Which dried fruits are better on a diet: raisins, dried apricots or prunes

Most of all, we have to limit ourselves to sweets, but not everyone finds it easy.

In order not to break down and not negate all the achievements of proper nutrition, you can choose foods for your diet that are acceptable and even healthy, but at the same time sweet.

One of the options is dried fruits, which are not only liked by many, but also very healthy.

Why should you limit the quantity?

It is possible to eat dried fruits on a diet; we are not even talking about a complete ban. They are healthy, contain many vitamins and minerals, help fight breakdowns, since they most often taste sweet, and many people replace candy or other sweets with them. But there must be moderation in everything.

They do not contain much sugar or glucose, although it is also present. Most of the calories come from fructose, which is also a simple carbohydrate, but has a slightly different effect on the body.

You can eat raisins, dried apples or, for example, prunes. But some types of dried fruits will have a high calorie content due to the large amount of fructose. This is the reason for limiting them in the diet.

However, not everyone can eat a large amount of dried fruits. The point is that they fill you up very quickly, often a few tens of grams bring a feeling of fullness, after which you don’t feel like eating at all for some time.

Effect of fructose

Fructose, roughly speaking, is a type of sugar that has a special effect on the human body. The bottom line is that it is absorbed very slowly by the stomach, but is quickly broken down by the body.

Fructose is sweeter than sugar. Almost half as much substance must be consumed to get the same sensation of sweetness. This is also a definite advantage in choosing fructose versus sugar.

Important! Fructose has a less harmful effect on tooth enamel than sugar and glucose.

Fructose has exactly the same molecular composition as glucose, but has a different structure. This means that it is still a simple carbohydrate that is easily converted into fat.

Using fructose in large quantities has negative effects on the body similar to consuming sugar.

Fructose can be used to somewhat replace sugar, but its amount still needs to be limited in the diet. Unlimited consumption will have many negative consequences.

Fructose does not cause the same insulin release as sugar consumption, so it is allowed in the diet of diabetics. However, they should not consume it unlimitedly, since a large amount also threatens obesity.

Is there any benefit

The benefits of certain products are determined by the content of minerals, vitamins, and other useful compounds in them, as well as the proportion of BJU. Most often, the composition contains the following substances in large quantities:

• magnesium;
• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• iodine;
• sodium;
• vitamins of group B, as well as C, A and P.

The amount of vitamin C will be less than in similar fresh fruits, since it does not tolerate any processing, including drying. But still he is present in the composition.

The benefit of such products lies in their composition rich in vitamins and minerals. This is especially acute in winter, when fresh fruit is not so easy to get.

Now everything is on sale, at any time of the year, but homemade dried fruits will be clearly healthier than chemically treated goods from supermarkets.

It is believed that a certain amount of dried fruits helps fight obesity if they replace the usual sweets, such as chocolate or candy, improves blood pressure, has a positive effect on the digestion process (due to its fiber content), and is also indicated for depression and heart problems.

Calorie content. Lowest calorie dried fruits (table)

When building a diet, it is important to consider which dried fruits are the most high-calorie, how much , for example, dried apricots can be consumed per day so as not to damage your figure. The table shows the least high-calorie dried fruits:

Fresh fruits will have less calories per 100 grams, but this is achieved due to the water content. When dried, it goes away, which is why there is such a difference.

Some types of dried fruits will be higher in calories, for example, dried bananas contain almost 400 kcal, dried melon - about 340 kcal.

Raisins are considered relatively high in calories; they can contain up to 300 calories, depending on the grape variety. It is possible to determine which dried fruit can be considered the lowest calorie product based on the content of carbohydrates and fats.

You need to decide individually whether you can eat raisins or not, dried apricots or not, or any other dried fruit on your diet. A certain amount is possible in any case, but if we are talking about a larger volume, then we should proceed from the total calorie content of the diet and the content of carbohydrates in it from other foods.

You may also be interested in: Is it possible to eat candied fruits while losing weight?

Be sure to check out:

Is it possible to eat corn while on a diet: benefits and harms? Get a complete set of proteins, fats and carbohydrates from Doshirak dietary products on a diet: is it possible to eat fast food products? Is it possible to eat soy sauce while on a diet: all the myths and truth

Calorie content and nutritional value of dried fruits

Dried fruits have been a favorite treat since childhood. Back then they were sold in bags by weight and their appearance was not attractive enough. But they were real and environmentally friendly. What is now sold in stores can hardly be called a useful product. The thing is that to give a beautiful appearance, preservatives are used, namely fumigation with sulfur dioxide, which is dangerous to health. In addition, to add shine, dried fruits are lubricated with glycerin. This is especially true for dried apricots and raisins.

It would seem that it is worth buying dried fruits from private traders, but they also use sulfur fumigation to preserve their products. Since they do this in an artisanal way and in the field, the toxicity of such dried fruits can be even higher than that of store-bought ones. Moreover, to obtain greater weight, dried apricots can be soaked in special solutions. But that's not all the dangers. Very often, gasoline or gas ovens are used for quick drying. At the same time, combustion products of these substances settle on dried fruits, and they may have a certain unpleasant taste and pose a health hazard. Sugar can also be added to dried fruits to add flavor.

And it turns out that instead of purchasing a product that retains all the beneficial properties of the original fruit, we get harm to our health. But dried fruits are recommended for use in dietary nutrition. There are even special diets, for example, the prune diet.

Selection tips:

1. We don’t buy shiny, excellent-looking dried fruits.
2. If possible, we sniff, and if there is any foreign smell, we reject it.
3. The coffee-colored prunes indicate that they have been steamed.
4. Buy dried fruits that are really dry - this indicates their quality.

Before eating, it is best to soak dried fruits in water for at least an hour. And remember the golden rule of nutrition - if you doubt the quality of a product, just don’t eat it.

Calorie table for dried fruits per 100 grams

See also: calorie content of juices and other tables of calorie content of foods.

Nika Sestrinskaya - especially for the site fotodiet.ru

Which ones can you eat?

You can eat almost all dried fruits on your diet, but it is better to give preference to those that are lower in calories. However, each will additionally have some properties that are unique to him.

Prunes

It is considered an excellent antidepressant. It has an average calorie content, about 230 per 100 grams, and contains many vitamins and minerals.

Another positive property that is great for dieting is that it contains a lot of dietary fiber, which has a positive effect on digestion and helps remove toxins from the body.

Raisin

Raisins are allowed during a diet, but in limited quantities. It is quite high in calories, but at the same time very sweet and quickly fills you up.

Before replacing raisins with other products, you need to pay attention to their positive qualities. Consumption will benefit the thyroid gland due to the iodine contained in the composition, and will also have a positive effect on hair and skin.

Dried apples

Dried apples for weight loss are allowed in the same way as fresh ones. They contain many vitamins and minerals, they have a positive effect on digestion and the functioning of the body as a whole.

Apples contain a lot of iron, which is extremely important when dieting, since dietary restrictions can significantly reduce the intake of this mineral in the body. Eating apples will increase hemoglobin and strengthen the immune system.

Dried apricots

Dried apricots are made from apricots and have a pleasant taste. It cannot be said that when losing weight you can eat as much dried apricots as you want; you should still limit yourself somewhat, since it contains more than 200 kilocalories per 100 grams.

Dried apricots have a positive effect on bones and skin, as they contain potassium and calcium. It has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as the gastrointestinal tract.

You may also be interested in: Can you eat dates while on a weight loss diet?

The benefits and harms of bananas for the human body

Beneficial and medicinal properties of banana

• The benefits of banana for the stomach and digestive system. Bananas help cleanse the body of various harmful substances and are useful for certain gastric diseases (for example, stomach ulcers). These fruits do not irritate the gastric mucosa.
• A useful distinguishing feature of bananas from many fruits is the absence of allergens in their composition, so they can be safely eaten by both adults and children.
• The unique composition of microelements in bananas helps to activate brain activity, tones well, and elevates mood (due to the production of serotonin).
• Banana will be useful for heartburn, as it helps soothe and coat the stomach lining.
• The benefits of bananas for the cardiovascular system are also noticeable, since the beneficial microelements in its composition help strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
• Bananas are popular and widely used in the diet of athletes, as they help in gaining muscle mass, strengthening muscles and bones.
• Bananas are useful for liver disease and help improve liver function and recovery.
• Do you want to quit smoking and get rid of your addiction to nicotine? Bananas will help you in this matter as well, as they help neutralize the harmful properties of nicotine and reduce the craving for smoking.
• The beneficial properties of bananas are also applicable for hypertension. Eating just 1 banana a day helps normalize blood pressure.

The benefits of bananas for women

Bananas are widely used in cosmetology. On the Internet you can find a lot of recipes for banana-based masks for the skin of the face and body, as well as for strengthening and maintaining healthy hair. For example, a recipe for one of these face masks can be prepared in a couple of minutes: mix grated banana pulp with cream (one to two) and add a teaspoon of natural honey, after which the mixture is thoroughly mixed and applied to the face for 20 minutes, after which washed off with regular warm water.

It is useful for girls and women to know that bananas are part of many diets, or are their main components, so if you choose the right diet, bananas will help fight excess weight.

Benefits of bananas for men

Eating a banana has a positive effect on potency and sexual desire in men (and women too), so the male gender has long adopted this knowledge. Moreover, bananas have a positive effect on the quality of sperm produced in men.

Beneficial properties of dried bananas

Dried bananas are several times higher in calories than regular fresh ones, so they are a good nutritious snack that is useful to eat in the first half of the day (for example, during lunch), while the dried banana retains all the beneficial vitamins and microelements, as in the fresh fruit.

What are the benefits of banana peel?

Surprisingly, you can even find a use for the peel (skin) of a banana. For example, for insect bites, to avoid inflammation and itching, you can apply a banana peel (from the pulp side) to the bite site and rub the area with it.

Banana peels are also used to make compresses that are applied to the head for headaches.

Harmful properties and contraindications for eating bananas

Bananas are not without their disadvantages, so let’s look at what harm bananas can do to human health:

• Bananas have a high sugar content, so these fruits should not be consumed by people with diabetes.
• Eating unripe bananas may cause bloating and increased gas production. Green bananas are difficult for the human body to digest.
• Eating banana with milk may cause stomach upset.

In conclusion to this article, it can be noted that the beneficial and medicinal properties of bananas make this fruit not only a tasty and inexpensive delicacy, but a good helper for maintaining the health of all members of your family, which is why bananas are so popular in all countries and are regularly eaten as in raw form and as an ingredient for preparing various dishes, desserts, cocktails and drinks.

What to replace if you decide not to use

If someone who is losing weight decides to give up dried fruits completely, for example, due to intolerance to certain components or he simply does not like the taste, they can be replaced with other sweets.

Marmalade, marshmallows, marshmallows, and a little dark chocolate are allowed on a diet.

In any case, it is not recommended to completely deprive yourself of gastronomic joy, as this is fraught with breakdowns and, as a result, consumption of more harmful dishes.

What is dried apricot and how is it produced?

Dried apricots are dried apricots. However, this category also includes dried products with other names:

• apricot - whole dried small apricot;
• kaisa - also a whole dried fruit, but without a seed;
• ashtak - a whole apricot from which the pit has been removed, but the shelled kernel has been placed there.

Dried apricots are the simplest version of dried apricot. The whole fruit is cut into 2 parts, the pit is removed, and the halves of the fruit are dried in the sun. Moreover, this is done under direct sunlight, which, of course, does not contribute to the preservation of vitamins.

Getting dried apricots is a very labor-intensive job. After all, this is all done manually. The apricots are cut, pitted and placed in boiling water for a few minutes. This procedure allows you to give the skin of future dried apricots a smooth and shiny appearance.

However, after such processing, the amount of water in the semi-finished product increases, which complicates the drying process. In strong sun it is still possible to do this, and after 2 weeks the entire apricot, having become dried apricots, decreases by 4-5 times.

The described scheme for obtaining dried apricots is ideal, but does not always correspond to reality. Some manufacturers soak dried apricots in copper dioxide, which makes them more golden and soft, while losing their beneficial properties. Moreover, such a product becomes hazardous to health. Usually such dangerous dried apricots look very beautiful and tempting - they are large, juicy and light.

Unloading and losing weight on dried fruits

A diet based on dried fruits alone will not be effective, since they do not contain protein and contain little or no fat. Existing on carbohydrates alone, and in their simple form, is quite harmful to the body.

Some doctors sometimes advise having fasting days, that is, not eating food at all or only a limited set of foods. This is done to cleanse the body.

Attention! It is often not recommended to arrange fasting days, as this will negatively affect the microflora and the general condition of the stomach.

A beginner will not be able to fast all day. During this period, you can drink water and eat some fruits, including dried fruits. They contain fiber, which will only help cleanse. You shouldn’t sit all day, for example, on dried apples. It is best to make a mixture containing different types of such products.

How many calories are in dried fruits

On average, the calorie content of dried fruits ranges from 250 kcal to 300 kcal per 100 g. This is a fairly high figure. However, given that dried fruits themselves are light in weight, it is quite difficult to overeat them. Dried fruits are high in calories, but they do not contain fat, so they are recommended to be consumed even by people on a diet.

If you are concerned about how many calories are in dried fruits, then just compare, for example, the calorie content of a dried apricot with the calorie content of a chocolate candy. The result will clearly not be in favor of the latter. Therefore, by replacing ordinary sweets with tasty and healthy dried fruits, you will do your body an invaluable service. The calorie content of dried fruits will in any case be lower than the calorie content of fatty cakes and pastries.

In order to accurately find out the calorie content of certain dried fruits, we suggest using the table of calorie content of dried fruits.

What will nutritionists say?

Most nutritionists, as well as professional athletes, believe that when dieting for weight loss, it is possible, and sometimes necessary, to consume dried fruits, since they can to some extent replace harmful sweets, contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and also saturate the body quite quickly.

Lidia Ionova, nutritionist

Nutritionist Lidiya Ionova, who works at the Medical Dietetic Center and is quite well known in society and on the Internet, advises using only homemade dried fruits in the diet, since industrial drying adds many dyes that negatively affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and have other negative properties. Sugar is also often added to such products during the soaking process, which is unacceptable on a diet.

Alexey Kovalkov, nutritionist

A professional doctor, Doctor of Science, author of many books and techniques, Alexey Kovalkov believes that you cannot simply replace, for example, chocolate with dried apricots. It is important to understand why someone who is losing weight constantly craves sweets and eliminate the cause, after which losing weight will be much easier.

But in general, he does not deny the benefits of dried fruits and considers them very useful. In his opinion, they can and should be included in the diet, but only if eating them is enjoyable.

Zinaida Rudenko, fitness bikini

The famous athlete, coach and blogger believes that most of the sweets sold in stores are very harmful. If possible, it is better to replace them with healthy products, including dried fruits, which have a number of beneficial properties.

What determines the calorie content of fresh fruits?

Fruits have varying degrees of calorie content, which depends on the liquid and sugar content. For example, unlike fresh fruits, dried fruits have a higher number of calories. During the drying process, they begin to lose moisture, so they become a concentrated source of energy - raisins (1/4 cup) have the same number of calories as grapes (1 cup).

The caloric content of canned and frozen foods will also be different, depending on whether sugar or syrup was added during cooking. The lowest calorie content is found in fresh fruits; the greater the amount of liquid included in the fruit, the lower the number of calories. So, apple, orange or grapes? To determine dietary foods, you do not need to use a special table.

The benefits of dried fruits

It's no secret that all fruits are full of microelements and vitamins, so the benefit of dried fruits lies not only in their preservation, but also in their increase. The calcium in dried fruits helps strengthen bones, makes nails and hair healthy, and improves the appearance of the skin. Potassium in dried fruits normalizes heart function and strengthens nerves. Iron and sodium maintain hemoglobin balance in the blood, and magnesium is responsible for blood pressure.

In addition, the benefits of dried fruits for the normal digestion process are due to the presence of fiber, which makes the gastrointestinal tract function properly. And vitamins, to say the least, make dried fruits undeniably healthy.

Composition of dried fruits

The composition of dried fruits is simply replete with useful substances, such as vitamins (A, groups B, PP, C) and mineral elements (iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium). It is known that the calorie content of dried fruits is much higher than the nutritional value of fresh fruits - about 250 kcal per hundred grams.

This product has a long shelf life and does not necessarily need to be stored in a cool place. This is one of their main advantages - in this regard they are a convenient alternative to fresh fruit. However, unfortunately, during the drying process, most of the vitamin C is lost from the composition of dried fruits.

Properties of dried fruits

Nutritional value and composition | Vitamins | Minerals

How much does dried fruit cost (average price per 1 kg)?

Moscow and Moscow region.

150 rub.

The national cuisine of almost every country in the world has recipes for preparing dishes using dried fruits. They are usually combined with meat and fish, potatoes and rice, and used for fermenting vegetables. In addition, the nutritional properties of dried fruits make them an integral component of various types of baked goods, breakfast cereals, muesli and other sweets.

A wide range of dried fruits allows you to come up with more and more new culinary masterpieces, the preparation options of which depend solely on the imagination and skill of the cook.