Dried Fruit Nutritional Value

Dried fruits!!! We all enjoy and just love eating them! Be it any time of the day, a handful of dried fruit in pockets are enough to satisfy a bit of hunger. Dried fruits are prepared by removing the water content of the original fruit. Therefore, apart from being tasty, these are not at all messy! Hence, one can enjoy them anywhere and at anytime. Now, the removal of water content might flame doubts about dried fruit nutritional values in the minds of many. However, let me tell you that, although the drying takes away most of the water content, dried fruits are still nutritious and healthy to eat! Drying actually concentrates the carbohydrate, proteins and fiber content of dried fruit. Okay... instead of just having a generalized discussion on the values, let us be more specific and speak about nutritional value of dried fruits in detail.

Nutritional Value of Dried Fruit

Raisins
Raisins are amongst the most popular forms of dried fruits. These are beneficial to improve the bone density, prevent macular degeneration, serve as a good source of energy and also prove effective to relieve constipation. There are many more health benefits of raisins, but we will now look into the nutritional value of raisins. 100 gram of raisins consist about, 4 - 5 gram of dietary fiber, proteins 3 - 4 gram, carbohydrates around 78 - 80 gram, calcium 48 - 50 mg, sugars about 59 - 60 gram. Apart from this, raisins contain sufficient quantities of sodium, thiamine, vitamin C, niacin, folate, zinc, etc.

Dates
Dates are another good option for dried fruit. This is because, they are beneficial to maintain a healthy heart, treat intestinal problems, constipation, etc. Moreover, these are easily digested by the body. Let us now look at the nutritional value of 100 gram of dates. The carbohydrate content of dates is around, 75 - 76 gram, sugar 63 - 65 gram, proteins are about 2 - 3 gram, dietary fiber 8 - 10 gram, calcium 39 - 40 gram, fat 0.39 - 0.40 mg and iron 1.01 - 1.03 gram. Dates are also fair sources of vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin B12, vitamin E, copper, selenium, pantothenic acid, etc.

Blueberries
Blueberries are a favorite for many of us! Blueberries have a lot of health benefits such as, in the treatment of urinary tract infections, minimizing the chances of ovarian cancer, maintain healthy vision, cure constipation and diarrhea. The antioxidants present in blueberries help in reducing the cholesterol levels. Let us now turn to the nutritional value of about 150 gram of raw blueberries. The fiber content of blueberries is about, 3.6 - 3.8 gram, carbohydrate 21.40 - 21.45 gram, iron 0.40 - 0.42 gram, fat 0.48 - 0.50 gram, calcium content 9 - 11 gram. Blueberries are rich in minerals like potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin K, etc.

Apricots
Apricots are effective in flushing out gallstones and reducing high cholesterol levels. The vitamin A content helps in improving eyesight and prevent skin disorders. Apricots are also good laxatives and therefore are effective in relieving constipation. 100 gram of apricots contain, 15 - 16 mg of calcium, 50 - 52 calories, carbohydrate around 12.7 - 12.9 gram, phosphorus about 20 - 23 mg and proteins around 1.0 - 1.2 gram. Other than this, apricots are good sources of vitamin C, vitamin A and other essential minerals.

There are many more varieties of dried fruit. However this was an attempt to make you aware of the dried fruit nutritional values of the most common dried fruits and also figure health benefits of dried fruits. The key to reap the benefits of dried fruit at the fullest is to consume it in limited yet sufficient quantities, as who knows, over consumption might create problems! Hope the entire discussion proves useful to you!