What Are The Benefits Of Dried Fruits?

Dried fruit is an easy way to get more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in your diet. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, you should try to eat at least nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. That's nearly five cups worth of food. The good news is that fruit doesn't lose its nutritional value when dried, although it does gain some calories from the preservatives, sugars and additional ingredients used in the process. This means you can eat dried fruit or add it to trail mix, cereal, salads and other meals to reach your nutritional goals without inconveniencing your life.

Energy

Fruit is a carb-based food. Your body burns carbohydrates for energy, much like a car burns gas, and just like your car, you need quality fuel for optimal performance, reports Jane Oelke, a traditional naturopath and doctor of homeopathy writing for the Building Bodies website. Carbs from bread, soda and candy are called fast-acting carbs, meaning they give you a big energy rush that runs out fast and leaves you more tired than before. Fruit, on the other hand, contains slow-acting carbohydrates. These release sugar into your bloodstream slowly and provide a constant influx of energy that can last several hours.

Satisfaction

Most of the carbohydrates found in dried fruit are from sugars, but some come in the form of dietary fiber. Soluble and insoluble fibers are difficult for the body to digest. As a result, every time you eat food that contains either kind of fiber, you will feel full longer because of the fiber in your stomach. According to Michael and Mary Eades, authors of "The Protein Power Lifeplan," you should consume 25 to 30 g of fiber per day. The cool part is that dried fruit, depending on your selection, can contain 5 g or more fiber per serving. At the recommended nine servings per day, you will easily hit the desired amount of fiber and feel satisfied and full as a result.

Health

There are 180 vitamins containing nearly 12,000 phytochemicals. Getting enough of these for optimal body function is impossible without eating enough fruit, says Dr. Oelke. In addition to the vitamins, dried fruit is packed with vital minerals and antioxidants. The benefits of these elements range from improved circulation to cancer prevention--they even help minimize the damage from free radicals and help reduce the effects of aging. The simple fact is that if you want to be healthy in body and appearance, you should eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day.