Food Dehydrator question

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Carriesund
Carriesund Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I love dried fruit and I just got a dehydrator because I wanted to make my own without all that added sugar. I love it but I realize it is not for everyone. I like to be able to throw some almonds in with a little bag of dried fruit for a great on the go snack. My question is how do I count the calories accurately? I know the calories are not the same as packaged dry fruit because I add nothing to mine but I have no idea how to keep track of the calories.

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  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    I would weigh the fruit before you dry it, and then after you dry it--at least the first couple of times you do a new fruit--and then count the calories the same as the undried fruit.

    Eventually you'll probably get to know that XXX oz dry is equal to 1 whole apple or something like that.
  • Ayla70
    Ayla70 Posts: 284 Member
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    You will need to use the calories based on the whole fruit. It's only water that's being removed. Water has no calories. This is why dried fruit and juices are so full of calories and such a danger to most of us who can't stop at just a few.
  • amyoliver85
    amyoliver85 Posts: 353 Member
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    Before you follow that advice about checking the weight distribution remember this:

    Dried fruit weighs less than fresh fruit. This does NOT mean it has LESS calories. Check out this article about the difference between fresh and dried fruit: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5514654_dried-fruits-nutrition-calories.html

    So definitely do NOT measure your fresh and dried fruits by weight comparison. That will leave you eating waaaaay more calories. (I get that the advice was to see what a whole apple weighs when it is dried, but it will be impossible to do that for each individual apple...if you weigh a bunch of apples, and then do the equivalency, it could work out okay.)

    The reality is that you should probably count the calories exactly the same. Even though you're taking out moisture, I don't believe you're removing calories. Or at least not a significant number.

    The BEST way to check is to find an all natural, no additive dried fruit--yes, they exist--and get the nutrition information that way.

    Also read these:

    http://www.3fatchicks.com/nutrition-of-dried-fruit-vs-fresh-fruit/
    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/science/01qna.html?_r=0
    http://www.fitsugar.com/Calories-Dried-Fruit-2881176

    If you do a little more searching for natural products to copy and for some information on the internet, you should be in a relatively decent place to make guesstimates.
  • Carriesund
    Carriesund Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks everyone I understand dried fruits are not the best option all the time but I make my own trail mix with them with nuts and maybe some sort of seeds and take them with me when on days like the day I have pole fitness from 5:30 to 7 and then Latin dance class from 7:30 to 8:45. I need something in between and I burned enough calories that I don't need to worry too much. I like them because this type of snack is reasonably filling and it is not heavy on my stomach. It also helps to keep a little snack bag in my purse for those days when my hubby and I are out on the town and he doesn't want to eat until really late. I get nauseous if I go to long without food and he can go all day and never think of food.

    I really like the idea of finding an all natural no additive product to compare it to. I am going to look at that as soon as I have the time for now I am just going to guess. I am usually working out 1.5 to 3 hours a day so I don't need to worry too much about being off as long as it is not hundreds of calories I should be okay.

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