1. What are dried fruits?
Dried fruits are fruits from which most of the naturally present water is removed. This can be done either naturally through sun drying or using dryers or dehydrators. Removal of water significantly increases their shelf life.
Dates, raisins, prunes, dried apricots, apple, pineapple are some of the examples.
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Prashanth Reddy Cheruku
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2. Are dried fruits good for health?
Yes, they are. They are concentrated sources of various nutrients such as sugars, dietary fibre, various minerals such as Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus & Magnesium, and vitamins.
3. Should dried fruits be refrigerated?
Properly sealed dried fruits have around 6 months of shelf life without the need of refrigeration when stored under cool and dry conditions.
But, once opened it would be better to store them in the refrigerator to preserve their quality for up to six months. (1)
4. Are dried fruits good for constipation?
Some dried fruits such as prunes (which are dried plums) are beneficial for constipation. They contain high levels of dietary fibre (6.1 g. out of 100 g.) and sorbitol (14.7 g. out of 100 g.) both of which may help in constipation. (2)
Consumption of dried fruits must be accompanied by drinking large amounts of water.
Dried apricots and dates have 8% and 7% dietary fibre respectively. These are also good sources of dietary fibre and may help in constipation.
5. Are dried fruits high in calories?
They are moderately high in calories. Typically, 100 grams of most of the dried fruits contain about 200-300 calories of energy.
Some dried fruits such as pineapple, kiwi fruit, papaya, cranberries, blueberries etc. may contain added sugar.
6. Are dried fruits easy to digest?
Yes, they are. The major constituents of dried fruits are simple sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. These are digested relatively easily in the gastrointestinal system.
Consuming good amount of water along with them helps in better digestion and absorption of various nutrients present in them.
7. Are dried fruits safe for dogs?
Raisins, Sultanas, and Currants can cause renal failure in dogs. They should not be fed to dogs even in small quantities. (3)
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