Focus on Fruits

Eat a variety of fruits fresh, frozen, canned, or dried rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices.

Eat at least 2 cups* (4 servings) of fruits every day. A serving of fruit is:

• 1 small fruit
• ½ cup chopped, cooked, frozen, or canned fruit
• ¼ cup dried fruit
• ½ cup fruit juice

Enjoy fruit all day long.

• Breakfast
  • Add fruit to ready-to-eat cereal or hot cereals
  • Top pancakes and waffles with fruit.
• Lunch and dinner
  • Top lettuce and spinach salads with fruit.
  • Serve fruit for dessert.
• Snacks
  • Keep fresh fruit and dried fruit handy for snacking.
  • Make a quick fruit smoothie with milk and frozen fruit.

Most fruits are good sources of fiber.

• For example, one small apple with skin has 3 grams of fiber. Healthy adults need about 28 grams of fiber every day.
• Make most of your choices whole or cut-up fruit, for the benefits dietary fiber provides.

*The recommendation of 2 cups of fruits ever day is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Go to www.mypyramid.gov for personalized nutritional recommendations.

Yogurt-Fruit Smoothie

Serves 4

½ cup fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1 medium banana
1½ cups orange juice
1 cup canned fruit, drained

Put ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS (per serving)—Calories 200 ~ fat 1 g ~ calories from fat 10 ~ sodium 105 mg ~ total carbohydrate 44 g ~ fiber 1 g

Reprinted with permission from www.mypyramid.gov.