Dried Fruit -Good or Bad?

Today's Blog question comes from Diane on twitter (@pbkup).  Question was: Pertaining to dieting, is Dried Fruit good for you?

Answer:  Well the answer is Yes & No.  What do you say?  Dried fruit is sweet, chewy and delicious and is a good source of concentrated vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and.....calories.

Because dried fruit is a concentrated source for good things...it's alot of calories in a small "package".  So limit the dried fruit to topping on your unsweetened yogurt or as a sweet addition to your trail mix/nuts.  In small amounts, dried fruits provide a portable source for carbohydrates & calories that is needed while hiking or after a workout but remember that the calories are compact.

A tiny warning about dried fruit.  Pick an organic, unsweetened option.  Did you know that most dried fruit contains many additional ingredients to make them sweeter & last longer on the shelf?  Common additives in one dried fruit mix are:

Tart Cherries, Diced Apple, Diced Apricots, Raisins May contain 2% or less of:  Sugar, Sunflower oil, Rice flour, Sulphur dioxide for color retention, Potassium sorbate as a preservative, and contains sulfites.

Look for naturally dried fruit and mix with nuts for a healthy on the go snack.  Perfect to throw into your gym back for post-workout (see blog post below!) Use as a naturally sweet addition to a high protein snack not as the main ingredient.