Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that keep your body healthy. These foods can quickly go bad after sitting uneaten in your refrigerator or on your counter. Dehydrating these foods expands their shelf life because microorganisms cannot spoil the dried foods; however, dehydration removes nutritional value.
Dehydration
Dehydration, or drying, is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. The food is usually blanched, which means it is boiled briefly, usually in salt water, and then placed into iced water to stop the cooking process. Blanching stops enzyme action in the food and destroys microorganisms that cause spoilage. From this point, the water is evaporated out of the foods using one of several methods, such as drying with the use of commercial dehydrator, sunlight or a household oven. Sulfite treatment may help prevent some vitamin loss.
Vitamins And Minerals
Vitamin A is destroyed by air while vitamin C is destroyed by both air and heat. The process of blanching before drying can reduce the loss of vitamins A and C, as well as reduce the loss of thiamin; however, some vitamin C will still be lost, as will B-complex vitamins and minerals. Small amounts of riboflavin and niacin may also be lost during blanching. The fiber content of foods is not affected by dehydration. Some minerals may be lost in the water during the rehydration process.
Calories
Dehydrated foods have more calories than foods in their fresh state because nutrients become more concentrated once water is removed from the food item. For example, 100g of fresh apricots have 51 calories while 100g of dehydrated apricots have 260 calories. Your body can benefit from the extra calories if you burn them off through vigorous physical activity, such as hiking; however, excess calories while living an inactive lifestyle can lead to weight gain.
Considerations
It is obviously best to eat fresh foods instead of dehydrated foods as often as possible so you are getting the vitamins and minerals needed to live a healthy lifestyle. If you choose to dry your foods, exposure to light and either improper or prolonged storage of dehydrated foods can cause additional vitamin loss. You can retain nutrients in dehydrated foods by using the food within a year and storing the items in a cool, dark and dry place.
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