Contents
Dried apricots, dates, prunes, raisins, dried plums and apples – this is not a complete list of dried fruits that can be found on store shelves. They contain a large amount of pectin, iron, calcium, vitamins A and C. Due to their beneficial properties, dried fruits are valued in the diet for the prevention of various diseases and can help prevent the development of cardiovascular pathologies. They also play an important role in protecting the immune system – dried berries and fruits enhance the body’s ability to resist infections and viruses.
What is important to know about dried fruits
| What fruits and berries are dried fruits made from? | Raisins are made from grapes, dried apricots are made from apricots. On sale you can find dried apples, dates, figs, prunes, orange and candied pineapple. More exotic fruits are also dried, such as mango and passion fruit, kumquat, lime and pomelo. Of the berries, the most popular are cherries, cranberries, dogwood and hawthorn, less often you can find dried strawberries, raspberries and currants. |
| How dried fruits are made | Fruits and berries are processed in different ways, it depends on the variety, size of the berries and even where they grow. During the drying process, up to 85% of moisture is lost, but the amount of sugar in the composition increases several times. At the same time, dried fruits are stored longer and are more expensive than ordinary fruits and berries. |
| How many useful substances remain in the composition | Fresh bananas contain 11 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, while dried bananas contain 7 mg. When drying some fruits and berries, potassium only becomes more in them: in dried apricots, raisins and figs, the amount of this mineral increases by 3 times. Raisins contain 80 mg of calcium, while grapes contain 12 mg. Of course, a lot depends on the variety. |
| Contraindications for eating | If you are diabetic, avoid dried fruits as they can raise your blood sugar levels above the normal range. With caution, they should also be eaten by those who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract: bloating, heaviness in the stomach, regular nausea. |
| Why You Shouldn’t Eat Too Many Dried Fruits | It’s simple: they are high in calories. Most calories in dried bananas (390 kcal per 100 g). For example: in prunes – 256 kcal, in raisins – 281 kcal. Therefore, you need to comply with the measure. |
What dried fruits are good for immunity
To maintain human health, a whole complex of different vitamins, micro- and macroelements is required. Some nutrients act directly, others contribute to their better assimilation. Therefore, we can say that almost all dried fruits are beneficial to the immune system in one way or another. The most popular are dried apricots, raisins, rose hips, prunes, dates and apples.
What are the benefits of dried fruits for immunity
Dried fruits, like fresh fruits and berries, are a storehouse of useful substances that help strengthen the immune system and protect the body from viruses and infections. Potassium helps maintain the body’s water balance, normal blood pressure and blood sugar levels. To maintain its optimal level, it is necessary to eat foods rich in this mineral. From dried fruits, these are, for example, dried apricots, bananas, raisins and dates.
Dried fruits contain a large amount of B vitamins. They help the body with stress, insomnia, or vice versa, excessive sleepiness. When the immune system is weakened, it is important to support the nervous system. Vitamins B1 and B2 in a volume of 0,2 mg are found in dried apricots, and there is a lot of vitamin C in it – 4 mg. By the way, most often, when speaking about the protection of the immune system, this nutrient is mentioned. And for good reason: it not only helps to cope with colds already with a weakened immune system. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system and promotes the production of antiviral interferons and antibodies (1). Ascorbic acid also reduces the likelihood of acute respiratory infections by 50% (2).
When choosing dried berries, you should pay attention to goji berries: 100 g of the product contains 48 micrograms of ascorbic acid: this is more than 50% of the daily requirement. Dried kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C, which stimulates the production of immune cells called leukocytes (3).
It will not work to protect and improve the work of immunity without magnesium. It is involved in a large number of processes in the human body; without it, the synthesis of B vitamins and vitamin C is impossible. That is, without a sufficient amount of magnesium, these elements cannot bring any benefit to the body. Magnesium salts stimulate the flow of bile, increase intestinal motility, which is beneficial for the absorption of this mineral and other nutrients that can strengthen the immune system (4).
Retinol is also important, it is also called vitamin A. In addition to supporting the visual system and taking care of the human skin, vitamin A helps lymphocytes – immune cells to work. Retinol protects the mucous membranes through which viruses and infections enter the body. It also prevents the occurrence of an oxidative process that harms the natural protective functions of the human body (5). Look for retinol in rose hips and dried apricots, its content in prunes is slightly less. And dried rosehip, by the way, is a universal berry for colds: it combines a record amount of vitamin A and vitamin C. Therefore, a rosehip decoction is often used when immunity is weakened.
How to Eat Dried Fruits to Boost Your Immunity
When buying, you should pay attention to the appearance of dried berries and fruits: they should not shine too much, even a pale color is allowed. Too attractive appearance indicates that the product has been processed to extend the shelf life. Dried fruits should not have a pungent odor: a normal aroma is neutral or slightly pronounced.
Before use, all dried fruits should be washed thoroughly. They can be treated with substances that adversely affect the functioning of the stomach and intestines. There are standards that sellers must adhere to, but even if you buy dried fruits from trusted suppliers, it is better to pre-soak them in cool water, rinse several times, and then eat them.
The methods can be different: you can add dried fruits to the main dishes, eat them as a snack, make sweets, pastes, decoctions and compotes out of them. It is better to refuse the simultaneous intake of dried fruits and fresh vegetables or fruits: the nutrients from the former will be absorbed much worse.
If a person controls weight, then at a time you can eat no more than 5-6 pieces. dried apricots or no more than 20-25 g of raisins. By the way, they can replace dessert if confectionery sweets are contraindicated by the attending physician.
With caution, you should eat dried fruits for those who have an actively manifested allergic reaction. It is also better for pregnant women not to get carried away with dried fruits, and before eating, you should consult a doctor.
For Adults
Most often, adults are advised to add dried fruits to their diet as a snack. A small handful of dried fruits will help satisfy your hunger, avoid a sharp jump in blood sugar levels. But for this you need to select dried fruits and berries that have not been previously processed with sugar syrup.
In addition, ready-made mixtures can be made from dried fruits, in which all the benefits of dried fruits for the body are preserved and even increased, since honey and lemon are usually included in the composition.
For Children
It is better to introduce dried fruits into the diet of a child after two years. Before this age, but after a year, you can try to give your baby dried fruit compote or small pieces of dried apples – they should be washed and dried well.
At the first stages of a child’s life, it is worth refusing to include candied fruits, dried bananas and raisins in his diet. It is better to give preference to dried pears, berries or apples.
On the day the baby can eat from 40 to 50 g of dried fruits. First of all, it is worth monitoring the reaction of the gastrointestinal tract and observing if he has an allergy. If everything is in order, the portion can be increased by 10-30 g.
After three years, the child can enjoy a mixture of nuts, dried fruits, honey and lemon. It is also called Amosov’s paste.
Dried Fruit Mix Recipes to Boost Immunity
To prepare a mixture of dried fruits and berries, you can add lemon juice, honey, sugar, nuts, ground roots to them. It is necessary to select such a mixture, focusing on the needs and characteristics of the health of a particular person. Do not forget about individual contraindications and consultation with a doctor.
Dried fruits with honey
A vitamin mixture of dried fruits with honey will help in the cold season. Cook it in just a couple of minutes
| Ingredients | Quantity |
| prunes | 200 g |
| Raisins | 200 g |
| Dried | 200 g |
| Honey | 5 Art. spoons |
| Lemon | 1 piece. |
Pour boiling water over dried fruits for 5-10 minutes. Cut the lemon into small pieces, rinse them under hot water. Lay the dried fruits and lemon on a paper towel and let them dry. Using a meat grinder, twist the ingredients into a mixture. If there is no meat grinder, you can use a blender to grind. Add honey to the resulting mixture. You can take 2-3 varieties of it, the main thing is that it is not too dense. If the honey is hard, it should be slightly heated in a saucepan.
Pour the mixture into jars and place in the refrigerator.
Remember: the shelf life of a healthy treat does not exceed two weeks.
Dried fruits with nuts
The bitterness from the nuts will give sweet dried fruits a new shade of taste. This pasta is good for both children and adults.
| Ingredients | Quantity |
| prunes | 150 g |
| Raisins | 150 g |
| Dried | 150 g |
| dates | 150 g |
| Figs | 150 g |
| Honey | 150 g |
| Lemon | 1 piece. |
All dried fruits should be washed well under water and soaked for 10-20 minutes in boiled water. After letting the moisture go, put the ingredients on a paper towel. Peel the lemon and cut into small pieces. Scroll it along with dried fruits in a meat grinder, and then add honey. Divide the mixture into jars and refrigerate. It is recommended to eat no more than 2-3 tablespoons per day.
Submit your signature dish recipe by email. [email protected]. Healthy Food Near Me will publish the most interesting and unusual ideas
Popular questions and answers
Our expert tells about how to choose and store dried fruits correctly, about contraindications to eating them, gastroenterologist Lyudmila Pokrovskaya.
Who Shouldn’t Eat Dried Fruits?
Overeating dried fruits is fraught with gas formation in the intestines, so they are contraindicated in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with flatulence. The concentration of sugars in dried fruits is several times higher than in fresh berries and fruits, so people with diabetes and obesity should limit their consumption.
Many dried fruits are powerful allergens, so women during pregnancy and lactation need to be especially careful.
What is Amosov’s paste?
How to choose and store dried fruits?
For example, raisins are often treated with preservative E220 (sulfur dioxide). Therefore, when choosing it, one must take into account that dark varieties contain less preservative than light ones. Prunes are processed with sorbic acid (E200) or its salts: such dried fruit will be shiny in appearance and soft to the touch.
Dried fruits must be stored at a temperature of +2 to +10 degrees. The optimum humidity level is from 17% to 25%. For proper storage, it is recommended to choose reliable containers made of glass or plastic.
Sources of
- L.M. Zhitnikov. Vitamin-mineral complexes in the prevention of influenza and SARS in adults // Medical business. – No. 3, 2012.
- E.V. Shih. Vitamins with antioxidant properties in the prevention and treatment of acute respiratory infections in children. Questions of modern pediatrics. 2013, no.12(4):142-147. URL: https://doi.org/10.15690/vsp.v12i4.742
- Anitra C. Carr. Vitamin C and Immune Function, 2017. URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/11/1211
- M.P. Sheibak. Magnesium in clinical practice. Journal of GSMU. 2003, No. 4. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/magniy-v-klinicheskoy-praktike-1
- Leo F. Skinnider. The effect of retinol (Vitamin A) on human lymphocytes stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin. 2004. URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02889929#citeas
- Małgorzata Iciek, Inga Kwiecień. Biological properties of garlic and garlic-derived organosulfur compounds. 2009, №50 (3). URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19253339/