Fruit cake has earned an unfair reputation as a high-fat, high-calorie holiday joke. Although some commercially made fruit cakes may be as appetizing and digestible as the average door-stopper, you can prepare your own fresh, nutritious fruit cake that will add color to your holiday meals while contributing to your daily requirements of fiber, iron, protein, healthy fats and other nutrients.
Commercially Prepared Fruit Cake
One slice of commercially made fruit cake weighing 3 oz. has 279 calories, 8 g of fat and 2 g of protein, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its 53 g of carbohydrates include 3 g of fiber and 26 g of sugar. To its credit, this serving of fruit cake has only 1 g of saturated fat and 4 mg of cholesterol. Most of its fat consists of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which occur naturally in nuts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the fatty acids in foods such as nuts, vegetable oils and fish should make up the majority of your fat intake each day.
Healthy Alternative
To repair fruit cake's damaged reputation and promote the benefits of this seasonal dessert, the American Council on Exercise, or ACE, developed a healthy recipe that substitutes dried apricots, cherries and pineapple for the candied fruits in store-bought fruit cakes. The recipe combines whole-wheat flour with all-purpose white flour for added fiber, and substitutes olive oil or walnut oil for a portion of the butter, to reduce saturated fat. Molasses replaces sugar, boosting the iron content in this recipe. To reduce cholesterol and fat, egg whites replace whole eggs. Pecans and candied cherries serve as garnishes. This fruit cake has 202 calories, 4 g of total fat, 1 g of saturated fat, 3 mg of cholesterol and 3 g of fiber per slice, according to ACE.
Nutritional Benefits
When you're considering which of the abundance of treats you should eat during the holiday season, fruit cake may be a more nutritious option than many candies, cakes or cookies. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nuts may promote cardiovascular health by reducing your cholesterol levels, provided they replace saturated, animal-based fats in your diet, the American Heart Association notes. A serving of fruit cake has 2 mg of iron, which is 11 percent of your daily value for this mineral, or the amount your body needs each day to utilize oxygen and produce energy. A 3-oz. serving also provides 12 percent of the daily value of fiber. Replacing candied fruit with dried fruit may reduce the sugar in fruit cake and increase its fiber, mineral and vitamin content.
Suggestions
To avoid overindulging on fruit cake or other high-calorie desserts during the holiday season, the American Dietetic Association recommends that you eat balanced, nutrient-rich meals during the day, give vegetables or fruits first priority at buffet-style dinners, and be selective in your choice of fattening foods. Although the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in nuts are essential for normal body function and may promote heart health, foods that are rich in healthy fats are high in calories and should be eaten in limited portions to avoid weight gain, the CDC advises.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Cake, Fruitcake, Commercially Prepared
- American Council on Exercise: Everyone Loves This Fruitcake -- ACE Healthy Recipes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Nutrition for Everyone: Basics: Unsaturated Fat
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- American Dietetic Association: A Healthy Approach to Holiday Eating
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