Fruit: How to Enjoy Without Overindulging

MyPlate, the replacement for the Food Pyramid, spotlights fruit as part of a healthy, balanced diet.  Half of Americans fall short of their recommended fruit intake (2 cups for adults age 19-30 and 1 ½ cups for women over age 30).  Other nutrients found in fruits, such as fiber, folate, magnesium, potassium, Vitamins A, C, and K are also under-consumed by Americans.  Fruits, filled with antioxidants and phytonutrients, are proven to prevent cardiovascular diseases, certain types of cancer, and reverse the effects of aging.  With all this attention on fruits, clients come to me with questions.  Do I need to buy only organic fruit? Is there a right way to add more fruit into my diet? What are the most nutritious varieties? Isn’t fruit very high in calories? Luckily, most answers are easy to understand and can work with lifestyle. 

Although studies by the University of Washington¹ recently stated that eating healthy takes a toll on your wallet, there are ways to cut spending.  You don’t have to buy only organic produce.  According to the Environmental Working Group, there are certain fruits and vegetables, the “Dirty Dozen,” that contain the most pesticides. These rankings are based on USDA-tested levels of chemical residues remaining on conventionally raised fruits and vegetables after washing. The “dirtiest” fruits are apples, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, grapes, and blueberries.  Go organic when buying these from the market.  The cleanest fruits are pineapples, kiwi, mango, cantaloupe, watermelon, and grapefruit.  Don’t worry about choosing organic versions of the “cleanest fruits.  The rind or peel leaves the fruit nearly free of pesticide residues.  As always, the USDA recommends rinsing all fruits to remove any excess dirt and surface microorganisms.  Pay extra attention to the “dirtiest” fruits, as well as all berries, which tend to have high levels of pesticides.

Fruit can be incorporated into your diet in a variety of ways.  Combining fruit with other foods helps to keep you full and control its sugary effects on your body.  Due to fruit’s high water and sugar content, it breaks down easily and quickly raises blood sugar.  To minimize this result, especially for those with diabetes, pair fruit with a small amount of protein or fat.  For a healthy snack, combine one small piece of fruit with 1 oz of unsalted nuts, 1 oz of low-fat cheese, or 4 oz of low-fat plain yogurt.  Adding fruit to a salad with fresh greens, seasonal vegetables, and 2 tsp of low-fat dressing is a perfect light meal.

In many other foreign countries, fruits are often consumed with dinner.  Diet Designs’ sweet sauces are based on this idea of incorporating fruit into the evening meal.  Many of our spring and summer menus contain sauces such as peach barbecue sauce, fresh grape glaze, or mango chutneys.  In autumn and winter, we serve items like fig and port wine sauce, cranberry and apple relish, or blackberry-sage compote.  These vibrant sauces pack dinners with flavor and nutrients.

                I recommend choosing a variety of seasonal fruits, instead of following the latest “super fruit” trends.  Changing up your fresh fruit selections will integrate different nutrients into your diet while surprising your taste buds.  Overall, my favorite fruit choice is berries.   Berries are high in fiber, flavonoids, antioxidants, and lowest in calories.  I suggest blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries to clients before any other fruit.  Research in animal studies has shown that berries reverse age-related declines in the brain’s ability to process information, as well as cognitive motor deficits.²

Although fruit is part of a well-balanced diet, it can add extra calories.  Fruits are healthy options that should replace other high-calorie processed snacks or meals.   Some diet and nutrition centers allow clients to eat as much fruit as they want.  Weight Watchers bases their weight loss system on points; a higher value is given to less nutritious foods and a lower value is given to healthier options.  The newest change allows clients to eat as much fruit as they like, making them “free” foods.  Although, this will get clients to eat more fruit, it can easily cause overindulgence.  Fruit is not a zero-calorie food and needs to be eaten in proper portions to provide health benefits.

•   Eat fresh fruit.  Fruit snacks, fruit desserts, and fruit drinks provide you with artificial flavorings and excess sugar.
• Opt for whole fruits instead of fruit juice.  The added fiber fills you up and slows down the rate of fruit digestion. 
• Don’t ignore frozen fruit!  Frozen fruit is just as nutritious as fresh produce, as it is packed at the peak of freshness.  Make fresh smoothies with frozen fruit, instead of choosing ice cream.
• Make lighter baked goods by substituting unsweetened apple sauce, date puree, or mashed bananas, for all or part of the oil in your recipe.
• Very high levels of Vitamin C are found in blackberries, guava, lemons, limes, kumquats, mangoes, and oranges.
• Bananas, cantaloupe, dried apricots, dried peaches, honeydew, and prunes are high potassium fruit options.

1 Monsivais, Pablo, et al.  Following Federal Guidelines To Increase Nutrient Consumption May Lead To Higher Food Costs For Consumers. August 2011, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.1273 Health Aff August 2011 vol. 30 no. 8 1471-1477

2 “Short-term blueberry-enriched diet prevents and reverses object recognition memory loss in aging rats,” Nutrition, 2011 Mar;27(3):338-42. Epub 2010 Dec 18.