Dried fruit is still fruit. The main difference is that there is a very low moisture content resulting in a fruit with a longer shelf life.
Since this fruit is now shrunken to at least half the size, this makes dried fruit a more nutrient dense and higher calorie food.
Does this also mean there will be more antioxidants per serving? Is dried fruit worth eating even though it contains high amounts of sugar?
Fresh Fruit vs. Dried Fruit
- There are over 300 calories and about 65 grams of sugar in one cup of dried fruit while your average fresh fruit contains about 60 to 80 calories and about 15 grams of sugar.
- Dried fruit contains similar amounts of vitamin A and C, but other vitamins such as thiamine are lost when the sulfur dioxide (a preservative) is added.
- Dried fruit has a higher fiber content than most fresh fruits, and most are a good source of B vitamins, rich in potassium, copper, iron, and manganese.
- Dried fruit has similar antioxidant levels to some fresh fruits. Prunes (dried plums) have the highest antioxidant levels which are about equivalent to fresh berries. A few prunes per day will keep the doctor away! Fresh blueberries, however, still reign supreme with the highest levels.
If your goal is weight loss, I would recommend limiting your intake of dried fruit. A good serving size is about 2 tablespoons. Be careful not to just snack on dried fruit because that is when it can quickly deliver the calories. Try to only use dried fruit as a topping to your food. I like to add a sprinkle to oatmeal, Greek yogurt, or on top of a salad. Or, I like to think of it as an alternative to gummy bears!
Since dried fruit contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals, it can be a great way to get a lot of your nutrition in a few small bites. Just remember that it is not quite as filling as fresh fruits and does have a much higher calorie count. But, for some with specific diet needs, dried fruit is a great choice. If possible, look for dried fruit that doesn’t have extra sugar added and that’s preservative free.
Do you eat dried fruit? If so, do you add it to other foods or eat it as a snack by itself?
Sugar is still sugar. Avoid it. I’ve lost 143 pounds in the last 20 months. I’ve learned to avoid most fruits, that includes dried fruits.
“If raisins are a substitute for candy, why do they need to cover them in chocolate to sell them in movie theaters” daria
Thank you very much , I’m like it
Amen.
I eat it, but I watch the amount. The dried mango from Trader Joe’s is AMAZING–it’s like candy–but I could eat 1/2 the bag in one sitting if I wasn’t careful.
Dried fruit is my “guilty pleasure” to satisfy my insatiable sweet tooth. I am especially glad it is full of good nutrients.
I eat dried fruit as a snack. Its better than choosing a chocolate bar. I also often cook with dried apricots, they go well in chicken dishes.
Thanks for reminding us about the preservatives! And people who are sensitive to sulfur should choose unsulfured dried fruit.
Thank you, Nicole German, for reminding me of making prunes this weekend out of all the plums from the tree in our garden which my family doesn’t know what to do with, now that all our jam jars are filled.
What? You mean I can’t eat the whole bag just because it’s fruit?
How can we convince Middle America that all that sugary-corn-syrupy-chemical-frosty-flaky-deepfried stuff is of the Devil, while grapes and apples quite literally is the Biblical good stuff!?
Like you, Nicole, I eat dried fruit in lieu of candy. It’s very sweet, has a nice chewy texture, and it has more nutrition than Skittles. I really like dried Door County cherries and dried apricots–just be sure to get the unsulfered ones if you want to limit the amount of preservatives in the fruit you’re eating.
I say sugary treat. I like Zwartendyck’s idea too! Skip the candy eat some dried mango!
When having some raisins recently, it struck me: Why do we need candy at all when we have dried fruit?