I’ve talked about the many ways to add more vegetables into your diet—now it’s time to tackle your fruit intake.
This list is for you if you need increase the amount of fruit in your diet, but don’t have diabetes or other medical conditions that require you to limit natural sugars. If you have blood sugar issues you’ll know what you can and cannot tolerate.
As I did with the vegetable article, I am including a disclaimer about my suggestion for higher-oxalate fruits. Read this.
Also, read this to see why oxalate lists vary.
Incorporate Fruit into Meals
Add to Breakfast Cereal or Oatmeal
- How: Sprinkle fresh fruits like bananas, strawberries, or blueberries on top.
- Tip: Frozen fruits work too—just microwave for 30 seconds to thaw. Or, if you are like me, keep them frozen!
Blend into Smoothies
- How: Combine your favorite fruits with milk, yogurt, or a plant-based alternative and blend away.
- Idea: Try a banana, frozen berries, and kale smoothie. I have a fantastic low-oxalate smoothie ebook with tons of excellent recipes for stone formers!
Make a Yogurt Parfait
- How: Layer yogurt with low oxalate granola and fresh fruits.
- Idea: Alternate layers of Greek yogurt, raspberries, and honey. Or zero sugar syrup.
Bake into Muffins or Bread
- How: Use mashed bananas, grated apples, or blueberries in your batter and bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes.
- Idea: Banana bread or blueberry muffins (lots of great recipes online).
Add to Salads
- How: Toss fruits like apples, pears, or dried cranberries into green salads.
- Idea: Kale with sliced strawberries, walnuts, and balsamic dressing. I have a similar recipe here.
Top Pancakes or Waffles
- How: Skip syrup and use fresh or cooked fruit instead.
- Idea: Warm blueberries and a drizzle of honey (portion not perfection as far as the added sugar is concerned).
Snack on Fruits Throughout the Day
Keep Ready-to-Eat Fruits Handy
- How: Wash and store fruits like grapes, cherries, or apple slices in the fridge. I keep them on my counter and grab them during the day. Accessibility is key to eating more fruit.
- Tip: Pre-portion into snack-size containers.
Pair with Nut Butter
- How: Dip apple slices, bananas, or pears into some sunbutter for a satisfying snack.
Make Fruit Kabobs
- How: Skewer chunks of fresh fruit for an easy grab-and-go snack.
- Idea: Alternate pineapple, apples, and melon. Kids love a good kabob, too! Use their favorites.
Try Dried Fruits
- How: Opt for unsweetened dried fruits like apricots, mangoes, or cranberries. I love these cranberries; you will find them in many of my meal plan recipes for extra fiber.
- Tip: Pair with nuts for a balanced snack. Check your Harvard oxalate list for all the lower oxalate nuts and seeds. Stay away from almonds, cashews, and chia seeds. Better yet, please read this article I have written on nuts and seeds.
Freeze for a Cool Treat
- How: Freeze grapes, banana slices, or berries for a refreshing snack.
- Idea: Frozen banana bites dipped in dark chocolate. Watch your portion of dark chocolate, as it is higher in oxalate. I love frozen (no chocolate) bananas in my Fiber One cereal and frozen fruit in my Greek yogurt.
Use Fruits as a Dessert Alternative
Make a Simple Fruit Salad
- How: Toss a variety of fruits together with a squeeze of lime juice.
- Idea: Mix watermelon, mint, and feta or goat cheese for a twist. I use goat cheese because it has lower sodium. I also put my no-salt Tajin on my watermelon. Find that recipe here. Trust me, it is so good.
Bake with a Sweet Topping
- How: Core apples or pears, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes or until tender.
Create a Healthy Sundae
- How: Top Greek yogurt or frozen yogurt with fruits instead of candy. Love this!
- Idea: Use kiwi, pineapple, and a drizzle of honey.
Make a Quick Fruit Crisp
- How: Toss fruits with oats, cinnamon, and a little butter and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes.
- Idea: Peach or berry crisp.
Grill Fruits for Dessert
- How: Brush fruits with honey and grill medium-high heat (375°F) for 3–5 minutes per side for a caramelized flavor.
- Idea: Grilled pineapple or peach halves.
Incorporate Fruits into Drinks
Infuse Water with Fruits
- How: Add slices of citrus, cucumber, or berries to your water for a refreshing drink.
- Idea: Lemon, lime, and mint infusion. Use other fruits like berries for those with a high urine pH.
Blend into Juices or Mocktails
- How: Combine fresh fruits with sparkling water or juice for a fun drink.
- Idea: Sparkling water with muddled raspberries and lime.
Make Homemade Popsicles
- How: Blend fruits with water or yogurt and freeze in molds. (I also make delicious fruit sorbets with my Ninja Creami. This machine is life-changing). It does everything from low-calorie ice cream to sorbets to Fro Yo. I will be creating a recipe book soon!
- Idea: Mango and coconut water popsicles.
Use Fruits in Cooking
Add to Sandwiches or Wraps
- How: Include apple, pear, or avocado slices for a sweet crunch.
- Idea: Turkey, swiss, and apple slices on whole-grain bread.
Stir into Grains
- How: Mix fresh or dried fruits into rice, quinoa, or couscous.
- Idea: Cranberries and pistachios in quinoa.
Top Pizza with Fruits
- How: Use fruits like figs, pineapple, or pears as toppings and bake at 425°F for 10–12 minutes.
- Idea: Goat cheese pizza with sliced figs and arugula.
Use in Stir-Fries
- How: Toss fruits like pineapple or mango into stir-fried veggies and protein and sauté over medium-high heat for 5–7 minutes..
- Idea: Sweet and sour chicken with pineapple. Find a low-sodium and sugar recipe online.
Expand Your Fruit Repertoire
Try Exotic Fruits
- How: Explore fruits you’ve never tried, like dragon fruit, passion fruit, or persimmons. We may not know the oxalate in all of these, but if you have them here and there and get your calcium needs met each day, I am not worried! It’s what we do every day. Read this.
- Tip: Many grocery stores offer pre-sliced options for sampling.
Stock Up on Frozen Fruits
- How: Keep a stash of frozen berries, avocados, mangoes, or cherries for smoothies, baking, or snacking.
- Tip: Frozen fruits retain their nutrients and are prepped for immediate use.
Your friend and advocate,
Jill
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