A fresh look at the value of dried fruit

Have you ever tried dried cherries? Wow, are they good.

Truth be told, I couldn't stop eating them. I kept telling myself it was just to taste them for research. I tried not to be fooled by the health halo: "It's a fruit, so it's healthy." But I wasn't mentally prepared, so I overindulged. I wanted to find out if dried fruit really is healthy — and here's what I discovered. Before the invention of chemical additives to keep foods fresh, drying was one method of preserving food. Organisms that create food spoilage need water to survive. Basically, the drying process removes most of the moisture from the fruit, thus preserving it. The three most common methods of drying are solar, using an oven and using an electric dehydrator.

Even though many supermarkets put dried fruit in the candy section, it can be an excellent source of fiber, nutrients, antioxidants and complex carbohydrates. And some varieties have other special benefits. For instance, dried cherries have recently been shown to help fight jet lag.

Fresh fruit vs. dried fruit

In terms of weight control, there is no comparison. Fresh fruit is the better choice. You get much more for fewer calories. For instance, 1 cup of sweetened dried blueberries (296 blueberries) has 600 calories, whereas 1 cup of fresh blueberries has only 84 calories. So before you start digging into a bag of dried apricots or cherries, consider how many you're going to eat. The problem with dried fruit is that when the water is removed, it becomes less filling without losing any calories. Dried fruit just becomes sweeter, more concentrated and easier to overconsume. Plus, many producers of dried fruit add sugar, thus increasing their already dense calorie levels.

In fact, ounce-for-ounce, all types of dried fruit are much higher in calories than their fresh equivalents because of the water that's lost and the concentration of sugar that is created during the drying process. Fresh fruit also leaves you more satiated because of its high water content. For instance, raisins have about 73 percent less water than grapes.

What about antioxidants?

Fruit facts


Comparison of Fruit:

Fresh, Dried, Freeze-Dried and Juice

Apples

Fresh: Raw apple (one medium), 72 calories, 3.3g fiber

Dried apple: 25 pieces/slices (1/3 cup), 110 calories, 3g fiber

Freeze-dried apples: (0.75 ounces), 80 calories, 1g fiber

Apple juice: 1 cup (8 ounces), 117 calories, 0.2g fiber

Apricots

Fresh: Raw apricots (three), 50 calories, 2.1g fiber

Dried apricot: Six pieces (40g), 90 calories, 3g fiber

Apricot juice/nectar: 1 cup (8 ounces), 120 calories,

0g fiber

Bananas

Fresh: Raw banana (one medium), 105 calories, 3.1g fiber

Banana chips:

1 ounce (22 chips), 147 calories, 2.2g fiber

Blueberries

Fresh: Raw blueberries (75 berries), 58 calories, 2.4g fiber

Dried blueberries: (sweetened) ¼ cup (75 berries),

150 calories, 4g fiber

Cherries

Fresh: Raw sweet cherries, without pits (27 cherries),

116 calories, 3.9g fiber

Dried cherries: 1/3 cup (27 cherries), 160 calories,

1.5g fiber

Cherry juice: 1 cup (8 ounces), 180 calories, 0g fiber

Grapes

Fresh: 1 cup, 62 calories, 0.8g fiber

Dried grapes (raisins): One small box (1.5 ounces),

129 calories, 1.6g fiber

Grape juice: 1 cup (8 ounces), 142 calories, 0.3g fiber

Mangoes

Fresh: Raw mango (1 cup sliced), 107 calories, 3g fiber

Dried mango: Six slices unsweetened (38g), 106 calories,

1g fiber

Mango juice/nectar: 1 cup (8 ounces), 120 calories, 1g fiber

Papayas

Fresh: Raw papaya (one large), 148 calories, 6.8g fiber

Dried papaya: Two spears (1.5 ounces), 140 calories,

1g fiber

Papaya juice/nectar: 1 cup (8 ounces), 120 calories,

0g fiber

Peaches

Fresh: Raw peach (one medium), 58 calories, 2.2g fiber

Dried peaches: 1 ounce (40g), 140 calories, 1g fiber

Freeze-dried peaches: One bag serving (10g), 38 calories, less than 1g fiber

Peach juice/nectar: 1 cup (8 ounces), 120 calories, 0g fiber

Pineapples

Fresh: Raw pineapple (½ -inch-thick slice/ring, 56g),

40 calories, 1.2g fiber

Dried pineapple: One ring (20g), 70 calories, 1g fiber

Freeze-dried pineapple: One bag serving (10g),

36 calories, 1g fiber

Pineapple juice/nectar: 1 cup (8 ounces), 120 calories,

2g fiber

Research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition showed that dried figs and plums have the best nutrient score. Additionally, the researchers concluded, "Dried fruits have a greater nutrient density, greater fiber content, increased shelf life and significantly greater phenol antioxidant content compared to fresh fruits. The quality of the antioxidants in the processed dried fruit is the same as in the corresponding fresh fruit." However, the vitamin C that is present in many fresh fruits is destroyed by heat in the drying process.

Bottom line: Dried fruit is high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in fat. It has significant antioxidant value; however, because it's dried, its nutrients are very concentrated, and so are its calories. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recommended serving size for dried fruit is half that of fresh.

Dried fruit vs. juice

Juice is less filling (even 100-percent juice has real calories) than dried fruit, and it contains less of the fiber fruit is famous for — 1 cup of pineapple juice has 120 calories with little or no fiber, whereas 10 pieces of dried pineapple chunks have about 140 calories. Dried pineapple rings are about 65 to 70 calories each, each with about 1 gram of fiber. Compare that with the fruit itself, which is about 70 calories per cup and about 2 grams of fiber.

Bottom line: Juice may have many of the antioxidants, but it isn't as filling and is missing the fiber. Dried fruit is the better bet when compared with juice.

Dried fruit vs. potato chips

A potato chip is a vegetable, right? The problem is that potato chips are fried and have about 150 calories per ounce, compared with about 100 calories per ounce for, say, banana chips. If you choose baked chips, the calories are lower (130 calories per ounce), but the dried fruit is still better on several levels: It's lower in calories, it can be more filling (because of the fiber) and it has many valuable health perks (such as antioxidants and fiber) lacking in potato chips.

Dried fruit vs. freeze-dried

Freeze-dried foods are not just for astronauts and hikers. Freeze-drying food removes the water almost entirely, which lowers the weight, and while you don't get the same feelings of fullness you do from dried fruit (which is about 25 percent water vs. 6 percent for freeze-dried), it can be a satisfying snack that still has health perks. The antioxidants found in the fresh fruit are maintained after freeze-drying. Sensible Foods (www.sensiblefoods.com) has a freeze-drying process that removes the water while maintaining the product's cell structure and nutritional value and intensifying its natural flavor.

Freeze-dried food also tends to come in lower-weight packages than dried — which means fewer calories if you eat the whole package. A bag of dried fruit can be about 450 to 500 calories, whereas each full bag of freeze-dried fruit (equivalent to ½ cup of fresh fruit) makes for a satisfying snack at only 80 calories with 1 gram of fiber. One bag of Crispy Green Apples (10 grams per bag) from Crispygreen.com is only 35 calories. So freeze-dried fruit can be a healthy alternative to chips and other snack foods. Other benefits of freeze-dried fruit are its long shelf life, and it can be stored and/or easily packed for on-the-go eating. And finally, freeze-dried fruit, unlike regular dried, is often made without any added sugar.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate and author of "The Diet Detective's Count Down" (Simon & Schuster, 2007).