Since ive changed my lifestyle to no junk food ive gotten into dried fruits lately. Im really enjoying dried mango but am worried its just full of sugar so really not doing any good? Does anyone have any advice or info about dried fruit? If its just full of sugar? Does it have any health benefits? Is it a good alternative to junk? Thanks!
I am not a nutritionist but here is my 2 cents from what I have read:
Read the fine print on dried fruit carefully as some(most commercial) has added sugar and oil.
Some banana chips are coated in oil and sweetened.
Best ones that I have found that often don't contain added sugar:
apples, mango, apricots, cherry and currant.
That being said they do have a higher sugar content than the whole fruit so I tend to it them in moderation. But they do have health benefits I know dried apricots have good source of fiber (ditto for apples) and iron. I was told to each dried cherries for folic acid and antioxidants (although I just like the flavor) yummy in oatmeal. I like Peeled Snacks brand and Archer Farms (Target) in a pinch.
Sorry so long...
ichoose nailed it. You have to read the packaging carefully.
If you have the money, you could look into getting your own dehydrator and make your own? Most seem to run about $60, but there's one on amazon with good reviews and it's only $30. I did a search for 'dehydrator' on amazon and there were a lot of options.
If you go that route, you can limit what additional things you put on the fruit.
Ditto what the other posters said. You just have to be vigilant. It's better to just eat the raw fruit if you can, but you can certainly treat yourself with some dried snacks. Just eat them in moderation.
Dried fruit from supermarkets etc also often contains some nasty preservatives (or at least, they do here)- so if you want to avoid that, you'll need to shop around or make your own. And I think you are probably getting more sugar per gram than the original fruit, but you are probably eating less of it as well (like you wouldnt be eating a whole dried apple, right?) I think it's a good snack, just be careful
With regard to your original questions -- my humble opinion. No, there is no health benefit to traditional dried fruits, and no, they aren't a good substitute for "junk" (though thats a subjective term and it really is PRIMARILY about calories).
Overall, dried fruit might as well be skittles.
Dried fruit in the traditional sense tends to just be a super concentrated form of sugar, and a lot of time has added sugar as well. Some things, such as banana chips for example, are actually FRIED, so looking at packages is crutial.
If you can get your hands on some freeze dried fruits those are generally a better option and have fewer calories, but they're still not as good as just a standard piece of whole fruit which has water and fiber still in tact.
I recommend if you really love mango to just eat some mango! It might not be easy to find fresh, but even frozen mango with no added sugar/juice is going to hit the spot for you better than the dried stuff will.
I agree based on the sugar, but then I thought maybe we should compare the other nutritional content (there's more to health and nutrition than calories right???) This is what I found:
Skittles per 100g:
(400 kcal)
Vitamin A equiv. 0 μg (0%)
Vitamin C 66.7 mg (80%)
Calcium 0 mg (0%)
Iron 0 mg (0%)
Sodium 15.1 mg (1%)
Dietary fibre: 0g
So you are marginally better with the apricots, but I was surprise about the vitamin c in skittles! As a person who dislikes fruit, they appeal to me more now
I get more satisfaction from eating raw fruit, as it fills me up and hydrates me as well, BUT I do like to eat dried apricots and mango sometimes, (for example when I'm on the go).
Echoing other posters, watch out for added ingredients. On the rare occasion when I can afford to go to Whole Foods I'll buy some really good dried mango that has no added ingredients at all - just mango straight up.
I agree based on the sugar, but then I thought maybe we should compare the other nutritional content (there's more to health and nutrition than calories right???) This is what I found:
Skittles per 100g:
(400 kcal)
Vitamin A equiv. 0 μg (0%)
Vitamin C 66.7 mg (80%)
Calcium 0 mg (0%)
Iron 0 mg (0%)
Sodium 15.1 mg (1%)
Dietary fibre: 0g
So you are marginally better with the apricots, but I was surprise about the vitamin c in skittles! As a person who dislikes fruit, they appeal to me more now
So, skittles have more vitamin C, and apricots have more fiber. Regardless, it was somewhat of a joke but it we want to take it that literally;
If we are talking about dried mangos, as the OP was, its even less of a difference;
Dried Mango (no sugar added)
100g = 306 calories
75.3g carbs (91.1g in 100g Skittles)
63.5g sugar (76.4g in 100g Skittles)
2.4g Fiber (0g in 100g Skittles)
My point was that dried fruit is basically pure sugar and not the best option. Is it the same as actually eating Skittles? No, but it's certainly not the best option if someone (such as the OP in this case) is concerned about how much sugar she is getting.
As an aside, it's also very easy to eat 100g of dried mango... have you ever measured out 100g of anything? Its a pitifully small amount in most cases, unless we're talking about spinach or popcorn.
Haha I know, I didnt think you were being literal when you said that I was just curious about what the actual difference would be- and was surprised so shared
I learnt the dried fruit trap just a little while ago - i must confess tho, dried banana is my weakness, so i have to close my eyes and run past them at the store! lol no but seriously raw fruit is better than dried fruit but dried fruit is better than sweets and chocolate.
dried fruit
