1. Compare Nutrients to Calories
Nutrient density is a measure of how many nutrients a food has per calorie. Eating nutrient dense foods is the key to eating a healthy diet while maintaining a healthy weight.
Fruit is naturally dense in nutrients. Fruits contain a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber as well as phytochemicals that are thought to be important to human health. You get all of these benefits of fruit with relatively few calories.
Consider strawberries. One cup of strawberries (about eight large ones) contains more than your entire daily requirement for vitamin C, 3g of dietary fiber (the same as in 3/4 cup of oatmeal), and healthy amounts of many other vitamins and minerals. Plus, strawberries contain large amounts of anthocyanins, a class of antioxidants that may be important in protecting against disease. All this in less than 50 calories!
2. Know Your Recommended Fruit Intake
Fruits (and vegetables) are thought to be so healthy that public health recommendations exist about how much you should eat each day. These recommendations are based on dozens of research studies that show a link between consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables and lower rates of disease. In addition, research also suggests that your chances of maintaining a healthy weight are greater if you eat a diet high in produce.
The amount of fruit you should eat depends on your calorie needs. If you need more calories, you can eat more fruit. Most adult women are advised to eat 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruit a day. Adult men should eat 2 to 2 1/2 cups a day. Most children should eat 1 to 2 cups a day. One cup of fruit is equal to one large banana, eight large strawberries or one medium apple.
3. Enjoy Fruit's Natural Sweetness
Most of us crave the taste of sweet food. With the availability of table sugar and other sweeteners, it's easy to get a sweet fix. The problem is that it may be too easy. Many processed foods, especially those for children, are now highly sweetened. Eating lots of added sugar makes it hard to maintain a healthy weight and may even interfere with proper metabolism.
Fruit is nature's sweetest food group. Unlike added sugars, though, the sugar in fruit comes with nutrients, fiber and antioxidants. Plus, it's harder to overindulge in whole fruit than sugar-added foods like soda, fruit drinks, candy and pastries.
So next time you need something sweet, take advantage of fruit. You'll get a bit of sugar (one piece or serving of fruit contains around 12 to 19g of sugar), but your body will enjoy the nutrition.
4. Take Advantage of Nature's Packaging
All the benefits of fruit couldn't come in a more convenient package. Many fresh, whole fruits last up to several days and can be carried on the go. This not only makes it a healthy snack you can eat anytime, but it also makes fruit an earth-friendly alternative to the throw-away packages of many single serve snacks. All the more reason to choose fruit.
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