Fruits: How to select, store and serve these healthy foods

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Nature offers many sweet choices for eating well: juicy red cherries,

plump purple plums, and orange, luscious tangerines, just to name a

few. In fact, all fruits fit into a colorful and healthy diet.

Whether you eat them as snacks, main meals or trimmings, fruits offer

a variety of nutrients, very little fat and relatively few calories.

Find out why you need to eat fruits and the best way to select, store

and serve them.

 

Why eat fruits?

 

Fruits are a great-tasting way to get vitamins, minerals and fiber

and to satisfy your sweet tooth without loading up on calories. And

except for a few, such as avocado, coconut and olives, fruits are

virtually fat-free.

 

Fruits contain phytochemicals — a group of compounds that may reduce

your risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and

some cancers. Many are also good sources of antioxidants — substances

that slow down oxidation, a natural process that leads to cell and

tissue damage.

 

Eating a variety of fruits is vital because different fruits provide

different nutrients. For example, oranges and kiwi fruit are good

sources of vitamin C. Bananas are a good source of potassium, and

apricots are high in vitamin A. So if you rarely venture beyond a few

of your favorites, you're missing out on the nutrients and benefits

of other fruits.

 

Tips for selecting, storing and serving fruit

 

Here are suggestions to help you select the highest quality fruits

when you're shopping, ways to store them once you get home, and tips

for preparing and serving fruits to enhance their flavor and retain

their nutrients.

 

Selecting

 

Choose in-season fruits. The closer you are to the growing season,

the fresher your produce and the better it tastes.

Select fruits that feel heavy for their size. Heaviness is a good

sign of juiciness.

Smell fruits for characteristic aromas. Fruits should generally have

their characteristic ripe scent but not smell overly ripe. For

example, cantaloupe (muskmelon) shouldn't smell too musty, especially

if you don't plan to eat it right away.

Test texture. A kiwi that feels mushy to the touch is too ripe.

However, an avocado with a somewhat spongy texture is ideal. Be

sensitive to the correct texture for the specific fruit you're

interested in.

Buy dried fruits processed without added sugar. Dried fruits are a

concentrated source of dietary fiber, but they're also higher in

calories than are fresh fruits. Use dried fruits sparingly and try to

buy versions that don't contain added sugar.

Read labels on packaged fruits. Look for frozen fruits processed

without added sugar. Choose fruit canned in water or fruit juice.

Avoid fruits preserved in sugar-sweetened syrup, which is a source of

calories without nutrients.

Storing

 

Keep fruits at room temperature to ripen them. Some fruits — such as

bananas, pears, nectarines and kiwi — may be picked and sold at

grocery stores before they're ripe. To ripen, leave fruit at room

temperature. Ripe fruits are usually slightly soft, have their

characteristic smell and have a uniform color.

Store ripe fruits in your refrigerator. The cool temperature slows

the ripening process, giving you longer storage times. The length of

time you can store fruit depends on many factors, including how ripe

the fruit is at the time of purchase and the type of fruit. Oranges,

apricots and cherries keep well from one to two weeks in your

refrigerator. Others, such as strawberries, raspberries, grapes or

peaches, may ripen and spoil in less time — even a couple days.

Throw away produce you've kept too long. Discard fruit that is moldy

or slimy, smells bad, or is past the " best if used by " date. Besides

being unappetizing, spoiled or moldy fruit may contain toxins that

could make you sick.

Freeze fruits for long-term storage. You can freeze many types of

fruit for up to one year. Grapes, cherries, berries and melon freeze

particularly well. For best results, cut larger fruit into smaller

chunks and remove the skin of peaches, apples and nectarines before

freezing. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put in the

freezer. Once frozen, take the fruit off the cookie sheet and put

into freezer bags for long-term storage.

Serving

 

Prepare fresh fruit within about an hour of serving to maximize

flavor, texture and nutrients. Some salads benefit from a little

chilling time — about 30 to 60 minutes — for the various flavors to

marry.

Wash all fruits thoroughly under cold running water before cutting or

eating whole. This includes those fruits with hard shells or skins,

such as melons. That's because the knife you use to cut the melon

could transfer germs from the surface into the flesh. Wash your hands

before and after handling fresh fruits.

Leave on edible peels whenever possible. The peels of apples, pears

and most fruits with pits add interesting color and texture to

recipes and contain added nutrients and fiber.

Remove zest from citrus peels before discarding and save it for other

recipes. The zest is the thin, brightly colored, outermost layer of

citrus fruit, such as limes or oranges. Grated or shredded, it adds a

bright spark of flavor and color enhancement to both sweet and savory

dishes.

 

Add more fruit to your diet

 

Keep bowls of colorful, luscious fruits on hand so that they're easy

to grab whenever hunger pangs strike. Fresh fruit is generally best

because it contains the most nutrients, but frozen fruit, fruits

canned in their own juice or water, and dried fruit are good

alternatives.

 

Here are easy ways to incorporate more fruit into your diet:

 

Add fresh or dried fruit to breakfast cereals.

Add dried fruit to batters and doughs for quick breads, muffins and

cookies.

Replace the oil in baked goods with thick fruit purees, such as

applesauce, mashed bananas or prunes.

Saute with fruit juice instead of oil.

Add grated raw apple to lean ground beef or turkey when making

meatloaf or meatballs.

Make fruit sauces and toppings for desserts or pancakes.

Freeze fresh grapes and enjoy them instead of sugary iced treats.

Place a package of dried fruit in your car, purse, briefcase,

backpack or lunchbox for a between-meal snack.

Carry two pieces of fruit with you to work every day for lunch and a

snack.

Enjoy fruit as a snack by keeping a variety ready to eat in the

refrigerator or in a display bowl at all times.

Make it a goal to have fruit at each meal.

A healthy diet doesn't have to be monotonous. Be adventurous. Try

some new and unfamiliar fruits, such as kumquats, papayas,

breadfruits or persimmons. You may be surprised to find that you like

them, and they'll add interest and more health benefits to your diet.