One of the things that disappoints me the most is that fruit bought at the grocery store never last long enough. That’s why one day when I was tired of wasting fruit (or eating them overripe), I decided to create this healthy fruit salad recipe.
To keep the fruits longer, I let them soak in a light lemony syrup which will keep them fresh for days. This way I can keep them for at least a week and never waste them. As a bonus, the syrup gave the fruit a nice fresh and lemony taste!
Kidney nutrition
This recipe is an interesting source of fiber and is considered low in fat and phosphorus.
Nutrition facts and claims
Here are the nutritional values and claims of this recipe.
For informational purposes only.
Why make your own fruit salad
Because it’s better, fresher AND healthier. Moreover, you can choose your favorite fruit! When you make it yourself, you are the boss!
There are plenty of premade fruit salads available at the grocery store, but often the syrup is loaded with sugar and other ingredients that you can avoid by making it yourself. In addition, the fruits are way less crunchy and fresh.
Tips for making a fresh and healthy fruit salad
It’s a very basic recipe, but here are my tips for making a good and healthy fruit salad regardless of the recipe.
Make a very light syrup
To avoid adding too much sugar to your fruit salad, the key is to make a very light and not too sweet syrup that will preserve your fruit. But you still need to add just enough sweetness to it so your fruit doesn’t lose their flavor.
If you have diabetes or just want to reduce the sugar content further, just drain and discard the syrup when consumed.
Fresh fruits
You should make your fruit salad as soon as you buy your fruit. The fresher they are, the fresher your salad will be.
Type of fruit
Use fruits that can be stored in syrup for several days. For example, I don’t use kiwi or banana because the result will be just catastrophic. You should use fruits that will keep their shape and crunch like diced apples, grapes, etc.
Healthy fruit salad variations
This is a basic fruit salad recipe. You can do whatever you want with it. Here are some suggestions.
Play with spices
For this recipe, I am using a cinnamon stick. However, if I want a little more heat, I replace it with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. This way the cinnamon flavor is stronger and the fruit will taste more spicy.
You can also use any other spices you would like to try. For example, the next time I have the opportunity to do some testing, I would like to try making the syrup with a mixture of cinnamon and cardamom.
Use herbs
Dried or fresh, herbs can give this recipe a whole new twist. Mint or thyme are good suggestions!
Replace the maple syrup
If you make a lot of my recipes, you will see that I often use maple syrup. But it’s easily replaceable with honey.
Healthy fruit salad conservation
It will depend entirely on the freshness of the fruit you are using. It can last on average at least 1 week when I do it. The syrup will not make your fruit fresher than they are, it will only help keep them longer.
More fruity recipes!
If you love fruit and want to make more fruity recipes, these might inspire you:
Double Strawberry Overnight Oats
Healthy Fruit Salad
INGREDIENTS
Syrup
- 7 cups water
- 1 tbsp ginger peeled and sliced
- ½ cup lemon juice
- â…“ cup maple syrup
- 1 cinnamon stick (6 inches)
Fruit mix
- 2 cups pineapple diced
- 2 cups watermelon diced
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 cups apples diced
- 2 cups grapes halved
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the cinnamon stick and ginger slices.
- Simmer over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes then add the lemon juice and maple syrup.
- Set aside, let cool completely and then filter the syrup. You can clean and cut your fruit while the syrup cool down.
- Put your fruit in the syrup and store your salad in the refrigerator.
NUTRITION FACTS
For informational purposes only. Nutrition data is primarily calculated from the USDA National Database. Values may vary from accuracy of measurements, brands, nutritional data and more. All measurements are metric (1 cup = 250ml). Readers are encouraged to make their own calculations.
Marc-Andre has been a kidney warrior since 2007. Since that time, he has learned to create his own kidney friendly recipes to preserve as much as possible his kidney functions. Now he wants to share what he has learned to help other kidney patients find tasty kidney friendly recipes.
Roxanne Papineau, RD, is a registered dietitian specializing in nephrology with over 15 years of experience in the field. She writes articles and reviews the content published on this site to ensure that it meets the most up-to-date recommendations for people with kidney disease.
