Fresh Fruits or Dried Fruits

This post acts as a supplement to Shereen's earlier post on Processed food and Fresh food.

I came across this article on choosing between dried fruits and fresh fruits. While we know the obvious of which is better, you'll be surprised that some people have absolutely no idea because of the way manufacturers market their products.

Hopefully the information below will help us better explain the facts to our students and loved ones :)

Fresh fruit comes packaged as nature intended and therefore it contains all the vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytochemicals and antioxidants you might expect. Fruit also contains water — and lots of it. An apple for example is approximately 85% water and grapefruits, water melons and strawberries all contain over 90% water by weight.

This water content can not only contribute to your daily fluid requirement but it also adds bulk and volume to the fruit which helps to make you feel satisfied and full - a real plus point for anyone looking to control their weight.

As the name suggests, dried fruits have had most of their water content removed. This, in effect, concentrates the remaining nutrients into a smaller volume which is why dried fruits, weight for weight, are often richer in fibre, iron and other key vitamins and minerals. However, this also means dried fruits will also be richer in calories and sugar.

This is partly due to the concentrated nature of dried fruits but also because some dried fruits have sugar added during the drying process. This reduction in overall volume plus the increase in calories and sugar content means that, if you are watching your weight, you will need to keep a keen eye on the quantity of dried fruits you consume.

The drying process varies from fruit to fruit but several dried fruits are also treated with sulphur dioxide as it helps to preserve colour and flavour. There is little evidence to suggest this is hazardous to most people however it can cause skin rashes, stomach upsets and asthma attacks in some susceptible people.

Sulfur dioxide also eliminates the Vitamin B1 or thiamine content within the fruit which in itself is not too much or a problem as vitamin B1 is fairly readily available in foods so a deficiency of this vitamin is rare.

Fruits that are dried without the use of sulfur dioxide are often less appealing to look at though as they tend to be more discoloured. For example, apricots dried without the use of sulphur dioxide tend to be brown and far less appetizing to look at than those treated with sulfur dioxide which are likely to retain more of their original orange colour and shape.

If in doubt, select organic dried fruits wherever possible as these will not have had sulfur dioxide added.

The drying process can also deplete other valuable water soluble nutrients such as vitamin C and other B vitamins. However, eaten in smaller quantities to avoid excess calorie and sugar consumption dried fruits still make a really, excellent alternative to most other commercially prepared snacks.

So, in short, as long as you don't over do it, most dried fruits are a healthy, convenient and nutritious snack. However, fresh fruits are likely to be richer in immune boosting vitamin C and if weight loss is your goal, their high water content will help with hunger control, helping you to feel fuller for longer.