Many people believe that dried fruits are just a handful of calories and sugar, but the truth is another very different...

Numerous studies have confirmed their benefits and have also revealed which dried fruits are the healthiest.

Learn now the best benefits of dried fruits.

What are dried fruits?

Dehydrated or dried fruits are fruits frutas that have had most of their water content extracted through certain drying or dehydration techniques.

They can be dried naturally in the sun or special dryers or dehydrating devices may be used.

The first signs of consuming dried fruits appear to date back several thousand years, in Mesopotamia, where numerous dried fruits were already used in many recipes.

By containing no water, dehydrated fruits greatly reduce their size and become a nutrient-rich hypercalyric snack.

In addition, thanks to the dehydration process, these fruits can be kept in perfect condition for much longer than a piece of fresh fruit.

In general, all varieties of fruits can be dehydrated, but the most consumed are:

• Raisins.
• Dates.
• Plums.
• Figs.
• Apricots.
• Peaches.
• Apples...

These examples of fruits are usually dried 100% naturally, i.e. in the sun or through dryers, and have no additives,so they are virtually as healthy as fresh fruit and are called "traditional dried fruits" (1).

However, other types of fruits, such as cherries, blue or red blueberries or strawberries,among others, are usually soaked in sugar or derivatives before drying.

These sugar-dehydrated fruits are called "candied or frosted dried fruits" and, due to their high added sugar content,are a much less healthy snack.

That said, always choose the least processed and processed versions of dried fruits possible, i.e. traditional ones.

In other words, those whose ingredient list only includes fruit and not any other name that refers to some type of added sugar.

Nutritional value

Dried or dried fruits maintain the same nutritional value as a piece of fresh fruit, but without the water content.

However, due to their small size, by weight they contain almost 4 times more the amount of vitamins and minerals than the piece of fresh fruit.

Remember that you should always choose traditional dried fruits, since they do not contain added sugars or other substances that alter their nutritional value.

They also do not have fat and are low in sodium.

In addition, dehydrated fruits are especially rich in fiber and potassium and thanks to their high content of antioxidants and other plant compounds offer various healthy benefits.

On the other hand, dehydrated fruits also tend to contain significant amounts of folic acid (vitamin B9), which is involved in the creation of new cells and is critical during pregnancy, as it can prevent birth defects in the baby (2).

However, the vitamin C content of dried fruits is considerably lower than that of their fresh counterparts.

Let's look at a comparison of the nutritional value of 100 g of fresh plums and 100 g of pruning plums (3, 4):

6 benefits of dried fruits

As I have already mentioned, dehydrated fruits are a food with a high concentration of nutrients and numerous plant compounds,mainly antioxidants.

Both characteristics give dehydrated fruits a number of health benefits and properties that have been confirmed by science.

Let's take a closer look at these benefits....

1. Reduce your risk of cancer

In 2000, WHO estimated that low fruit and vegetable consumption was the source of nearly 2.7 million deaths worldwide.

According to several studies, consuming a minimum of 400 g of fruits and vegetables daily may decrease the risk of (5):

• Oral cancer by 50%.
• Esophageal cancer by 40-50%.
• Lung, colon and stomach cancer.

Two of the risk factors for cancer, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, can be significantly reduced by consuming dehydrated fruit.

Thanks to their high content of antioxidant substances, mostly polyphenols, vitamins and minerals, dehydrated fruits have important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Experts have also confirmed that bioactive compounds present in dehydrated fruit, such as anthocyanins, acetogenins, catechins, coumarins, phenolic acids... make this appetizer a promising method of chemoprevention against cancer (6).

2. Prevent heart disease

It is a scientific fact more than confirmed that regular consumption of fruit prevents the risk of heart disease gracias to various mechanisms:

• Antioxidant activity.
• Cardioprotective effect of some minerals and fruit vitamins.

And why wouldn't the same thing happen with dried fruits?

I have already commented that the nutritional value of fresh fruit is maintained in dehydrated fruit and even increases the concentration of nutrients and antioxidants.

The high potassium content of dehydrated fruits, such as plums or raisins, helps reduce the risk of heart disease by regulating your blood pressure level (7).

In one study, raisin consumption positively affected cholesterol metabolism andmarkers of inflammation, resulting in remarkable protection against cardiovascular disease (8).

3. They are rich in fiber

Dehydrated fruits are a very good source of fiber, a carbohydrate not digestible essential for the body.

A high-fiber diet has several essential health benefits.

On the one hand, high-fiber foods improve intestinal transit by preventing constipation, contribute to lower cholesterol levels,promote the microflora of the colon and reduce glucose and insulin (9).

On the other hand, some types of fiber also help reduce appetite and promote weight loss.

4. They are suitable for diabetics

Because of their sweetness, many people think that dehydrated fruits cannot be consumed by diabetic people.

However, many studies have confirmed that, thanks to their high fiber content and polyphenol antioxidants, dehydrated fruits have a low to medium glycemic index (10, 11).

The glycemic index is how quickly food causes spikes in glucose levels after a meal and a low rate is associated with multiple healthy benefits and is well suited for people with diabetes (12).

Let's look at which values are considered high, medium and low glycemic index and look at some examples of dried fruits:

• High glycemic index: more than 70.
• Average glycemicindex : 56-69.
• Low glycemic index: less than 55.

In other words, eating dehydrated fruits, such as raisins, helps lower blood glucose levels and prevents the onset of diabetes (13).

5. Strengthen and protect bones from disease

Prune plums have been shown to reduce bone loss caused by certain bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

There are studies in both animals and humans that prove that the consumption of prune is not only helps prevent bone loss but also reverses it (14).

In addition, dehydrated fruits often have large amounts of nutrients involved in bone health, such as calcium, magnesium, boron or vitamin K.

6. Positively influence pregnancy

Pregnant women need extra nutrients during this important stage of their lives.

It is for this reason that regular intake of dehydrated fruits, with a high concentration of nutrients, can help them meet the daily needs required by your body.

But that's not all...

According to various studies, eating about 6 dates daily reduces the need to induce or stimulate childbirth and promotes cervical dilation (15).

Do dehydrated fruits have any negative health effects?

The first drawback we encounter when taking dehydrated fruits is its high sugar content.

By weight and size, a dehydrated fruit has a lot of sugar and calories,hence it is necessary to moderate the consumption of this food.

Care! Being so sweet and so "small", it is very easy to abuse its consumption and remember that fructose in excess is not good at all.

For this simple reason, it is advisable to avoid eating candied or frosted dried fruits, as these contain even more sugar from added sugars.

In addition, some dehydrated fruits may also contain sulphites,substances that are added to preserve fruit color and can cause certain reactions in some people.

If you want to avoid sulphites, don't buy colorful dehydrated fruits, even if they seem more attractive to you.

Traditional and natural dried fruit loses the real color of fresh fruit, but this does not mean that it is in bad condition, but quite the opposite: it has only one ingredient, the fruit.

Source: www.nutricionsinmas.com