Dried fruit is often referred to as "nature's candy." It is naturally sweet with a satisfying texture and just the right amount of chewiness. Dried fruit has many concentrated nutritional benefits in the form of important fiber and minerals. It is a wonderful snack for adults and children to enjoy no matter what the season. With some creativity, dried fruit can also be used in salads, casseroles, meat dishes, pilafs and much more.
Fiber
Dried fruit can pack a high fiber punch. In fact, it can contain two to three times as much fiber as the same amount of fresh fruit. Ounce for ounce, dried cranberries contain two times as much fiber as fresh cranberries. Snacking on dried fruit is an excellent way to increase fiber intake. Consuming these fiber-filled foods will contribute to satiety (fullness), aid in digestion and help keep your gut healthy.
Sugar
Sweetened dried fruit can have roughly 25 to 50 percent more sugar than unsweetened. When you are choosing a dried fruit, remember it is packed with natural sugars, so added sugar is just not necessary. If you are purchasing instead of drying your own fruit, check the front packaging and the nutrition facts label. If sugar is listed among the ingredients, sugar was added in the processing. Continue searching until you find an unsweetened version.
Minerals
Many dried fruits are good sources of iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Dried apricots in particular are very high in these minerals. Due to volume loss, dried apricots and other fruits pack more minerals into a smaller portion than fresh fruits. For example, 1/4 cup of dried apricots provides six times more iron than 1/4 cup of fresh apricots.
Vitamins
Dried fruit is also a good source of many vitamins, like vitamin A, vitamin E, niacin, B-6 and B-12. However, the process of drying fruit can lead to some vitamin loss. Water-soluble vitamins, especially vitamin C, can be destroyed when water is removed. For example, fresh apples are a great source of vitamin C, but once apples are dried, less than half the original amount of the vitamin remains.
Calories
Due to the concentrated benefits, dried fruit also has more calories per serving than fresh. These calories mainly come from complex carbohydrate and natural sugar. This is why the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers 1/4 cup an appropriate serving of dried fruit for a child or an adult. One-fourth cup of dried fruit is similar in caloric content to 1/2 cup, or double the volume, of fresh fruit.
Member Comments