In your storecupboard: dried
apricots, dried figs, dried dates, prunes (dried plums), dried
peaches, raisins & sultanas... & many more
Dried fruits are powerhouses of nutrition and energy. They are
packed with vitamins and minerals and provide "sweet stuff"
with real sustenance and long-lasting energy release.
Dried fruits are a concentrated source of energy, vitamins and
minerals, but contain no starch and barely a trace of
fat. All dried fruits are very high in fibre.
As they are concentrated, due to the removal of water,
they contain three or four times the nutrient value of the fresh
fruits from which they're made. For example:
- Dried figs are a real powerhouse food, each one containing
approximately the same energy as half a slice of bread. Dried
figs are very high in potassium, calcium
and iron and also contain above normal amounts of magnesium
and phosphorus.
- Dates are high in potassium and
also a good source of calcium, iron,
magnesium, phosphorus
and B vitamins.
- Dried apricots, prunes and dried figs
stand out among dried fruits as the richest in fibre.
Along with dried peaches they are also very high in beta-carotene
(vitamin A), important for vision, growth and reproduction,
and defence against infection, possibly including some types
of cancer.
- Dried apricots, dried peaches and dried figs
are also very high in potassium.
- Dried apricots, dried peaches, prunes
and dried figs are the iron
allstars. All of them
contain more iron per 100g than beef steak
(5.5, 6.0, 3.9 and 4.2 mg per 100g respectively, compared to
beef steak 3.0 mg.)
- Dates, dried apricots, dried peaches and raisins
are rich sources of folic acid, essential
for good health and especially for babies' brain development
during pregnancy.
(References)
The sweet things in life...
Because of their sugar content, dried fruits are sometimes labelled
"danger foods" for people wishing to follow restricted
calorie diets. The reality is the opposite. Naturally, a modest
intake (a small handful, eg 6 to 8 dried apricots or 4-6 dried
figs in a day) is enough. But because of their high fibre and
concetrated nutrient value, a small amount of dried fruit IS enough
to satiate sugar cravings and "nibbles", unlike other
sweet foods (chocolates, sweet biscuits, lollies) which you can
go on eating and eating... and eating...
Dried fruits do not contain added sugar. Their sweetness is due
to the dehydration process - in fact the sugar content of the
fresh fruit and the dried equivalent is the same. (However, one
would normally not eat 6-8 apricots at a sitting, therefore the
nett sugar intake from dried fruit is likely to be higher than
from fresh fruit.)
The sugar found in dried fruits are natural fruit sugars - fructose
and glucose, which have an alkaline reaction within the human
body and neutralise the acids formed in the body by other foods.
(References)
How to incorporate dried fruit into your day?
Here are a few suggestions:
- Carry dried fruit in a little jar to work or school, or in
your handbag. Keep on hand for when the 3 o'clock sugar hungry
hits, and reach for them instead of reaching for the chocky
(Give it a try! It works!). Also reach for the dried fruit jar
- Add dried fruit to your breakfast - muesli or porridge
- Variety is the spice of life. Buy and try a selection of different
dried fruits (bearing in mind that the nutritional value is
not always equal - see above - for example, for iron, choose
apricots, currants/raisins (rather than sultanas), or dried
figs. Dried fruits are available whole or diced, and in single
varieties or in "medley" or "fruit salad"
mixes. Find out what you like, and don't eat the same thing
every day.
- Dried fruit can also be added to salads or sandwiches (especially
dried tomatoes) and to many recipes such as soups (dried tomatoes)
and couscous (dried apricots, sultanas/raisins).
Where to buy dried fruit
Dried fruit is readily available in supermarkets - try the "health
food" section as well as the aisle containing "lunchbox"
type snacks (muesli bars & fruit bars).
Dried fruit can also be purchased at continental grocers, health
food shops and in bulk at bulk
food stores.
Further reading:
Dried Fruit Information Services - Official site of the Dried
Fruit Association UK Inc www.driedfruit-info.com
