What are counted towards the 2 servings of fruit?
Fruit in various forms are counted:
- Fresh, canned and frozen fruit except fruit with added sugar (such as desserts, glacé fruit and canned fruit with added sugar) and fruits which are naturally high in fat (such as coconut, durian and avocado)
- Dried fruits and dates without added sugar or salt
- Pure fruit juice without added sugar*
Nevertheless, choose fresh fruits whenever possible!
How big is a serving of fruit?
One serving of fruit is approximately equivalent to:
- 2 pieces of small-sized fruit (e.g. plum and kiwi fruit)
- 1 piece of medium-sized fruit (e.g. orange and apple)
- 1⁄2 piece of large-sized fruit (e.g. banana, grapefruit and star fruit)
- 1⁄2 bowl of fruit cuts (e.g. watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon)
- 1⁄2 bowl of mini-sized fruit (e.g. grapes, lychees, cherries and strawberries)
- 1 tablespoon of dried fruit without added sugar or salt (e.g. raisins and prunes)
- 3⁄4 glass of pure fruit juice without added sugar* (e.g. fresh orange juice with pulp)
Remarks: 1 tablespoon ≈ 15 ml; 1 glass ≈ 240 ml; 1 bowl = 250-300 ml
Try to choose a variety of fresh fruit to obtain different nutrients.
*Compared to whole fruit, pure fruit juice contains less dietary fibre but a much higher sugar content. It is advisable to consume the whole fruit. Besides, pure fruit juice in excess of 3⁄4 glass (180 ml) will still be counted as having only one serving of fruit on the same day.