Dried and diced fruits are healthy snacks if you don't have the option of eating fresh fruit. A disadvantage of the dehydration process is that it might decrease some of the nutrients fruits supply. For example, the dehydration process typically destroys vitamin C, though other vitamins and minerals might remain, depending on the type of fruit and the dehydration method.
Dicing
Dicing fruit doesn't affect its nutritional value. The advantage of dicing fruits before drying is that similarly sized pieces will dry at similar rates. For example, a large piece of apple contains more water than a small piece, so it takes longer to dry.
Drying
You can dry fruits in an oven or in a dehydrator, which is a special machine that removes moisture from foods. Cut the fruit into roughly equal pieces, then treat them with a preservative to retain the proper color. When noncitrus fruits are cut or bruised, an oxidation process begins as different chemicals mix with the oxygen in the air. This causes the fruit to turn brown. Soaking sliced fruits in a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and cold water can counteract the browning process. Other treatment options include using preservative solutions containing vitamin C or sodium bisulfite.
Calories
Fresh fruits contain lots of water, which makes them good low-calorie snacks. If you remove the water, however, you concentrate the calories in a smaller area. Therefore, eating the same volume of dried fruits as fresh fruits would supply you with many more calories. In other words, people who are on low-calorie diets should note the caloric differences between fresh and dried fruits to avoid consuming too many calories.
Considerations
The lack of moisture content also concentrates other elements of fruits. For example, dried fruits contain more fiber than the same volume of their fresh counterparts. They also contain more sugar, which might pose a problem for people who must monitor their sugar intake, such as diabetics. Another consideration is whether the manufacturer has added sugar to improve the flavor of dried fruits.
Expert Insight
The amounts of calories, sugar, vitamins, minerals and fiber a particular type of dried fruit provides depend on many factors, including the preparation process, types of fruit included and the addition of other ingredients to change the flavor. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends reading the nutrition label to determine the amounts of calories, nutrients, fat, salt and sugar dried fruits provide, as well as the percentages of recommended daily values of various vitamins and minerals.
Member Comments