Enjoy some fresh fruit and 100-calorie Picnic Foods

Who doesn’t like some fresh fruit?  This week my husband stopped at the farmer’s market and brought home fresh raspberries, fresh yellow plums, peaches, and fresh corn in the husk.  He also brought home a fresh watermelon. The fruit and especially the watermelon were summer sweet.  Our neighbor just rang our doorbell and gave us some home-grown tomatoes.  All kinds of fruit will be coming your way during the summer months:  strawberries ripened on the vine, cherries from Washington, blueberries from Michigan.  Not only is fruit delicious, it is super healthy, low in fat and low in calories.  A few years back, Consumer Reports had an excellent article on 100 calorie summer fruits (June 2018) and 100 calorie picnic foods.   If you are going on summer picnics or barbeques this summer, read what a 100-calorie serving of barbeque foods look like. 

Enjoy some 100-calorie fruit: 

What about the “sugar” in fruit?

Most fruit is so low in calories that you can eat a handful or more and enjoy several servings throughout the day.  Yes, fruit has “sugar” but this is the natural sugar, fructose.  It is the “added sugar” that we should be cutting back on, not the natural sugar in fruit.  Some people mistakenly believe fruit will make you fat.  Not true.  Fruit has no high fructose corn syrup and no added sugars which can add on the pounds.  Because we eat the whole fruit including the fiber, the sugar in fruit doesn’t spike your blood sugar as the added sugar in a soda would.  Harvard  notes:  fruits contain lots of fiber.  The sugar in fruit is bound to the fiber and this slows the absorption of fructose. 

Does eating fruit lead to weight gain?

No.  Some studies have shown that people who are a healthy weight, eat more fresh fruit than people who are obese.  Even Weight Watchers (WW) has revised its stance on fruit.  Fresh fruit now has 0 points so one can enjoy as much fresh fruit at they want and still be adhering to the Weight Watchers diet plan.  Registered Dietitian Hannah Meier says, “Although the natural sugar in fruit is chemically similar to table sugar, our bodies process whole fruit differently because of the fiber, phytochemicals, and micronutrients.”

A 2016 study found that people who ate the most fruit and veggies were better able to maintain their weight as they got older.  This is especially true for those eating certain fruits like blueberries, strawberries, and other fruit that is red or blue. 

What does a 100-calorie serving of fruit look like?

Cherries	19
Strawberries	28 or 2 cups
Peaches	2 medium
Blueberries	128 or 1 ¼ cups
Watermelon	12 ounces (2 cups diced)
Grapes	52
Banana	¾ large banana
Apple	1 large
Raisins	65

For a more comprehensive listing of what 100 calories of fruit looks like, go to Spark People.   They provide a long list of pictures of what 100 calories serving of fruits looks like and 100 calories of many other foods:  vegetables, grains, etc.  

Picnics and Barbeques – going on a picnic or to a barbeque soon?  Plan ahead and know which foods pack in the calories and which you can enjoy and not really worry much about the calories.  Fruit and vegetables are always a good choice to fill up on.  Enjoy all the foods being offered but beware of which foods pack in the most calories.   Maxine Siegel, R.D. heads up Consumer Reports’ food lab.  She offers some advice for barbeques: “We normally don’t think of picnic foods as being good for you, but many of them are.  For example, watermelon is low in calories and a source of potassium and the heart-healthy lycopene.  Corn on the cob is a good source of magnesium and potassium and supplies vitamin A in the form of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants important for eye health.”   Enjoy some vegetables and if you are the host, grill some vegetables:  asparagus, corn, mushroom, peppers.  Consumer Reports recommends grilling fruit including peaches, pineapple, plums and even watermelon.

What does 100 calories of barbeque foods look like?

Burger	1/3 of a burger – hamburger and bun
Corn on the Cob	1 and 2/3 ears
Hot dog	1/3 hot dog and bun
Shrimp, grilled	5 large
Baked Beans (Bush’s)	1/3 cup
Coleslaw	1/3 cup
Asparagus	1 pound (yes a whole pound)
Potato salad	¼ cup

Conclusion:  When shopping this week, choose that watermelon or other fresh fruit.  Pack some fresh cut up watermelon in your lunch.  Take along some grapes.  Grilling?  Add some fresh vegetables to the grill.  Stop at a local farmer’s market and load up on some fresh fruit and vegetables for you and your family to enjoy.  

 

Sources: picnic foods, Harvard , studies , Weight Watchers, Registered Dietitian , 2016 study,  Spark People. , She ,  Fruit and health   Images:  Watermelon and fresh fruit , Grilled corn on the cob  , Grilled asparagus