Dried fruit in bulk section

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Emtabo01
Emtabo01 Posts: 672
in Food and Nutrition
I've been trying to find an alternative to some junk foods that keep triggering binges for me (usually chocolate related). I bought some of the dried papaya and pineapple rings in the bulk section at Kroger, they're delicious! Sweet enough, it cures the after meal treat craving. I've also bought the Trader Joes dried banana chips, kiwi slices and mandarin oranges, which are all really really good too. I just for some reason always thought that dried fruit was dry, sugarless, tasteless and gross. I'm so glad I tried something new. Then at the same time, I'm thinking to myself I should just eat real fruit. How much more sugar is in dried fruit vs regular fruit, I wonder?

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  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
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    The amount of sugar in dried fruit varies greatly. Take a look at the ingredients, I personally only buy the ones that only list the fruit :-)

    Also going to suggest you true apple chips. Crispy and slightly sweet, very low calorie.
  • zellagrrl
    zellagrrl Posts: 439
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    The bags of freeze dried fruit are amazing (at Trader Joe's). Totally delicious.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Be sure to read the packets and weigh out how much you're eating as some dried fruits have added sugar and fats. Banna chips for example are often fried in coconut oil and honey so you may think you're eating a low cal snack but you're getting a lot more calories than you would if you just ate a fresh banana.

    Sour fruits such as cranberries will also often have added sugar to make them more palatable.

    The dehydrating process also means that you get a lot less volume of food - 1 tablespoon of raisins for example might hold 30 raisins for the same calories as 30 grapes. If you're looking to curb hunger those grapes may well be more satisfying due to the larger volume.

    Basically, by all means enjoy your dried fruit but be sure to weigh/measure/log everything.
  • levicrouch
    levicrouch Posts: 99
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    The difference between dried fruit and regular fruit is the obvious thing, water. So, when you take away the water you are left with a more calorie dense food. The more calorie dense, the less likely the item is to "fill you up" and feel satisfied with the amount of calories you consumed.

    IMO, all things being equal, one would get more benefits by eating the fruit whole as opposed to dehydrated.

    Better explanation: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/NU00195
  • iggyboo93
    iggyboo93 Posts: 524 Member
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    Would suggest eating the whole fruit. Many an apple has saved me from making really stupid food choices.
  • janimei
    janimei Posts: 105 Member
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    An apple takes me about 10 minutes to eat.
    A dried apple takes me about 10 seconds to eat.
    You get more satisfaction and feeling of fullness from regular fruit.
    Frozen grapes are way more delicious, to me, than raisins. Especially
    if the weather is hot.
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
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    The ONLY dried fruits I've found that aren't encrusted with sugar are figs, whole dates, plums (prunes) and raisins. Any fruit with even a hint of tartness is going to be heavily sugared. I love dried fruit, but I'd skip the dried pineapple in favor of the juicy version.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
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    I'd go for the fresh version wherever possible: you're getting more water intake, they'll fill you more, they'll take longer to eat so give your brain a chance to catch up with your mouth, and they fill a plate or bowl better than dried. :flowerforyou:
  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
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    Ohh, come on people, don't any of you eat food simply because you enjoy it?

    Not everything is about feeling full, enjoyment has to be part of life. If you are so worried that you are wasting 100 calories on a serving of dried fruit, chances are you are not eating enough.

    This morning's breakfast was and English muffin, a fried egg, cheese and tomato sandwich. With fresh cherries and dried mango. The mango was what I enjoyed the most, I didn't need it to fill me up - I had the whole meal to accomplish that!

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