Gaining weight? Everything you wanted to know about dried fruit

Compared to Hanukkah donuts or manna ears, Tu Bishvat foods have many benefits, almonds and nuts have important fatty acids and many minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium, and dried fruits have no fat but have many fiber and minerals. Each fruit has its own benefits, in dried apricots for example. There is a lot of iron and potassium, and plums have fiber.

With all their benefits, it should be noted that among these wonderful products there are also those that have the addition of white sugar, preservatives or harmful food colors, and are of course less preferable. When buying dried fruit in bulk it is impossible to know, and it is advisable to assume that they contain preservatives and other additives, except for dates, which usually do not contain additives of any kind.

In packaged products, you should check the fine print of the ingredient list. Sometimes you find that it is not as healthy as you think. Most dried fruits are not dried in a natural process, and some are dried in a shortened process that includes sulfur fumes that are absorbed into the dried fruit and cause it to contain harmful substances. A great many products have a respectable list of preservatives or harmful food colors like tartarazine or aloe vera red, and also indigo or sunscreen. Some products have an addition of over 50 percent sugar, which is also completely unnecessary because the dried fruit has the natural sugar that becomes more concentrated and that is definitely enough.

There are many products on the market, and the real priority is for health food stores and organic products. Luminous fruits may be beautiful but less healthy. The dried apricot is a very prominent example, in its organic color brown and in the more familiar version its color is bright orange.

And what about calories?

The main problem with Tu B’Shvat is that you start snacking on a small fruit and another one like this and such an almond and they are all healthy, natural, unroasted and without salt, but in the aggregate contain a very large amount of calories.

In any case, it is recommended to always add fat or protein to the fruit in order to prevent a jump in the sugar level and feel full for longer.

What’s fatter?

Is fresh fruit better than dried fruit? In drying the fruit do not add additives like sugar (unlike the candied fruits). Therefore the caloric value of dried fruit is equal to that of fresh fruit. In contrast, when comparing one hundred grams of fruit, the caloric value of dried fruits increases 6-4 times more than the fresh fruit, due to water loss.

For example, fresh apricot contains 80 percent water, and per 100 grams has 53 calories, after drying the apricot shrinks and in 100 grams the caloric value increases to 300 calories per 100 grams. As with the rest of the fruit, the loss of water leads to the consumption of more units to reach 100 grams, and the calories accordingly.

Nuts and nuts contribute to the body 70-50 percent fat, mainly unsaturated fatty acids that are desirable for the body. And yet there are differences. For example, walnuts contain more omega 3, watermelon seeds and sunflower seeds and pistachios also contain more protein, more iron and also magnesium.

Is there a preference for nuts that are not roasted? In general, yes. During heating and roasting, some of the important fatty acids are destroyed, and apart from that in roasted nuts there is a greater amount of salt, which is less recommended especially for those with high blood pressure.

Roasted nuts also have excellent health value, especially compared to fried snacks. Even though it is a healthy fat, it should still not be forgotten that nuts have 70 percent fat, and 700-600 calories per 100 grams. Admittedly fat is healthy, but for those who maintain weight or try to lose weight, this amount of calories is the same as a large donut or pita with shawarma.

The author is a naturopathic fitandzone