Serving healthy snacks is important to providing good nutrition, supporting lifelong healthy eating habits, and helping to prevent costly and potentially-disabling diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Most of the snacks we eat should be fruits and vegetables, since most of us do not eat the recommended five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Eating fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also contain important nutrients like enzymes, vitamins and fiber. Serving fresh organic fruits and vegetables can seem challenging. However, good planning and smart shopping can make it easier.
Though some think fruits and vegetables are costly snacks, they are actually less costly than many other less-healthful snacks on a per-serving basis. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost of a serving of fruit or vegetable (all types – fresh, frozen, and canned) is 25 cents per serving. This is a good deal compared with a 69-cent single-serve bag of potato chips or an 80-cent candy bar. Try lots of different fruits and vegetables you like best.
Most of the snacks we eat should be fruits and vegetables, since most of us do not eat the recommended five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Eating fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also contain important nutrients like enzymes, vitamins and fiber. Serving fresh organic fruits and vegetables can seem challenging. However, good planning and smart shopping can make it easier.
Though some think fruits and vegetables are costly snacks, they are actually less costly than many other less-healthful snacks on a per-serving basis. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost of a serving of fruit or vegetable (all types – fresh, frozen, and canned) is 25 cents per serving. This is a good deal compared with a 69-cent single-serve bag of potato chips or an 80-cent candy bar. Try lots of different fruits and vegetables you like best.
Here are some examples of healthy fruit snack ideas:
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew Melon
Kiwis
Mandarin Oranges
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Watermelon
Applesauce (unsweetened applesauce include Mott’s Natural Style and Mott’s
Healthy Harvest line.)
Dried Fruit - Try raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, pineapple, papaya, and
others with no added sugars.
Frozen Fruit – Try freezing grapes or buy frozen blueberries, strawberries,
peaches, mangoes, and melon.
Fruit Leathers – Try Natural Value Fruit Leathers and Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, which come in a variety of flavors and don’t have added sugars.
Popsicles – Look for popsicles made from 100% fruit juice with no added caloric sweeteners, such as Breyers or Dole “No Sugar Added” fruit bars.
Smoothies – Blend "The Feast" or "Beyond Berries" with juice, yogurt or milk, and ice. Many store-made smoothies have added sugars and are not healthy choices.
Deliveries – Deliveries of fresh fruit or platters of cut-up fruit are a convenient option offered by some local grocery stores.
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew Melon
Kiwis
Mandarin Oranges
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Watermelon
Applesauce (unsweetened applesauce include Mott’s Natural Style and Mott’s
Healthy Harvest line.)
Dried Fruit - Try raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, pineapple, papaya, and
others with no added sugars.
Frozen Fruit – Try freezing grapes or buy frozen blueberries, strawberries,
peaches, mangoes, and melon.
Fruit Leathers – Try Natural Value Fruit Leathers and Stretch Island Fruit Leathers, which come in a variety of flavors and don’t have added sugars.
Popsicles – Look for popsicles made from 100% fruit juice with no added caloric sweeteners, such as Breyers or Dole “No Sugar Added” fruit bars.
Smoothies – Blend "The Feast" or "Beyond Berries" with juice, yogurt or milk, and ice. Many store-made smoothies have added sugars and are not healthy choices.
Deliveries – Deliveries of fresh fruit or platters of cut-up fruit are a convenient option offered by some local grocery stores.
Vegetables can be served raw with dip or salad dressing:
Broccoli
Carrot sticks or
Baby Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery Sticks
Cucumber
Peppers
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
String Beans
Tomato slices or grape or cherry tomatoes
Yellow Summer
Squash slices
Zucchini slices
Carrot sticks or
Baby Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery Sticks
Cucumber
Peppers
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
String Beans
Tomato slices or grape or cherry tomatoes
Yellow Summer
Squash slices
Zucchini slices
Dips – Try low-fat salad dressings, like fat-free Ranch or
Thousand Island, store-bought light dips, bean dips,
guacamole, hummus (which comes in dozens of flavors),
salsa, pesto, or peanut butter.
Thousand Island, store-bought light dips, bean dips,
guacamole, hummus (which comes in dozens of flavors),
salsa, pesto, or peanut butter.
If you'd like to try a sample of the Feast or Beyond Berries just go to my site at http://www.urilife.net/realfoodforlife . Remember, add more fresh, organic unprocessed, whole foods and less processed, genetically engineered, mass produced "fast food"!
Live Food for Live People!
Grace and Peace,
Ed
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