Summer is in full swing and the market for local products is booming. The wide variety of fruits available is a nice change of pace from winter fruits such as apples, citrus, and bananas.

Now fresh peaches, plums, cherries, berries and cantaloupe are in abundance. If you have a sweet tooth, now is the time to curb it by adding more fresh fruit to your diet. Eat it as is, or spend a little time cutting up a variety of fruits for a fruit salad to eat throughout the week. Add variety to your routine by picking some blueberries to add to your morning cereal or picking out some fresh, ripe apricots for a beta-carotene boost.

You may also consider adding fruit to your main dish. While pineapple is a favorite with ham, try it with other meats, such as poultry, too. Put pineapple slices on the grill just before your meats finish cooking. Let them brown for a few minutes on each side, then serve with your meat or poultry. Fresh peaches are also great for grilling. Make sure they are ripe and then split them in half to roast. Sprinkling a little sugar on each half beforehand and letting them sit for about an hour before grilling will ensure a juicy garnish. You can also serve them for dessert. Add a honey yogurt dressing or warm honey mustard.

In addition to grilled fruit, chopping fruit into dips is also a refreshing change in flavor from your favorite dip. Make your sauce as you normally would (chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc.); then add some chopped peaches or mango. The sweet flavor of the fruit with the flavor of the onion and tomato is a nice contrast. The mango sauce gives a wonderful flavor to fish such as salmon or tuna. Serve these sauces at room temperature on the side, or top cooked fish with them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends eating at least 5 and up to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Cooking with fruit is another way to reach your “5 a day” goal. Start by adding two additional servings of fruit to your daily diet. Incorporating more fruits into your daily diet and cooking will increase your intake of healthy antioxidants and increase your fiber intake. Both are part of a cancer-fighting, heart-healthy diet and can help keep your gastrointestinal system in check, not to mention your waistline. So the next time you hear a chocolate chip cookie calling your name, reach for a ripe nectarine or some sweet grapes first and indulge in the natural sweetness they have to offer.

Try these high-fiber, low-calorie recipes to get more fruit into your summer diet:

APRICOT AND CABBAGE SALAD

Source: Land O Lakes

Dressing ingredients:

1/3 cup LAND O LAKES regular sour cream

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salad ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) package coleslaw mix

3 to 4 fresh apricots, seeded, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup chopped green onions

Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing to salad; stir to coat. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Makes 12 (1/2 cup) servings.

PEACH SAUCE

1 cup peeled and chopped peaches

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped yellow or green bell peppers

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, or basil

1 teaspoon of sugar

pinch of crushed red pepper

Mix everything in a medium bowl. Cover cold for a few hours.

Make 1 1/2 cups.