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Southeast Lab Services, previously located at 62 Doctors’ Park, is now open at 60 Doctors’ Park, upper level. Office hours are Monday – Friday from 8am – 4:30 pm.

Nutrition

Nutrition

Southeast HealthPoint Fitness - Cape

2126 Independence
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
573.986.4400

A nutritious diet plays such an important role in staying healthy. But figuring out what to eat isn't always straightforward. Nutrition and weight-loss studies pop up in the news nearly every day, while our social media feeds seem to be flooded with trends and tips on the latest diets and superfoods. Making sense of it all can be tough—even if you consider yourself health-savvy.

At HealthPoint Nutritional Services, we'll help you cut through the noise and figure out a long-term eating plan that works for you.

How Our Nutrition Specialists Help

Top tips for choosing fruit and making it last.

Reviewed 11/8/2022

Buying and storing fruit

Fruit is an important part of a healthy diet. Choosing fruit wisely and storing it properly can help ensure your selections don't spoil before you have a chance to enjoy them.

Select a fruit to learn more.

Apples

Choosing: Look for apples that are firm with intact stems and are free of soft spots.

Storing: Keep refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to three weeks.

Apricots

Choosing: Select plump apricots that are firm and uniformly colored.

Storing: You can ripen apricots at room temperature. They are ripe when they yield to soft pressure. Refrigerate ripened apricots, unwashed, in a plastic bag. They’ll be good for three to five days.

Bananas

Choosing: Buy bananas that are firm with green tips and stem. They are at their fullest flavor when the yellow skin is speckled with brown.

Storing: Ripen at room temperature. Store ripe bananas in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The skin might turn brown, but the inside will be fine.

Grapefruits

Choosing: Look for firm fruit that is heavy for its size with smooth skin. Avoid fruit with brown spots or softened areas.

Storing: You can keep grapefruit at room temperature for up to a week or refrigerated for up to three weeks.

Grapes

Choosing: Select firm, plump grapes that are firmly attached to the stem. Don’t buy grapes that are sticky, wrinkling or have brittle stems.

Storing: Refrigerate up to one week in a covered container or plastic bag.

Lemons

Choosing: Lemons should be heavy for their size. Skin should be firm and thin.

Storing: Keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Mangoes

Choosing: Select firm, plump mangoes and avoid those with sap on the skin. Ripe mangoes are slightly soft to the touch and have a fruity aroma. Mangos may be red, yellow, orange or green.

Storing: Keep mangoes at room temperature for up to two days. Once cut, mangoes should be refrigerated.

Melons

Choosing: Watermelons should be symmetrical with yellowish undersides. Choose fruit heavy for its size.

Storing: Keep a whole watermelon at room temperature. Once you cut a melon, refrigerate it in a covered container for up to five days.

Oranges

Buying: Look for oranges that are firm and heavy for their size, with brightly colored skin and no wrinkles.

Storing: Oranges store well at room temperature for one to two days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Peaches

Choosing: Look for peaches with no blemishes and firm, fuzzy skins.

Storing: Ripen peaches in a paper bag at room temperature. A peach is ripe when it’s slightly soft and aromatic. You can keep ripe peaches for one to two days.

Pears

Buying: A pear is ripe if it’s slightly soft at the stem end.

Storing: Ripen in a paper bag at room temperature. Refrigerate ripe pears.

Pineapples

Choosing: Choose pineapples that are heavy for their size. Leaves should be dark green but not dry looking.

Storing: Cut-up pineapple can be refrigerated for two to three days.

You can always get fresh produce from your grocer or farmers market. Find out what’s in season now.

What’s in season?

Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; Produce for Better Health Foundation

Sources

Many of the people who come to us are working to lose weight or address health problems like diabetes or high cholesterol levels. Others stop in to make sure they're hitting all their nutritional bases after adopting a new eating style, such as vegetarian, vegan or low-carb.

Nutritional coaching can play a key role in managing other health issues as well. The right eating plan is a must for managing food allergies or intolerances, and it can go a long way toward keeping gastrointestinal problems in check. Eating well can also help people with cancer feel their best during and after treatment. And we're here to support individuals with eating disorders build a healthier relationship with food.

Made-For-You Nutritional Coaching

We know that healthy eating isn't one-size-fits-all. That's why we offer one-on-one nutritional coaching sessions with our registered dietitians. Together we'll identify your personal dietary goals, then we offer delicious menu ideas to help you achieve them. We'll make sure your food strategy fits into your lifestyle too—whether you're a busy professional without much time to cook, you have a family to feed or you’re a retiree with a fixed food budget.

Perhaps most important, we'll do more than just hand you a dietary road map. We'll help you navigate the world of healthier eating and help you build better habits that last a lifetime. We'll even give you tips on how to avoid common detours to good nutrition, like finding healthy food options at parties or while traveling.

Healthy Cooking Classes

As part of our commitment to helping you prepare and enjoy nutritious foods, we offer a healthy cooking series. We serve up tasty tips and recipes to give your food more nutritional oomph and fresh flavor. (Also included: plenty of samples for nibbling.) A registered dietitian leads the 90-minute classes in our HealthPoint Fitness Cape demonstration kitchen. Each class costs just $5.

Each monthly class centers on a fresh theme like:

  • Healthier comfort foods
  • Cooking to curb inflammation
  • Meal prepping
  • Meatless meals
  • Whole-grain baking

You can see our full class calendar here. Preregistration is required.

Get in Touch With a Dietitian

Our team of dietitians and nutrition coaches is here to help you find a delicious, feel-good eating plan you can stick with. To make an appointment with HealthPoint Nutritional Services, call us at 573.986.4440.