Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Dried Fruit

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Dried fruit is a very useful ingredient in both savory cooking and desserts. It offers a concentrated burst of sweetness and can often help curb even the most persistent sweet tooth. You can whether dry your own or purchase the dried fruit at the supermarket. Raisins, dried apples, dried figs, and dried bananas, and other types of dried fruit can be used in a collection of ways. Here are some suggestions.

Substitute Dried Fruit for Fresh

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit makes a breathtaking increasing to any recipe. In blueberry or cranberry muffins, for example, you can substitute dried fruit for the fresh version. If the formula calls for one cup of fresh fruit, use ½ cup dried fruit. Soak the fruit in a miniature orange juice or water to make it plump.

Dried Fruit

Dried Fruit Trail Mix

Dried fruit makes a great increasing to any trail mix. The simple sugars are a wholesome substitute for candy and they offer a quick vigor burst when you need it. If your hike is strenuous, you'll need to eat a constant number of food to keep your vigor and durableness up. Just mix the dried fruit of your option with other ingredients such as pretzels, cereal, nuts, and crackers. Keep the mix within easy reach so you can munch it on the trail.

Savory Cooking with Dried Fruit

You can also contain small pieces of dried fruit in savory cooking. Incorporating raisins and chopped dates into a couscous, rice, or lentil pilaf offers a good way to divergence spicy and sweet in the same dish. Other dried fruits, such as mango or pineapple, work well in different sauces and glazes. For guidance on cooking with dried fruit, you can whether crusade online or look in cookbooks. Middle Eastern food often incorporates dried fruit in their dishes.

Dried fruit serves as a wholesome snack or interesting accompaniment to your meal. Look for creative ways to cook with dried fruit and you will be rewarded with good health.

Dried Fruit

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Dried Fruit - Nutritional Value

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As the name implies, dehydrating, or food drying, via a food dehydrator, removes a important number of water from food. The water content for most fruits is very high, typically 80% to 95%. Removing the water from food, along with fruits, inhibits various bacteria, yeasts and molds from growing and spoiling the food and thus helps in its preservation and storage. Removing water from fruit also decreases the fruit's volume, thus, once dried, the fruit's nutrient, calorie, and sugar content becomes more concentrated per serving. A half cup of dried fruit will consist of more calories, nutrients, carbohydrates (primarily the fruit's natural sugar), and fiber, among other nutrients and minerals, than a half cup of fresh fruit. For example, a half cup of raw apples will consist of about 2.5 grams of fiber, 65 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrates. A half cup of dried apples will consist of almost 6 grams of fiber, 180 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates. While the dehydrating process does cause some nutrient loss, dried fruit is still an exquisite source of:

* Vitamins A and various vitamin B's
* Minerals along with calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper and manganese
* Protein
* Natural sugars
* Antioxidants

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit ordinarily does not consist of vitamin D and only contains small amounts of Vitamin C. However, applying a coat of lemon, lime, pineapple or other citrus fruit juice before the fruit dehydrating process can add vitamin C to the dried fruit, help preclude food discoloration and offset flavor and cusine loss. Before drying, simply dip the fruit in the juice. Do not soak the fruit as this will prolong the drying time required in the food dehydrator.

Dried Fruit - Nutritional Value
Dried Fruit - Nutritional Value

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Dried Fruit on a Raw Food Diet

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Recently, I talked about my love affair with the appetizing fresh Barhi dates I received from The Date population in California. I swear, they honestly taste like caramel!

Since then, I've been asked a few times about dried fruits like dates and if they should be eaten on a healthy raw food diet. I figured now would be the excellent time to retort this question.

Dried Fruit

Should You Eat Dried Fruit?

Dried Fruit on a Raw Food Diet

Obviously, I eat and enjoy dates, but I also honestly like raisins and dried berries. I will sometimes eat raisins in the evening for a quick snack if I find myself still hungry after dinner.

However, I am careful to eat these foods sparingly.

That's because once a food is dried, it is no longer whole. Most, if not all, of the water has been removed, as well as vital nutrients along with that water.

And if you want to be wholly accurate, these foods are not truly raw. To be "raw" is to be totally unprocessed and whole, and these foods have clearly been refined.

But that's beside the point.

The point is that dried fruit is not an enough substitute for fresh fruit that is still in its whole state. It is right on something you can eat and enjoy, but it should not become a staple in your diet.

How Much Can You Eat?

It's best to limit dried fruit to a small snack or as an supplementary ingredient in recipes. When I eat raisins or dried blueberries, for instance, I tend to only eat a few handfuls at the most.

Again, it is all the time a step up to eat your food fresh.

That said, I will make a meal of fresh dates, like the appetizing Barhi dates. Fresh dates are more water-rich than their dried counterparts and much more delicious.

If you've ever had fresh dates, you know exactly what I mean.

Did I mention...caramel candy?!;)

How About Dried Fruit and Nuts?

If you've read my record on food combining, you know that fatty foods like nuts and seeds should be eaten on their own or only with vegetable matter and less-sugary fruits like tomatoes and cucumber.

In other words, these foods should not be eaten with fruit. That's because fat takes much longer to suck up than the uncomplicated sugars in fruit do, which can lead to elevated blood sugar levels and fermentation.

This rule also applies to dried fruit, perhaps even more so. Because the sugar in raisins, dates, etc. Is so concentrated, it is even more important that you consume these foods separately from high-fat foods like nuts, seeds, and avocado.

So there you have it! You can totally eat dried fruits as part of a healthy raw food diet. Just make sure to limit the number you consume and to be mindful of the "dreaded" fruit and fat combo.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

Dried Fruit on a Raw Food Diet

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Dried Fruit - Nutritional Value

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As the name implies, dehydrating, or food drying, via a food dehydrator, removes a considerable whole of water from food. The water article for most fruits is very high, typically 80% to 95%. Removing the water from food, including fruits, inhibits assorted bacteria, yeasts and molds from growing and spoiling the food and thus helps in its preservation and storage. Removing water from fruit also decreases the fruit's volume, thus, once dried, the fruit's nutrient, calorie, and sugar article becomes more concentrated per serving. A half cup of dried fruit will consist of more calories, nutrients, carbohydrates (primarily the fruit's natural sugar), and fiber, among other nutrients and minerals, than a half cup of fresh fruit. For example, a half cup of raw apples will consist of about 2.5 grams of fiber, 65 fat and 17 grams of carbohydrates. A half cup of dried apples will consist of approximately 6 grams of fiber, 180 fat and 50 grams of carbohydrates. While the dehydrating process does cause some nutrient loss, dried fruit is still an excellent source of:

* Vitamins A and assorted vitamin B's
* Minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper and manganese
* Protein
* Natural sugars
* Antioxidants

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit generally does not consist of vitamin D and only contains small amounts of Vitamin C. However, applying a coat of lemon, lime, pineapple or other citrus fruit juice before the fruit dehydrating process can add vitamin C to the dried fruit, help forestall food discoloration and offset flavor and nourishment loss. Before drying, plainly dip the fruit in the juice. Do not soak the fruit as this will prolong the drying time required in the food dehydrator.

Dried Fruit - Nutritional Value
Dried Fruit - Nutritional Value

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Is Dried Fruit better For You Than quarterly Produce?

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Wondering if dried fruit is good for you than quarterly produce? In some ways it can be, but fresh fruit is classic uncut -- except when it comes to questions of convenience and accessibility, portability and storage. Here are some of the differences, and what type of fruit is best to try.

Fresh fruit is arguably the most appetizing food that comes right from nature's bounty, and it needs no preparing or cooking to be enjoyed. The benefits of fresh fruit are phenomenal -- fruit is packed full of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, and energy (typically in the form of fructose, or fruit sugar).

Dried Fruit

Oddly, though, dried blueberries have more antioxidants than their fresh counterparts.

Is Dried Fruit better For You Than quarterly Produce?

Drying and ice drying are two of the ways to maintain fresh, ripe fruit for eating long after the harvest is over. These processes prevent spoilage and make fruits ready all year, even those whose season is quite short.

Conventional fruit drying processes almost all the time contain additives, especially sulphur dioxide, to maintain the color and freshness of the fruit. However, the dried fruit is still a far good alternative than most snack options, such as sugary candy bars and trans-fat-laden potato chips.

Freeze dried fruit does not normally contain additives, as the ice drying process undoubtedly preserves the fruit good than approved drying does.

Because fresh produce can be difficult to store effectively, and is not as practical to carry on hiking expeditions, camping trips and outdoor excursions, the ice dried stuff is a phenomenal way to get the benefits of fruit without the fuss and muss of heavy fresh fruit.

Freeze dried fruits and regularly-dried fruit contain sugars in a more concentrated form than you find with fresh produce, since the water has been mostly or entirely removed from the strawberries, peaches, apples, grapes, plums, or whatever fruit is in question. Thus it is prominent to remember that about 1/4 or 1/2 a cup of dried fruit equals a cup or so of fresh fruit as far as fat are concerned.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are good than dried items because they contain live enzymes and no additives and most of their vitamins and minerals are ready in higher percentages. They also have lots of water, which fills you up more fast and thus helps you to not consume too many fat while enjoying your fruit.

However, keeping a stash of ice dried fruit is a good idea to ensure you can all the time have your daily recommended fruit servings, even when fresh produce is not ready to you.

Is Dried Fruit better For You Than quarterly Produce?

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The Benefits of Dried Fruit Baskets

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Usually combined with varieties of nuts, dried fruit baskets have come to be the second most beloved version of the traditional fresh fruit basket today. Agreeing to growers and manufacturers, dried fruit baskets have soared in up-to-date years due to the number of time one can take to consume the dried product and still have it taste as yummy as the day it arrived.

The most beloved dried fruit baskets are composed of dried Mediterranean apricots, California pears, Middle Eastern dates and figs, as well as combinations of dried fruits such as coconut/date rolls and dried pineapple rings with a dried cherry in the middle. Someone else factor that has aided the dried fruit basket reach the lofty heights of success is the wholesome aspect of dried fruits. The healthiest ones are sun dried, without the aid of chemical agents to speed the process or retain the flavor and contain diminutive or no added sugar. In addition, many distributors of dried fruit baskets result religious food preparing mandates to make their products approved for use as a gift on beloved religious holidays such as Passover and Ramadan.

Dried Fruit

The key to producing a quality dried fruit basket is much the same as for a fresh fruit basket. Begin with high quality fruits, grown under spoton organic guidelines, picked at the peak of freshness and rushed into the drying process as speedily as possible to retain their flavor. The additional factor, the drying process itself, must be done in a similar high quality manner to yield a concluded product. If you visit a farm that specializes in high quality dried fruits, you'll learn that each fruit has its own, definite drying recipe handed down from generation to generation.

The Benefits of Dried Fruit Baskets

When the sun is used to dry most of the fruit, not much has changed from the way it was done back in Biblical times. The changes have to do with mass output of products that stress quantity over quality. Cherries have to be pitted before they're dried so the concluded product can be eaten like a raisin. Pineapples need a sugary glaze so the acidic component of the fruit does not railroad decomposition. Apricots, pears, apples and even banana slices are the driest of the dried fruits, needing no sugary coating, but must be properly ventilated during drying to take off all of the moisture. Drying fruit is an art more than a science, especially when quality is the desired result.

The Benefits of Dried Fruit Baskets

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Preserved and Dried Fruit Vs Fresh Fruit cusine

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If you're choosing, would you rather have raisins, or fresh grapes? It may be surprising for you to learn that there are differences in the middle of dried fruits and fresh fruits.

Produce departments in most areas are filling up with berries and cherries, and they ordinarily look more enthralling than dried fruit. But some people, nutritionists say, prefer dried fruits.

Dried Fruit

One registered dietitian has said that dried fruit doesn't have to be washed or ready or peeled, which makes it easier to serve, especially to children.

Preserved and Dried Fruit Vs Fresh Fruit cusine

Dried food is easier to deal with and pack, and it's non-perishable and portable, but it can comprise more calories when you compare it with fresh fruit. Food values also can change, depending on how the dried fruit is prepared.

Nutritional experts say that because of the water used in holding fresh yield fresh, they can help to fill up your stomach more, and you'll get more fruit Food with fewer calories consumed.

Fresh fruits are plainly rich in fiber, potassium, folate and vitamins C and A. Dried fruits have health benefits as well, but the process of drying the fruit can leach some of the nutrients from it.

Nevertheless, dietitians will tell you that dried and fresh fruits can each play a role in helping to satisfy your sweet tooth. This helps you to combat obesity, and the dried varieties make it easier to get your four fruit Food servings each day.

Researchers have discovered that when you dry blueberries, they categorically become richer in antioxidants by four times over fresh blueberries. But drying processes can cause nutrients to be lost, and sometimes there will be sugar added as well. So most nutritional experts believe that fresh fruit is good for you, nutritionally.

Pretreatments that take place before the drying process, which comprise adding sulfur dioxide, can help to protect some of the nutrients, while at the same time degrading others. The sulfur dioxide preserves vitamins C and A, but destroys thiamine. Oftentimes, vegetables or fruits are steamed, or boiled briefly before they are dried, to help speed the drying process up and to kill microorganisms. This preserves thiamine and carotene but it causes a loss of vitamin C. Exposure to oxygen and light while the drying process can also degrade nutrients even further.

Drying with high heat can sell out the productive level of protein that your body gets from the food you eat. The protein is still there, but not as categorically absorbed by your body. Fruit Food changes with the drying process, while it helps some nutrients and degrades others. The intensity of the drying process, depending on the fruit involved, will have various effects on the fruit you will finally eat. Some of the effects are good, some not so good, and some parts of the dietary Food in fruits does not convert appreciably when dried.

On the clear side, dried fruit has other benefits also increased antioxidants. It is high in fiber, so it can be helpful in controlling diabetes, lowering blood cholesterol and helping to relax constipation. Dried fruit is also a lot healthier than sugary snacks. And it's a quick energy source for athletes.

So... Dried fruit is good in some ways and worse in others, as far as fruit Food statistics go. Eat dried fruits for snacks, but remember to comprise four servings of fresh fruit in your diet a day.

Preserved and Dried Fruit Vs Fresh Fruit cusine

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