MyPlate: Fun With Fruit

— Written By Meghan Lassiter
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

SNAP-Ed works to help participants make healthy choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate. In my previous article, “MyPlate: Varying our Vegetables,” the importance of using MyPlate was discussed. MyPlate gives us a colorful visual of how to incorporate the five food groups into each of our meals.

The five food groups featured on MyPlate are vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy. The focus of this article will be fruits and how to add more fruit to your diet. Fruit has a wide variety of health benefits and it provides vitamins and nutrients that are essential to the overall health and maintenance of our bodies1. Another benefit of fruit is that it’s low in fat, sodium, and calories, but contains high amounts of necessary nutrients such as potassium, fiber, Vitamin C, and folate2.

MyPlate recommends that children, ages 5-12, should be eating 1 to 1 ½ cups of fruit each day. Teens and adults, ages 13 and up, should be consuming 2 cups per day1. To meet the recommended daily amount, fruit can be eaten raw as a snack or as part of a meal. For more information on fruits visit the MyPlate website, NC State’s Steps to Health’s website, or the USDA’s nutrition.gov and dietaryguidelines.gov.

Tips for Eating More Fruit Each Day:

  1. Leave a bowl of fruit on the table, counter, or in your refrigerator.
  2. Top your cereal with bananas, peaches, or another favorite.
  3. Drink a glass of 100% juice.
  4. Mix berries with plain low fat or fat-free yogurt as a snack.
  5. Add grapes or oranges to salads at dinner.
  6. Keep dried fruit in the pantry.
  7. Freeze fruit that will not be eaten on time and use in a refreshing smoothie.

Recipe to Try: Honey Gingered Fruit Salad

Makes 6 servings.
1 cup per serving.
Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large mango, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 small banana, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup seedless green grapes
  • 1 cup nectarines, sliced
  • 1 cup kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

Honey Ginger Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup 100% orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey*
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine fruit
  2. In a small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients until well blended.
  3. Pour honey-ginger sauce over fruit and toss together.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Serve chilled.

*Do not give honey to children under the age of one.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 124, Carbohydrate 32 g, Dietary Fiber 4 g, Protein 2 g, Total Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 4 mg

Adapted from: Soulful Recipes: Building Healthy Traditions, Network for a Healthy California, 2009. Recipe courtesy of BOND of Color.

  1. ChooseMyPlate: Fruits
  2. ChooseMyPlate: Fruits, Nutrients, Health