Back to discoverIs Dried Fruit Good For You?
Dried fruit has been known to be a popular snack as well as a vital ingredient for a fruit cake or cous cous salad for many years now. But is dried fruit good for us?
What Is Dried Fruit?
First and foremost, what is dried fruit?
Essentially, it is exactly what it says. Fruit such as plums, apricots, or grapes, are dried by the sun or machinery, to remove virtually all their water content. By removing the water, everything about the fruit concentrates. A mango suddenly becomes vibrant and intensely sweet, and a raisin turns sticky and juicy.
As well as taste, nutrients also intensify and concentrate! Potassium, Vitamin A and Fibre are just to name a few. However, sugar in these materials also gets heightened compared to fresh fruit, thus dried fruit has been given a bit of a bad rep in recent years. Yes nothing is perfect, but looking deeper into the world of dried fruit; Raisins, prunes, dates and many other dried fruit varieties can offer a vast range of beneficial nutrients for us when eaten mindfully and not excessively – here’s our top 3 reasons they are good for us!
Why Are Dried Fruits Good For You?
Here are three key reasons why dried fruit is good for you:
- Dried fruits are incredible for digestion support
Dried fruit, by weight, contains 3.5 times more fibre than that of a fresh piece of fruit. Fibre is essential to support digestion and bowel movement in our everyday diets. It also is a great nutrient to regulate digestion of meals, slowing down the process and helping us feel fuller for longer!
Is dried fruit good for you? | BBC Good Food and Dried Fruit: Good or Bad? (healthline.com)
Adults are targeted to have 30g of fibre daily and is something that we sort after daily, therefore dried fruit can support us towards this!
Additionally, research shows that prunes have a natural laxative property which in turn can support digestion and prevent constipation as well as other relating diseases.
2. Dried Fruits are packed full of antioxidants
Antioxidants are key to support the breakdown of cells. Family doctor, explains that the introduction of these into our diet can prevent free radicals or viruses damaging our internal cells, thus protecting us daily. Dried fruit is naturally rich in Polyphenols, which supports blood flow and supports heart health amongst other disease defences.
Research published in 2020 within the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics expressed how adults who consumed more dried fruit had low blood pressure as well as a lower BMI.
3. A Great tasty way to get in your 5-a-day
The NHS highlight the requirements we need to fulfil the 5 a day target of eating more fruit and veg. This initiative was set up by the World Health Organisation in the aim to support vitamin and mineral intake to lower risk of serious health problems. Eating 30g of dried fruit is equivalent to 1 of your 5 a day. So, a handful of raisins as a snack or a couple of dried apricots diced and added to a couscous salad can be a great addition to your daily intake.
Dried Fruit Recipes
We have a wide variety of recipes for mealtimes and snacks on our website that utilise tasty and healthier ingredients, and shouldn’t be too tricky to tackle. Take a look here!
Where To Get Dried Fruit
You’ve come to the right place! Browse our online shop to purchase or locate your nearest store to fulfill your dried fruit needs.