Are you too busy to eat healthily? Got no time to buy and prepare fresh fruits? If this sounds like you, then dried fruits could save your day.  

 

Dried fruits are nature’s concentrated superfoods. Sadly, not many people appreciate it. Why so? There were lots of sugar-coated dried fruits in the market that gave this health food a bad reputation. So instead of being a daily diet staple, dried fruits became desserts and candies.  

 

Here’s the deal: sugary, gooey dried fruits are indeed bad for you. They can make you consume more sugar and could also damage your teeth. But eating organic and unsweetened dried fruits might be one of the best diet decisions you can make today. When dried and preserved naturally, dried fruits are as good as fresh, but with shrunken portion size. And if you are among those people that don’t have the time to buy and prepare fresh fruits, then you need to learn how to get your daily healthy servings by using dried fruits. 

 

Tasty Fibrous Treat 

 

People who snack on unhealthy potato chips, cookies, or burgers tend to crave for more food. They can’t control their hunger because there are too many chemicals and not enough fiber in their diet. Due to their shrunken form, dried fruits have more fiber content pound per pound than fresh fruits. Fiber helps with promoting a healthy gut. Dried fruits also help to regulate your bowel movement, preventing constipation and bloating. The rich fiber content also keeps your hunger pangs controlled. This is one of the reasons why like nuts, dried fruits are the best snacks for people who want to lose weight.  

 

Energy-Dense Snack 

 

Drying a fruit will lock in all its nutrients minus the water content. Organic unsweetened dried fruits contain lots of vitamins. Aside from giving you your daily dose of essential minerals, dried fruits also give you a boost of energy. Due to its B-Vitamins, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin A content, dried fruits help to reduce fatigue and strengthen your muscles and bones. And if you’re busy all day long, dried fruits are the best snack choice because its convenient to eat anytime.  

 

Delicious Antioxidant 

 

Like fresh fruits, dried fruits are full of immune-boosting antioxidants. A pack of unsweetened dried fruit is also rich in Vitamin A and E to keep your skin and hair looking young and healthy. Dried fruits are rich in Vitamin-C, Vitamin-E, and polyphenols that support cell repair and regeneration. Dried fruits are also rich in potassium that helps to keep your heart healthy and your bones strong.  

 

 

How to Prepare and Eat Dried Fruits  

 

Midday cravings for sugar or salt are your body’s way of saying that you need to eat to replenish certain nutrients. Instead of munching on something unhealthy, why not give yourself a treat by eating dried fruits? Get your food cravings satisfied without feeling an ounce of guilt. Here are some dried fruit preparation ideas to get you started: 

 

• Soak some dried fruits in water and run on the blender to make a quick energy–boosting smoothie. Add in some milk, soaked chia seed, or honey, and you have a nutritious breakfast done in less than 5 minutes.  

 

• Top your morning oatmeal with some dried fruits straight from the packet. This is an easy way to add some flavor and nutrition to your breakfast cereal.  

 

• Bake with dried fruits to add lots of flavors and sweetness. You can use dried fruits in place of chocolate for a healthier cookie batter. And because dried fruits are naturally sweet, you don’t need to as much sugar in your baking recipes.  

 

• Snack on the go. If you always encounter hunger pangs in between meals, then curb your sugar cravings with some dried fruits. Put a packet in your car as an emergency snack when stuck in traffic. Have some packs ready in your work area so you can snack on something delicious and nutritious while working.  

 

• Mix your dried fruit into your salads. Give your salad some sweet taste while making it healthier by mixing in dried fruits.  

 

Whether as an instant snack, as an ingredient to your recipe or as a dessert, dried fruits give you the best taste and nutrition. And best of all – dried fruits are convenient. A few packets will last you for weeks and even months. It goes well with most sweet and starchy recipes and tastes good on its own. Indeed, dried fruits are one of the best ways to sweeten up your food and brighten up your mood.