Fruits provide many health benefits. Fruits with different colors contain different nutrients and each has different health effects. For example, orange colored fruits, such as mango, contain the antioxidant that can be turned into vitamin A and contribute to the health of our eyes. You can refer to our post The Magic Behind the Rainbow for more specific information.
Fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruits are all great ready to eat snacks that require little preparation.
- Fresh fruits in season are less expensive and also at peak flavor. Farmers’ markets are a great resource for seasonal produce.
- Canned and frozen fruits last longer than fresh fruits and are also less expensive. Pay attention to the canned fruits label and choose fruits canned in 100% fruit juice. You can buy in large quantities when they are on sale.
- Dried fruit is fruit that has most of the water content removed and can also be stored much longer than fresh fruit. There are a variety of dried fruits available that can be used as handy snacks. Since dried fruit has most of the water content removed, it is more nutrient and calorie dense than fresh fruit. ½ cup of dried fruit is generally considered to be equivalent to 1 cup of fruit.
- 100% fruit juice is another way to incorporate fruits in your diet. However, it contains more calories and less dietary fiber than whole fruit. As a result, the consumption of whole fruit is recommended and consumption of fruit juice should be limited.
Fruits also pair well with other healthy ready-to-eat snacks such as yogurt. Here are two simple recipes for eating fruits as snacks:
Fruit Yogurt Pops
With just two ingredients, you can make some fun treats for the nice summer weather. It is a good recipe to prepare with kids and to encourage them to consume more fruits.
Ingredients:
- 1 yogurt, pina colada flavored or other flavor of your choice (8 ounces)
- 2 ½ cup strawberries (sliced frozen, thawed)
Directions:
- Combine ingredients and pour into small paper cups.
- Freeze about 30 minutes; then stick a wooden popsicle/craft stick in the center of each cup.
- Freeze overnight until firm. To eat pops, peel off paper cups.
- For variety, try different fruit flavored yogurts and frozen fruits.
Recipe adapted from MyPlate recipe series
Berries with Banana Cream
In the following recipe, you can make your own banana cream at home and top with strawberries for a delicious snack.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup yogurt, low-fat, plain
- ½ banana, ripe
- ½ fluid ounce fruit juice
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Combine yogurt, banana, and juice and mash with a fork until most chunks are gone.
- Top the strawberries with the yogurt banana mixture.
- Top with honey and cinnamon.
Recipe adapted from MyPlate recipe series
Which of the recipes do you like better? Let us know by commenting below.
