Fruit cocktail is a delicious and healthy alternative to candy and other sweets. These cups are composed of various types of fruit and began as a way to make use of bruised or damaged fruit. They have since become a long-time favorite. Here is a guide to the nutrition of fruit cocktail and how it benefits you. It will help you understand how nutritious a simple can of fruit can be.
Calories
The calories in a can of fruit cocktail varies with the size. A small can typically ranges between 40 to 60 calories per serving. If it's a light brand, then the calories are a lot lower. Larger cans range between 76 to 260 calories. The difference in calories depends on whether or not the fruit is canned in water, syrup or juice. Water and juice are healthier and better for you. Syrup may be light or heavy and changes the calorie content drastically. It has a great deal of sugar, corn starches and preservatives that change the dietary content. It's suggested to eat this brand in moderation or not at all.
Low in Fat and Carbs
If you're on a diet plan and are counting fat calories, consider adding fruit cups with water or juice. The natural juices of the fruit add essential nutrients instead of unhealthy fat and carbs. Fruit cocktail is great for diet plans and makes an excellent snack choice.
Daily Fruit Servings
The FDA recommends consuming 2 to 4 servings of fruit per day. A serving is considered 1/2 cup of fruit. Fruit cocktail usually comes in one-cup servings. Therefore, if you eat an entire fruit cup you'll be getting two servings of fruit. If you eat another can later in the day or with dinner, you complete all four servings. Women and kids need at least three servings of fruit per day. Older kids and pregnant women need at least four servings.
Vitamins and Minerals
Fruit cocktail is packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. A typical can of fruit cocktail comes with grapes, pineapple, peaches, pears and cherries. Here's a short list of nutrients found in one can of fruit cocktail:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B6
- Calcium
- Copper
- Folate
- Iron
- Niacin
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Zinc
Excellent Homemade Snack
Make a better version of fruit cocktail at home. When you do it yourself, you leave out the extra syrup and preservatives. Also add more fruit varieties to your dish. Kiwi, mandarin orange, apple, mango, nectarine and cantaloupe are excellent choices. Top your cocktail off with fat free or low fat whip cream for added flavor.
Adding fruit cocktail to your nutrition plan is a great idea. You'll save money and get your daily fruit servings at the same time.
