Fuel for the Soul

Nourish the Body, Nourish the Soul

The Importance of Eating Fruit and How to Pick out the Perfect Fruit

NutritionkellypuryearComment

Please don't fall for the myth that "fruit is bad for you!" I can't tell you how many times a client, family member, or friend asks me "is fruit really bad for you because it's loaded with sugar?" but I can tell you my response is ALWAYS "no way!" While fruit may be a carbohydrate with natural sugars, fruit is loaded with powerful nutrients that are so good for you! If you've followed along with my Nutrients by the Alphabet series, you will know that fruit is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that are extremely beneficial to your health - so please EAT THE FRUIT! 

Natural sources of Vitamin C

Now that I made my point, let's move on to a more challenging topic - picking out the perfect fruit! To help you figure out how to pick out the perfect fruit any time of the year, I enlisted the help of Julissa Garcia from Shari's Berries !!

"Fruit is great any time of year, but it is especially satisfying in the warm summer months. Ice-cold slices of watermelon or frozen grapes are delicious ways to cool down, and a loaded fruit salad is a great meal substitute when it is too hot to possibly turn on the oven.

But how do you pick the perfect fruit -- just ripe enough so you can eat it soon, but not too ripe that it will spoil in a couple days?

This visual from Shari's Berries highlights what you should look for when picking fruit including appearance, scent, firmness, and texture. For example, did you know that when you pick a cantaloupe the end opposite its stem should be slightly soft or that a grapefruit's skin should feel thin rather than thick and chunky?"

Picking the Perfect Fruit

So go ahead and use this awesome graphic to help you pick out that perfect fruit and enjoy a nice, juicy piece of fruit to help you cool off in the Summer’s heat!

And tell me, what is your favorite fruit!?