Why the Fruit?

APPLE

• Serving size: 1 cup = one apple (2 ¼” diameter)
• Key Nutrients: Potassium, Vitamin C, antioxidants, pectin
  • Apples have an 85% water content, which aids immediate and cellular-level thirst. The antioxidants in apples can help protect your body against cancer cells and your DNA from oxidation.
  • Most nutrients are stored in the skin of the apple.
• Protective Health: Apples are a digestive and liver decongestant, reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, boost and fortify your immune system, and lower the risk of obesity, cancer and diabetes.
• Fun facts: 
  • Apples ripen up to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated
  • In the 1700s, John Chapman “Johnny Appleseed” sold, gave away, and planted apples throughout the Midwest to help future generations of pioneers!
  • If you’ve ever wondered why apples float, it’s because they’re 25% air! This gives us the ability to play games like bobbing for apples in a barrel of water.

BANANA

• Serving size: 1 cup = one 8” - 9” banana
• Key Nutrients: Vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, riboflavin, folic acid and magnesium
  • The Vitamin B6 in bananas is used to produce red blood cells, metabolize fuel for energy, remove unwanted chemicals from your body and maintain a healthy nervous system. 
  • Bananas are well-known for their high potassium content, which is important to maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure.
• Protective health: Bananas control blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and digestive problems
• Fun facts: 
  • Bananas are harvested and shipped while still green, which is why bananas at the store are varying degrees of ripeness. They are perfectly ripe when there are a few brown spots, or even if there is a touch of green at the tips. The riper the banana, the sweeter it is. Green bananas prevent the production of amylase (an enzyme needed for digestion), so make sure to eat ripe bananas!
  • Cavendish bananas account for nearly half of all bananas traded globally.
  • Bananas naturally produce ethylene which causes other fruits to ripen faster. Place fruit you want riper in a paper bag with a banana and you will speed up the process (similarly, keep bananas away from fruit that you are trying to make last)!

ORANGES

• Serving size: 1 cup = 1 orange (3” diameter)
• Key Nutrients: Vitamin C, potassium
  • The vitamin C in oranges helps maintain the body’s skin and appearance by aiding the production of collagen, which supports the strength of the skin.
  • Reduced blood pressure and better heart health are two benefits of the potassium in oranges.
• Protective Health: Oranges aid with digestion, the maintenance of skin, reduced blood pressure, improved heart health, and reduce the risk of diabetes.
• Fun facts: 
  • Oranges were originally very small, bitter, and full of seeds, but through centuries of cross-fertilization and selection there are over 200 varieties of oranges today.
  • There is no english word that rhymes with orange.

Tips on adding fruit to your diet

• Focus on whole fruits for the benefits from dietary fiber 
• Buy fresh fruit when they’re in season and at peak flavor - and are least expensive!
• You can buy dried, frozen or canned fruit (that does not have added sugars) to add to meals for a quick and easy way to include fruit in your diet! 
• The color of fruit correlates with the set of phytonutrients (plant-based vitamins & minerals) found inside it. Vary your fruit choices to consume a wide range of nutrients!
• Keep a bowl of fruit in your kitchen so you can easily grab a piece of fruit when you’re hungry
• Try adding apple chunks, pineapples, grapes, or raisins into a salad or enjoy with a dip
• Mix sliced fruit or frozen berries into cereal, and yogurt
• Fruit can be dessert, too: baked apples or pears with cinnamon and honey is a yummy dessert!
• Enjoy a fruit smoothie for breakfast or as a snack!