Dried Fruit - Smart Snack Or condition Hazard?

In speaking to countless patients over the years, it is apparent that population ordinarily want to eat a wholesome diet. In most cases, however, this is easier said than done. It takes a lot of planning to eat right each day, and many population feel overwhelmed by the high volume of facts about nutrition coming from magazines, newspapers, television and medical professionals. One of the most base concerns I hear from patients is the difficulty of getting sufficient servings of fresh produce. To make it easier, population often turn to dried fruit out of convenience. My wife often buys these types of snacks every time we are in the airport. I would like to search for these kinds of choices and let you know either or not it is a truly wholesome option.

The importance of Fruit

Dried Fruit

Everyone needs fruit and vegetables to stay healthy. These natural wonders are chock full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, the substances that protect our cells from free radical damage. Many fruits ordinarily sold both fresh and dried, such as blueberries, cherries, cranberries and figs, are particularly rich in nutrients that protect our health.

Dried Fruit - Smart Snack Or condition Hazard?

Depending on age, weight and activity level, most adults must consume 5 to 9 fruit and vegetable servings each day. The qoute is that selecting fresh yield isn't all the time easy. You may not have way to a refrigerator at work all day, and delicate fruits like pears and raspberries don't tour very well. Furthermore, purchasing fresh fruit at fast food restaurants, delis, or convenience shops is either impossible or expensive, and the choice is very limited. Despite these challenges, eating your daily yield servings is a natural, very effective way to keep your body at its best.

Dried Fruit Pros and Cons

For many people, dried fruit has come to be the go-to explication to the yield dilemma. The question, however, remains: Is dried fruit truly healthy? The sass is not as clear as you might think. To make dried fruit, manufacturers remove the water. It is the water in fresh fruit that contributes to spoilage and bacteria growth, so dehydrating the fruit makes it shelf carport for six months to a year. If dried fruit is plainly fresh fruit with the water extracted, how could it be bad for you?

In order to dry fruit like plums, apricots, figs, grapes and all the rest, the fruit must be exposed to dry heat from either the sun or commercial grade ovens. This heat has a negative consequent on fruit's nutrient content. In particular, vitamin C, potassium and calcium are three prominent substances that drastically deteriorate while the drying process.

For example, a dried apricot loses over half of its potassium content, and fruits high in vitamin C lose nearly all nutritional value due to drying. On the upside, however, dried fruit does not lose its fiber and iron content.

Another issue to think with dried fruit is chemical content. For unavoidable fruits, such as, golden raisins and apricots, sulphur dioxide is used to fix the color while the drying process. This chemical may aggravate or provoke asthma attacks in some individuals. To avoid unwanted additives, you can purchase natural and organic dried fruit at health food stores.

When you eat dried fruit, you must also take calories into account. Remember, the water has been removed, considerably reducing the volume of the fruit. Therefore, you will need to eat a smaller part of dried fruit compared with fresh fruit in order to consume the same number of calories.

For example, one cup of fresh grapes has about 60 calories, while one cup of raisins has 495 calories-quite a difference!

In addition, dried fruit tends to be much sweeter due to concentrated flavor, so it's easy to eat a lot without mental about it. To keep calories in check, divide fresh fruit into private portions and put them in zip top bags. Keep single servings in your car, purse or desk drawer for snacking.

Despite some stumbling blocks, the National Cancer construct says that a quarter cup of dried fruit counts as a serving of produce. I recommend that my patients who enjoy dried fruit eat it as just one of their daily yield servings, and that they carefully monitor part size. With wholesome eating, range is the key. If you purchase natural, chemical-free dried fruit and eat it along with a wide array of fruits and vegetables, it can be a convenient explication to your eat-right goals.

Dried Fruit - Smart Snack Or condition Hazard?

cuisinart chef's classic 17 piece cookware set kitchenaid gourmet essentials 10 pc. cookware set