Greetings to readers who want to lose weight and pay attention to what makes for better nutrition this summer. Let’s discuss how you can seek out and analyze summer fruit at your local grocery store or farmer’s market for its peak ripeness and perfection. While your choices may be limited at the market, there are ways to determine which watermelon or pineapple will have better flavor once you cut it. To eat lots of fruits this summer and better your nutrition and weight loss, you’ll want to eat only the most flavorful and juicy fruits.
Even if you have picked and bought a fruit too early, don’t worry, these tips will help you know when to take it off the shelf and put in on the plate.
In the summer, there are many great fruits to choose from. Watermelons, mangos, pineapples, kiwi, peaches, and plums are typically bought more in the summertime. However, we cannot forget about berries, avocado, and cantaloupe. The main fruits we will be covering today are watermelons, cantaloups, mangos, pineapples, avocado, kiwi, peaches, nectarines, and plums. Typically, any berry like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries are easy to assess whether or not they are ripe because their size and color give it away. On the other hand, you will see many individuals get stuck trying to determine which melon to pick (and that’s okay because we have all been there)
To pick a ripe watermelon, the recommendation is to select one that is heavy (in relation to its size) and possesses a yellow somewhat flat “bald spot” on the side. The heaviness indicates how juicy the watermelon is and the spot on the side will indicate if the watermelon was allowed to ripen enough on the ground before being picked. Try to pick a watermelon that is dark and dull, as this is a sign of ripeness. To pick the perfect cantaloupe, select one that smells like cantaloupe at the location of where the stem was cut. Look at the color and check to make sure it is tan with green lines. Feel if the melon is firm, but avoid one that is rock hard, too soft, or has brown/ soft bruises.
Picking the perfect pineapple is a must for the summertime. A ripe pineapple should have a greenish-yellow color and smell sweet at the bottom. Again, assess if the pineapple feels heavy for its size and slightly press the fruit to check for a bit of softness. Ripe kiwis and mangos can be identified simply by touch. Gently press a kiwi or mango and see if it gives to the added pressure. If it gives in, then the fruit is ripe. To pick an avocado, chose one with a darker skin and without any exterior damages. If the avocado feels hard when applying gentle pressure, then it is not ripe. If it gives in too much, then it is past ripeness. An avocado that yields to pressure slightly is the ripest. Be warned! Once ripe, avocados go bad quickly.
Find a local peach. Since travel distances reduced with local fruit, they tend be ripe at time of sale. A strong color without traces of green and a sweet smell are good indications of ripeness but get a feel of the fruit and pick one with a slight give. The same rules apply to picking a ripe nectarine, but what about a plum? Plums are dark in color and pick one that is rich in color. Other than that, assess the weight for size and the softness. At this point, you’re a pro at picking fruit!
Summer is the perfect time to focus on better nutrition and weight loss, and eating ripe seasonal fruit can be an important part of your summer weight loss plan.
For more on how to lose weight this summer, click here and check out our blog post on maximizing your vegetable intake this summer.
Lead photo by LuAnn Hunt on Unsplash
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
Candice Shipley, Student Nutritionist
Nutrition & Food Science – Dietetics
University of Maryland, College Park | 2023