Dried fruit can have a bad reputation as being full of sugar and less nutritious than fresh fruit. This isn’t entirely true. First, let’s break down what exactly dried fruit is.
What is Organic Dried Fruit?
To put it simply, dried fruit is a fruit that has had most of the water content removed throughout the drying process. As it loses water, it also shrinks, leaving you with a smaller and denser version of the fresh fruit. The drying process of the best organic dried fruit doesn’t use high temperatures, meaning that the fruit remains in its raw state. Removing a large portion of the water content serves as a natural preservative, making dry fruit last longer.
Is Dried Fruit Far Less Nutritious Than Fresh Fruit?
Absolutely not. The myth that dried fruit loses nutrition throughout the drying process comes from the misconception that high temperatures are used. When you cook fruit, you do lose some nutritional value, but this doesn’t apply to natural dry fruits.
Organic dried fruit has all the same micronutrients, fibre, and antioxidants as the fresh fruit it came from. The only exception is that some vitamins such as vitamin C are reduced through the drying process. Regardless of this, natural dried fruit is still rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential to overall health.
Is Dried Fruit Full of Sugar?
Though dried fruit may seem sweeter because it comes in a condensed form, it contains no more sugar than the original fresh fruit.
This being said, fruit, in general, does contain a whole lot of sugar. This is usually fine because it is packaged with all those healthy minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, and fibre that help you digest those sugars. Dried fruit comes in the same package, but it is smaller. This means that it’s much easier to overeat dried fruit than it is fresh fruit.
Stick to the same daily recommendations of two servings of fresh fruit per day. If you wouldn’t eat 50 grapes in one sitting, don’t eat 50 raisins in one sitting.
Health Benefits of Dried Fruit
When eaten in moderation, dried fruit has a whole range of health benefits. They are essentially a denser version of the fruit, making them packed with fibre, potassium, and health-promoting plant compounds that you want in your body. There are even studies that indicate certain dried fruits such as raisins can lower your blood pressure, decrease inflammation, and decrease your cholesterol.