Natural Dried Fruits Benefits

Posted by saborati on March 8th, 2018

To fall into the category of naturally dried; a fruit needs to be dehydrated by the most natural means that is without any artificial additives. It means fresh apple slices must be dried in a kitchen dehydrator and grapes left out in the sun till they become totally dry.

Drying has its own cons and pros. Being the simplest and cost-effective method of preserving food; natural drying certainly offers a long shelf life to the fruits and thus, increases the availability of the fruits even in the off-season. It means you can have a taste of your favorite fruit, even in the off-season by purchasing natural dried fruit from the market. But, there is a vast difference in the nutritional content of the two. In natural dried fruit, the nutritional concentration of minerals, dietary fibers, etc., may increase but heat-sensitive substances like Vitamin C may be completely lost.  

Natural Dried Fruit Benefits:
An attempt of removing the water content from a fruit through an appropriate amount of heat sometimes, concentrate some of its nutrients. Read it below to know the comparison between a fresh and dried apricot:
Fresh apricot has 3.1 g fiber, 0.6 mg iron, and 149 retinol activities, whereas, dried apricot has 6.5 g fiber, 2.3 mg iron, and 160 retinol activities.

An increase in the content of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins are extremely common in case of natural dried fruit. But, the amount and degree of concentration may be different as they depend on the fruit type and the process used for drying. In a research where antioxidant properties of various plums, figs, and dried fruits are studied, it has been observed that dried fruits have the highest nutrient content.

Some natural dried fruits are highly effective in maintaining oral health. Raisins are believed to be a cause of dental cavities but they are not so. A recent study has found that raisins have a bioactive substance known as the oleanolic acid can restrict the growth of oral bacteria.
 
Practical Uses of Natural Dried Fruits:
There are some situations like an outdoor activity where you need to consume a high-calorie food. Fruits that are naturally dried can supply a good amount of energy per weight and because of this dried fruit has become a major source of calorie that is required by the body.

Apart from their rich taste, natural dried fruits serve as a healthy replacement for regular sugar. Dried fruits are often used for controlling and absorbing moisture in cooking. There is a need to add some dried fruits in some recipes to offer them a mouth-watering flavor. But, before adding them, you need to soak them in hot water for some time.