Dehydrated food in itself isn't healthy or unhealthy. Dehydrated food is only as healthy as the food it was made out of. If you dry out a very unhealthy food it will still remain unhealthy, while dried fruits and vegetables are very healthy in dried forms. Dehydrated food is made by heating fresh food up over low heat for a long period of time, until the moisture level of the food has been reduced to between 3 and 5 percent. As a food preservation method, dehydration is one of the healthiest methods. When compared to canned foods dehydrated food has much more to offer.
History
Drying food is one of the oldest methods for preserving food. Originally the heat from the sun or a fire was used to dehydrate food. Now it can be completed with an oven as well as a food dehydrator. Native American's still preserve food by drying it over a fire today and many Third World countries such as Africa have civilizations that still dry their food using the sun.
Preservation of Vitamins and Minerals
One of the biggest benefits of dehydrating food is the preservation of vitamins and minerals. Cooking food removes a large portion of its vitamins and minerals, but most fruits and vegetables are dehydrated without being cooked. As the food is dried out the vitamins and minerals remain intact, and you have a very healthy source of food that will last for years if stored properly.
Dehydrated Food Versus Canned
Before most foods are canned they are cooked to prevent spoiling. The cooking process is known as pasteurization and it kills all of the bacteria that cause food to spoil. As the food is pasteurized some of the vitamins and minerals are lost for good. Compared to dried food pasteurized food has a lower concentration of vitamins and minerals and is generally less healthy. Many canned foods are also placed in unhealthy preservatives or syrups that add undesirable chemicals and fats to food. According to Harvard University canned foods are often higher in sodium than fresh or dried foods are as well.
Methods of Dehydrating Food
The easiest method of drying food is through air drying. With air drying food is simply hung up to dry in a dark, well ventilated environment. Over the course of a few weeks all of the moisture leaves the food. This method is usually used with herbs and spices and they can last months or even years once dried.
Food can be dried in a standard oven by propping the oven door open and setting the oven on the lowest setting. This drying process only takes between two and four hours but it is one of the most expensive methods of drying food.
By placing herbs between sheets of paper towels you can dry them in a microwave oven. Simply set the oven to two or three minutes on medium heat and the herbs should feel dry and brittle. If they are not dry cook them for a few minutes longer.
A food dehydrator is one of the most cost effective ways to dry out your food. In a dryer the food is placed on several different racks and air is heated and blown over the trays of food for between six and 12 hours. Over this period of time the food will become very dry without wasting a large amount of energy like other methods.
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