Fruits

Nutritional Value

• Supply vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and potassium
• Rich in sugar and dietary fibre

Major Functions

• Dietary fibre promotes proper digestion; prevents constipation and intestinal diseases
• The vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in fruit work together to protect us from many chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers

Food Sources

• Fresh, frozen or canned fruit in juice
• Dried fruits and dates without added sugar or salt
• Pure fruit juice without added sugar

Definition of Serving Size

• 2 pieces of small-sized fruit (e.g. plum or kiwifruit)
• 1 piece of medium-sized fruit (e.g. orange or apple)
• ¹⁄₂ piece of large-sized fruit (e.g. banana, grapefruit or star fruit)
• ¹⁄₂ bowl of fruit cuts or mini-sized fruit (e.g. watermelon, grapes or strawberries)
• 1 tablespoon of dried fruits without added sugar or salt (e.g. raisins or pitted prunes)
• ³⁄₄ glass of pure fruit juice without added sugar* (e.g. fresh orange juice with pulp)

Health Tips

• Eat a variety of fruit with different colours to get different nutrients
• Fresh fruits are better choices than canned, frozen or dried fruits and fruit juices
• Eat plenty of orange or yellowish fruits such as orange, papaya and mango because they are rich in vitamin A and C
• Compared with a whole fruit, fruit juice contains less dietary fibre but a much higher sugar content. Consuming whole fruit is hence recommended 
• Most fruit are naturally low in fat but do remember to reduce intake of fruit which are combined with high-fat ingredients. For examples, fruit tarts, fruited ice cream and fruit cake with whipped cream
• Reduce the use of fruit with added sugar such as canned fruit in syrup, desserts, sweetened dried fruits and fruit juice made from concentrate