Dried fruit - is it really a healthy snack?

Considering what selection of dried fruit we currently have on store shelves, it is hard to imagine that only a few years ago dried fruit was present on our tables mostly in winter, in the form of dried fruit for Christmas Eve compote. Today we eat them all year round. Dried fruit is said to be a great, healthy snack and variety to your daily diet. Is it really?

Dried fruits are sweet because they contain a lot of natural sugar. Consumed regularly, in small amounts, helps to prevent cravings for sweets. In addition, they store well, you can always have them at hand, they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Only advantages? That's not all.

Why is it worth consuming dried fruit?

Apples, plums, apricots, grapes and dates are especially suitable for drying. The fruit can be dried in the air, in the sun or in the oven. On an industrial scale, special drying apparatuses are used. At high temperatures, fruits lose nearly 80% of their water content. As a result, they are durable and can be stored for a long time. No fungi or bacteria grow in them.

What happens to the nutrients in the drying process?

Dried fruits contain nutrients in concentrated form. These are mainly vitamins (although there are slightly less of them than in the case of fresh fruit), minerals and fiber.
Dried fruit is also characterized by a high content of carbohydrates and provides a relatively large number of calories. For this reason , they are perfect to satisfy your sudden hunger . Athletes and pregnant women always have them at hand. A few dried fruits should be added to a child's breakfast in kindergarten or school. 5 prunes or apricots are one of the five servings of fruit and vegetables that nutritionists recommend each day.

Dried fruit - an alternative to sweets?

We almost all know a sudden rush of cravings for something sweet. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, if at such moments we eat a piece of chocolate or a cake. In the long run, however, it is worth finding a safe (read healthy and less caloric) alternative for such cravings. It is just dried fruit.
Caloric content of the most popular dried fruit per serving (25 grams)

• Plums 54 kcal
• Mango 78.5 kcal
• Pineapple 47.5 kcal
• Apricots 60 kcal
• Dates 70 kcal
• Figs 64 kcal
• Raisins 76 kcal

Dried fruit is also sweet, but it has half the calories of chocolate or a piece of cheesecake . In addition, the fiber contained in them greatly improves digestion and intestinal function. You just have to remember to drink an additional glass of liquid, preferably mineral water, when consuming dried fruit.

What to look for when buying dried fruit?

When choosing dried fruit, it is worth reading the packaging carefully and buying the non-sulfurized ones . They are much healthier. Sulfur dioxide, often used in industrial production, makes the fruit much more durable, colored, but tastes worse. They are far from the real taste and aroma of dried fruit. There is a strange, acidic, unnatural smell when you open a package of sulfurized fruit.

The fact that fruit and dried fruits are unsulfurized is usually clearly written. We should attach importance to this, especially when giving dried fruit to children whose diet requires special attention and care for the lack of preservatives. Consuming excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide can cause nausea and headaches.

You should also remember to choose fruit that the producer did not sweeten - unfortunately, you can also buy them on the market. After all, fruits contain natural sugars that are healthy for our body. So let's read labels carefully and choose unsweetened fruits.

Dried sheep with a BIO signature will be the safest choice - you can find them here!

Prunes are a healthy snack, just in time for a "little hunger".

A few sliced ​​dried apricots with cereal and natural yoghurt is a delicious breakfast. The perfect healthy start every day.

Dried granant seeds are rarely available. It's worth trying their slightly sour taste. Ecological product, without additives, with a high content of vitamins - you will find them with us;)

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Dried fruit - is it really a healthy snack?