Fresh Fruits - Are they Better than Dried Fruits?

For any advocate of a healthy diet plan, fruits shall always feature as the protagonist. Replete with essential body nutrients, fruits are indeed an important source of body fibers, essential salts and minerals. While the general assumption bids fresh fruits as the healthier alternative, dried fruits too have their fair share of health boosting properties.

However, before you can settle for one over the other, there are certain parameters that need to be inferred closely. It is only by comparing and contrasting the benefits derived from both fresh as well as dried fruits on basis of these heads that we can arrive at a given conclusion.

1. Nutrient density: Since fruits are by and large dense with health boosting components like nutrients, their calorie content on a relative scale is less. One advantage that fresh fruits have in this context is the water proportion in them. Due to the extraction of water from the dried fruits, calories get concentrated alongside the nutrients. This may prove disadvantageous for those trying to cut down the kilos. Fresh fruits on the other hand could benefit them as a sustainable source of energy.

2. Sugar content: When it comes to the density of glucose, fresh fruits and dried fruits, both are at par, essentially. At a given serving size, the sugar content of both varieties do not reflect much of a difference. Although the water content induces a sense of fullness and reduces the subsequent hunger pangs, consumption of fresh fruits also imparts volume.

3. Vitamins: Fresh fruits are extremely beneficial to deal with the problems of dehydration. They are laden with vital vitamins like A, B and C. Therefore, to beat the heat, nothing is as therapeutic as fresh fruits. Contrarily, dried fruits are deprived of their water content, which sometimes compromises their vitamin content since these vitamins are generally heat-sensitive. It also sucks out all of the folate in dried fruits. However, intake of apposite amounts can help in replenishing the vitamin levels that are obtained from the dried fruits.

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult the doctor and ask a free question.