We’re always hearing that we should eat more fruits and vegetables, yet somehow we still don’t get enough in our diets. One way to get more fruits in is to eat dried fruit, which also lasts longer and is easier to snack on. But is dried fruit a healthy alternative to fruit or should you skip it?
Dried Fruit vs. Fresh Fruit
When we hear dried fruit we think of cranberries, cherries, dates, and apricots. Dried fruit is fresh fruit that’s been dried by the sun or in a dehydrator. Because the water content has been removed, the dried fruit is roughly a quarter of the size of the original fruit.
Is Dried Fruit Healthy?
When fresh fruit isn’t available or is too expensive, dried fruit is a good alternative since it has all the nutrition of fresh fruit. But keep in mind that because it’s smaller, you have to eat more of it than you would for fresh fruit and it’s not as satisfying. When choosing dried fruits, make sure there are no added sweeteners like sucrose, glucose, glucose syrup, dextrose, and cane sugar. If it’s labeled candied or crystallized it means sugar has been added, and you’re pretty much eating candy at that point.
