Dried fruits are a convenient way for you to grab a nutritious snack on the run or to pack while traveling. Dried fruits help to satisfy a sweet tooth while keeping your nutrition on track. These tasty morsels do have a down side: they have a lot of calories. Dried mango packs in approximately 107 calories per ounce compared with fresh mango at 18 calories per ounce.
Fruit Drying
Drying fruit is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, used initially by the ancient Greeks. Removing water from fully ripened fresh fruit produces dried fruit. Fruit is dehydrated using the sun, oven, freeze-drying processes or a dehydrator to dry fruit. The drying process cuts the moisture content of the dried fruit by approximately 20 or 25 percent. Dehydration prepares the fruit for longer lengths of storage until you are ready to use it, generally able to keep in a properly sealed container for a month or more.
Vitamins
Dried fruit does not usually contain vitamins C and D. These vitamins break down easily during the heating or freezing process used for drying. Drying concentrates the other nutrients that are not so easily broken down, such as vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and pantothenic acid. Dried fruits are also an abundant source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, copper and manganese. Figs and dried plums have the best nutrient score among the dried fruits, according to a study published by the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition." Some producers use mild sulphuring to retain the vitamin content of the dried fruit, especially vitamins A and C. Small doses of sulfur are safe for human consumption; however, it is best to rinse your dried fruit before eating them.
Antioxidants
Polyphenols are a type of chemical that acts as an antioxidant, protecting against some common health problems and protecting cells and body chemicals against damage caused by free radicals. Dates have the highest concentration of polyphenols among the variety of dried fruits available. Dried fruits have superior quality antioxidants with figs and dried plums being the best, according to Joe A Vinson, Ph.D,. et al. in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition." According to this study, fig antioxidants "enrich lipoproteins in plasma and protect them from subsequent oxidation producing a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity."
Other Benefits
Dried fruit has less of some important nutrients and more concentrated amounts of others. Dried fruit has still other health benefits making it worthwhile to sneak into your husband's oatmeal. Dried fruits are high in fiber and carbohydrates, while low in fat. Dried fruits are calorie dense making them great additions to a snack to take on an activity, also requiring less room, as a serving size takes up approximately half the space of its fresh fruit counterpart. Ensure dried fruit purchased from the store does not have additional sugar added to ensure you aren't adding any additional, unneeded calories.
References
- Healthy Canada: Dried Fruit
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Fruit of the Month: Dried Fruit
- American Institute for Cancer Research; Freeze-Dried Fruits Are a Good Health Choice?; 2006
- Katherine Isacks Registered Dietitian: Before There Was Candy There Was Dried Fruit
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Dried Fruits: Excellent in Vitro and in Vivo Antioxidants; Joe A. Vinson, PhD, et al.; 2005
- United States Department of Agriculture: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
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