Archaeologists have traced the use of Dried Fruits back thousands of years BC to ancient Egypt where they were prized for their sweetness and the long shelf life allowed them to be used for bartering (1) Raisins, prunes, figs, dates, apricots, mangoes, pineapples, apples and bananas are some of the most popular dried fruits today, used as convenient snacks by many people who consider all fruits are healthy. However, some fruits are high in calories to start with, and when dried, you can consume a lot more calories per serving than with fresh fruit. The sugar content (grams of sugar per 100 gram) of various fruits are shown in the chart at left, along with table sugar, some candy bars, and some dried fruits (2). You can see that dates are VERY high in sugar (64), which is higher than the candy bars and at the lower end of the syrups and sugars. Most fruits on this chart are around 10-18. Dried Fruits are 40-73 – about 4x as much sugar per volume as whole fruits.
This is because the weight of a piece of fruit is 4x less with the water removed. Some of these fruits have more sugars that are glucose, which is better for you than fructose or sucrose. But 20–50% of this is fructose which can have very negative health effects such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes and heart disease (3). With the water removed, it is very easy to eat a lot more fruit with huge amounts of calories and sugars, leading to weight gain – All from something you might think of as healthy! There are many processing methods for drying fruits, such as drum dry, air dry, spray dry, freeze dry (4). Sun dried fruits can be the most healthy, with no sugar added in the drying process. With many of the other methods fruits have sugar, high fructose corn syrup or other fruit juices added in a process called infusing (5). “Candied” Fruits have sugar or high fructose corn syrups applied after drying to make them sweeter. It is important to read the labels carefully to make sure you are getting too much sugar along with the fruit.
On the bright side, dried fruits contain nearly all of the “good stuff” that whole fruits have, with very little lost in processing (6, 7) With all the water removed, by weight dried fruit has nearly 4 times as much vitamins, fiber, and minerals as the whole fruit. So you can easily get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals (8) Of course, this is just a generalization as there is a great variety in how different fruits are dried (9). Also, some vitamins, such as Vitamin C are greatly diminished in most dried fruits (10). Antioxidants in fruits have many health benefits such as better digestive health, blood flow, and protection against many age related diseases (11) Dried fruit is super high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Just be sure to take into account all the sugar that comes along with many dried fruits There are several studies that show a positive correlation between consumption of dried fruits and increased weight loss ( , ).
These studies were actually surveys of individuals self reported diet habits and weight loss, so are interesting but not the gold standard of proof researchers prefer to see (14). There are no controlled double blind research studies that show a relation between dried fruit consumption as a nutrition source and weight loss. There are some studies that show certain dried fruits such as Garcinia Cambogia can be effective in controlling hunger and increasing weight loss (15). Consumption of dried fruits MAY be beneficial for weight loss, depending on the fruits sugar content and other nutritional profile, but there currently is no verified research. Since Raisins are the most popular dried fruit consumed in North America, we take a peek at its nutritional benefits Like many dried fruits, raisins are very high in fiber, minerals, and plant antioxidants that are beneficial for humans (16, 17). They are fairly high in sugar content (65 on the chart above), but half of that is glucose which is much better for weight control than fructose (18)
The high fiber content in raisins help make them slower to digest and leads to a fairly low glycemic index around 60 and lower insulin index (19, 20). Studies show that eating raisins may help Lower Blood pressure, Blood Sugar, and decrease Inflammation (21, 22). Raisins are high in fiber, potassium and other plant compounds. Eating raisins may improve blood sugar control, lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol, as well as decrease inflammation. Our big supermarket chain supply systems demand longer shelf life and result in adding sulfites to help preserve dried fruits. This makes the fruits look more appealing and marketable. However some people are allergic to sulfites without even knowing it, so can have adverse reactions when consuming larger quanties of dried fruits (23). Dried Fruits often contain added sulfites which may bother certain individuals immune system. Some dried fruits are high in sugar content so should only be eaten sparingly.
Even when not high in sugar, fruits are all high carb, so must be avoided on Low Carb diets like Paleo, Mediterranean, Nordic, Atkins, and so many others that are rapidly gaining popularity. Dried fruits are very high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So if the high sugar and carb counts aren’t a problem for you, they make a great snack food. Thousands of products available for delivery from Whole Foods Market. Browse products from the Vitamins & Supplements aisle, or shop now and get groceries delivered to your door in 1 hour! Delivered on demand byThis year's hottest cool beverage is a fizzy, fermented drink with a tangy taste and a strange name. Kombucha is a mysterious concoction made of live bacteria and yeast and it's becoming all the rage among the same health-seeking crowd that just last year was guzzling pomegranate and açai berry juices. Some call it “mushroom tea,” although there are no real mushrooms in it, just some slimy sludge floating near the bottom of the bottle.
Kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) is the latest elixir to elicit claims of a stunning array of health benefits, everything from improving digestion and immunity to lowering cholesterol and fighting cancer. It’ll even grow hair, fans claim. What started in health food stores a few years back is now in mainstream markets across the country. Whole Foods dedicates shelves in its refrigerator cases for GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha and Synergy, the juice varieties of the tea. Coca-Cola Co. owns part of Honest Tea which has a line of Kombucha products, and Celestial Seasonings recently announced its plans to introduce a new line of flavored kombucha beverages that are fortified with functional ingredients, including B vitamins, vitamin C and spirulina. There are kombucha martinis and kombucha smoothies. Its growing popularity taps into the probiotic and detox diet crazes, along with consumers' thirst for traditional remedies and Chinese medicine. When celebrities like Reese Witherspoon were spotting carrying bottles of kombucha, it was inevitable that the exotic brew's popularity would, well, mushroom.
Kombucha lovers call it a wonder tonic, while some nutrition experts warn that too much can be toxic for people with weak immune systems. Kombucha gets its name from the microorganisms that mingle on top and form a flat, pancake-like structure that resembles a mushroom. The gelatinous, floating pancake is known as a SCOBY (for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). The “mother” culture that homebrewers use to make kombucha produce “daughter” or “kombucha babies” that are shared with friends or sold online — much like bread bakers pass along their coveted sour dough starters. Video: Bizarre new foods taste-tested The drink may be the new super-juice on the block, but this fermented tea has actually been around for more than 2,000 years. Kombucha can be traced back to ancient China where it was worshipped as a remedy for immortality. According to lore, the tea was introduced to Japan by a Korean physician named Dr. Kombu who gave the bacteria-laden liquid to a Japanese emperor as a healing tonic.
Throughout the years, the “Manchurian tea” made its way into Russia, Germany, India and other parts of the world — propelled by its purported curative properties and mystical appeal. In the U.S., there’s been a small, but growing group of kombucha devotees, particularly people who brew their own batches at home, which was once the only way you could imbibe. Dr. Brent A. Bauer, an internist with the Mayo Clinic, doubts the claims. “To date, there hasn’t been a single human trial reported in a major medical journal,” he said. “This doesn’t mean that kombucha tea can’t possibly have health benefits, it just means that at this time, there’s no direct evidence that it provides the benefits it’s reported to have.” Some reports have linked kombucha with serious complications, including liver damage, toxicity and metabolic acidosis — an abnormal increase of acid levels in body fluids. Other problems can include allergic reactions and nausea.
The drink is fairly acidic with high levels of lactic acid and other acids, so experts advise moderation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report in April 1995 that linked homebrewed kombucha with the illness of two women who were hospitalized with severe acidosis. One woman died of cardiac arrest and the other was revived after her heart stopped. Both women had been drinking kombucha tea made from the same “mother” mushroom daily for two months. Even though no direct link to the tea was proven, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers to use caution when making and drinking the tea. “Drinking this tea in quantities typically consumed (about 4 ounces daily) may not cause adverse effects in healthy persons; however, the potential health risks are unknown for those with preexisting health problems or those who drink excessive quantities of the tea,” according to the FDA report. ‘It's the new yogurt’ Most of the concerns linked to kombucha have involved the homebrewed tea.
Because a bunch of bacteria is being incubated in possibly nonsterile conditions, there’s a risk of contamination with harmful germs. The wider availability of commercially prepared kombucha makes drinking the tea a bit safer. Still, is it worth it to fork over $3 to $5 per bottle? First, kombucha is an acquired taste. It’s not simply Snapple with a new name. Some people find it refreshing and invigorating, others can’t get past the sour, vinegary taste and the compost smell. Also, the floating strings of bacteria in the raw varieties take some getting used to. While kombucha may not be the miracle that some claim, it does represent an intriguing marriage of antioxidant-rich tea and probiotics. “It’s the new yogurt,” said Eric “Kombuchman” Childs, who loved the drink so much he created Kombucha Brooklyn, a company that distributes bottled versions of the tea in the New York area and sells homebrewing kits. “Kombucha is not a cure-all or a magical drink, but some people say it helps with digestion and energy,” he said.
“It’s just another fermented product to add to your diet in moderation along with other fermented foods.” It is a new way to get the beneficial bugs that people are looking for in yogurt, kefir and other probiotic dairy drinks. Kombucha also provides a source of prebiotics, which helps fuel the growth of helpful microorganisms in your digestive track. The black and green tea in kombucha also offers some beneficial antioxidants and polyphenols — although you could get the same with a simple tea bag. The drinks do contain sugar, but not nearly as much as some sweetened teas, fruit drinks and sodas. One 16-ounce bottle contains about 60 calories — but please note the sneaky labeling. One bottle provides two servings, so you may think you’re only drinking 30 calories. But don’t be heavily swayed by the over-the-top claims. Drink it because you like it, not because you’re counting on it to work wonders. Janet Helm is a Chicago-based registered dietitian and nutrition communications consultant.