Dried fruits: When is a healthy choice for your diet - What to watch out for when eating them

Dried fruits: Information about them is contradictory. Some people think it's a healthy snack. But others say it's not much better than a dessert. More specifically, everything you need to know about your diet around them:

Dried fruits: The details you need to know about them

Dried fruits can be an efficient way to meet your fruit requirements and also a healthy alternative when fresh fruits are not available. In addition, they are extremely nutritious as they are rich in trace elements, fiber and antioxidants. In fact, they contain about the same amount of nutrients as fresh fruit. For example, a quarter cup of raisins contains about 6 percent of the recommended daily allowance of potassium - the same amount you would get from a cup of fresh grapes. It is equally important to mention that dried fruits are an excellent source of fiber. More specifically, they contain from 3,7 - 9,8g of fiber / 100g amount which contributes significantly to achieving the recommended daily intake of vegetables. This basically means that you get more nutrients in a smaller form, which can be beneficial for those who can not to eat fruit in their daily life. But it is important to take into account your macronutrient goals and body weight. Because if you take a closer look at calories or portion sizes, dried fruits are not the best choice, as fresh fruits fill you up more.

Dried fruits: When they are not healthy

There is a common assumption that dried fruits contain sugar, but this is not always the case. In fact, many brands of dried fruit products contain only fruit and nothing else. The healthiest varieties of dried fruit do not contain any of these added sugars. You should also watch out for any dried fruit that is labeled "candied" or "crystallized" - it simply means that sugar has been added. Because dried fruits already have natural sugar, they will taste quite sweet without added sugars. It is also important to carefully monitor the portion size when eating dried fruit, as it is easy to get away with the amount you consume. Since they take up less space in your stomach than fresh fruit, you will probably need to eat more dried fruit to feel full - and you will get a lot more calories than you planned. For example, 1 cup of grapes contains about 64 calories, while 1 cup of raisins has almost 500 calories.

Remember, dried fruits are much more concentrated than their fresh counterparts. Could you, for example, eat ten apricots in the morning? Probably not, but you could easily eat 10 dried apricots without thinking about it. So a good rule of thumb is to keep them in portions so you know the amount you are consuming.

Are they or are they not healthy?

It really depends on your personal goals and your health. If you find it difficult to eat fresh fruit, a controlled portion of dried fruit can be a healthy snack. Remember, however: Having fresh fruit also contributes to your daily hydration due to its natural water content, while dried fruit does not contain water.

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