Food & Fitness

Wondering if you can eat fruit? Yes! Fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber just like vegetables. Fruit contains carbohydrate so you need to count it as part of your meal plan. Having a piece of fresh fruit or fruit salad for dessert is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth and get the extra nutrition you're looking for.

What are the best choices?

The best choices of fruit are any that are fresh, frozen or canned without added sugars.

General tips

• Choose canned fruits in juice or light syrup
• Dried fruit and fruit juice are also nutritious choices, but the portion sizes are small so they may not be as filling as other choices.

Tips

For Carb counters
A small piece of whole fruit or about ½ cup of frozen or canned fruit has about 15 grams of carbohydrate. Servings for most fresh berries and melons are from ¾ - 1 cup. Fruit juice can range from 1/3 -1/2 cup for 15 grams of carbohydrate. Only 2 tablespoons of dried fruit like raisins or dried cherries contains 15 grams of carbohydrate so be cautious with your portion sizes! Fruit can be eaten in exchange for other carbohydrates in your meal plan such as starches, grains, or dairy.

For Plate Method
If using the plate method, having a small piece of whole fruit or a ½ cup of fruit salad for dessert is a great compliment to the non-starchy vegetables, small portion of starch and protein foods that are on your plate.

For using the Glycemic Index
Most fruits have a low glycemic index because of their fructose and fiber content. Melons and pineapple have medium GI values as do some dried fruits such as dates, raisins, and sweetened cranberries. Overall, fruit is encouraged when using the glycemic index to guide food choices—so enjoy.

Common Fruits

The following is a list of common fruits:

• Apples
• Applesauce
• Apricots
• Banana
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cantaloupe
• Cherries
• Dates
• Dried fruit
• Figs
• Fruit cocktail
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Honeydew melon
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Nectarine
• Orange
• Papaya
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Tangerines
• Watermelon