made a cake with applesauce?!

3) Share recipes/ideas with friends and family. Someone may have a great recipe that you may want to try!