As we feel the morning temperatures start to drop, we’re signaled that fall is just around the corner. There’s the urge to hold on to summer just a bit longer, including the deliciousness of all that fresh fruit. Nothing says summer like peaches and apricots that taste like peaches and apricots. Here’s a reminder as to the myriad reasons to fill your shopping basket with summer fruit a few more times this season, as well as a simple and scrumptious recipe to celebrate the end of a lovely time of year.
We can all afford more
Few of us get the recommended 4 to 8 servings of fruit daily. While serving size varies considerably, from 2 tablespoons of dried fruit to 1 ¼ cups diced watermelon, as a general rule of thumb, a medium piece of fresh fruit is a serving (think tennis ball size), as is ½ cup cut fruit. Frozen and canned fruits are nutritional counterparts to fresh fruit, so include them as well when getting your suggested number of fruits daily.
Have no fear
I work with clients on a daily basis who are afraid to eat fruit. They’ve been led to believe that carbs are the enemy food or that fruit is ‘all sugar’. Healthy carbs like fruit are a necessary base to any balanced diet, and while it is true that fruit contains natural sugar, eating fruit is very different from having empty calorie sweets that have none of the health-promoting nutrients that fruits are naturally loaded with.
The nutrients are here
No matter what you’re trying to avoid or manage regarding your health, fruits play a crucial role. They’re packed with compounds that can lower blood pressure, promote weight loss, reduce cholesterol numbers, help avoid heart attack and stroke, prevent cancer, and may even ward off dementia. If all of those benefits aren’t reason enough, daily fruit intake can slow the aging process, so meeting your daily fruit recommendations will help you look and feel younger.
Get in on the season
We are fortunate to live in a time when we can get great tasting fruit year round. But it’s always nice to have fruit that has been vine and tree-ripened with the full flavor nature provides. Get in on the last few weeks of in-season apricots, berries, cherries, melon, figs, nectarines, peaches and plums. Always a great side dish, also add summer fruit to spring mix salads, pair with a handful of nuts for a delicious snack, mix into a whole-grain pancake batter or throw a few on the grill when preparing your entree.
Farewell with a flair
I modified this Bon Appetit recipe to reduce the calories by cutting the butter and sugar portions by 25%. It tastes just as delightful and saves 50 empty calories per serving.
Summer Fruit Crisp
Serves 8- ⅓ c unbleached flour
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 c old-fashioned oats, divided
- ¾ stick (6 Tbsp) butter, cut into pieces
- 2 cups each blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon, lime or orange zest
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon, lime or orange juice
- ⅛ tsp salt
- Non-stick cooking spray
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Pulse flour, brown sugar, ½ tsp salt and ¾ c oats in food processor to mix. Add butter, pulse again. Transfer to a bowl and work in ¼ c remaining oats with fingers.
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Preheat oven to 375°. In large bowl, toss fruit with sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice and ⅛ tsp salt. Transfer to a 2.5 qt baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Scatter oat topping over fruit.
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Place baking dish on baking sheet in oven, bake 60-70 minutes until fruit juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 1 hour.
Nutrition Content per ⅛ serving 270 cal, 9 g fat, 33 g carb, plus 3 g fiber and vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and other phytochemicals from the fruit. Note: a cup of the fresh fruit sans recipe is 70 cal, 0 g fat, 15 g carb, plus 3 g fiber and vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and other phytochemicals : )
Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com
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