Replace candy/sweets with dried fruit?

aem135
aem135 Posts: 44
in Health and Weight Loss
So is it ok to replace candy/sweets with dried fruit? I know that dried fruit still contains sugar too, but isn't it a much healthier alternative? Like for example, I love replacing my chocolate or sour gummy candies with dried mango slices.

Replies

  • jelkins2000
    jelkins2000 Posts: 38 Member
    I'd be interested in knowing this too.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    In terms of weight loss it makes 0 difference if the calories are the same.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Dried fruit have more fibre and vitamins in, but the sugar content is humongous.....
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
    Why not fresh fruit?
  • DataSeven
    DataSeven Posts: 245 Member
    You might get a little fibre with the dried fruit, but for weight loss, overall I don't think it's much different. You're better off having a piece of fresh fruit.
  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
    It's better in the sense that the calories aren't totally empty, however it's still a lot of calories.
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
    Don't bother. Some dried fruit is hard to find without added sugar. You're better off replacing sweets with fresh fruit.
  • DoNotSpamMe73
    DoNotSpamMe73 Posts: 286 Member
    Well dried fruit I personally don't find as yummy as fresh. You can, although you'd probably still get the sugar in fruit without some of its nutritional value. Choose a drink and a snack that you can fit into your calories per day. Still fresh fruit is one of my favorites.
    http://greatist.com/health/88-unexpected-snacks-under-100-calories You could probably find something here.
    Or even lower here.
    http://www.bhg.com/recipes/healthy/snacks/20-sweet-snacks-for-50-calories-or-less/

    When it comes down to snacks I'd decide how much snacking you want a day and fit that quantity into your set aside calorie limit.
  • Blacklance36
    Blacklance36 Posts: 755 Member
    Dried fruit have more fibre and vitamins in, but the sugar content is humongous.....

    I work in the food industry and what she is saying is correct. Almost all dried fruit is loaded with sugar.
  • Will32283
    Will32283 Posts: 1,361 Member
    Hell no!
  • magtart
    magtart Posts: 161 Member
    I buy fancy Blenheim dried apricots from olivenation.com. When I get my next order I plan to dip some in chocolate. To me that is a win-win situation. YUM!
  • LAPDpoliceNYPD
    LAPDpoliceNYPD Posts: 77 Member
    I'd be interested in knowing this too.
    same here
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Can you? Yes. Is it healthier? That's debatable. It depends on what your goals are and the food in question. For example, I just searched the nutrition info for Sunmaid dried peaches. 31 cals per serving, 1g fiber, 5g sugar, but <1g fat and protein. It has potassium but no other nutrients according to the info I found. One serving is 1/4 cup, so let's be realistic and assume multiple servings will be eaten.

    Ok, so a nice low calorie sugary treat even if you ate more than one serving, but how long is that treat going to sustain me with virtually no fat or protein for satiety? Whereas a candy bar would have sugar, but also fat and protein. And nutrients like iron and calcium. Depending on where I am in my day, one treat might fit better into my goals than the other while still allowing me to stay under my calories.
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
    I would just eat fresh fruit, a lot of dried fruits have sulfites as a preservative which is in question as to causing allergies and other health issues.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    I don't like or eat candy or too many sweets and I love fresh fruit; but if I just want a small bite to tame a sweet after dinner tooth, a couple of apricots or prunes will do. The added benefit is that they both have fiber and apricots have potassium.

    Now, if you are planning to really indulge in dried fruit, a small apple, or whatever fruit you prefer, will be a better choice.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    "Healthy" very much depends on what you are trying to achieve and where you are now.

    Are you short of the microntrients in fruit? If you are; then yes, fruit would be a good idea.

    Are you overweight (seems not) or particularly unfit? Fibre in the fruit will be beneficial.

    Are you trying to bulk? Sweets/Candy would be better - higher glucose levels are more appropriate for the job at hand than fructose.

    Never heard of dried fruit with added sugar - in the end the reason it's tasty as it is comes from that it's high in sugar naturally. A lot of fruits are fructose and water - take out the water and it's the sugar that's left.

    As an idea - per weight Bonbons came in at only 33% more calories per 100g than raisens.

    If I was trying to lose weight, I'd try and replace it with something like 'protein fluff' made with some frozen fruit.
    Lovely fruity and filling dessert which is low in calories and high in protein. You can make it eaven lower calories by using frozen sugar free cordial.
  • onionparsleysage
    onionparsleysage Posts: 103 Member
    It's definitely healthier to eat fruit than candy. Maybe the calories won't differ enough to be important for your weight loss, but there's much more to being healthy than just weight loss.

    http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/31/study-eat-7-servings-of-fruit-veggies-daily/

    I'd reach for fresh fruit instead of dried if you're trying to lose weight. You'll get to chew more and feel fuller for the same amount of caloires.
  • aem135
    aem135 Posts: 44
    Fresh fruit it is!! Thanks everyone!!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    It's definitely healthier to eat fruit than candy.
    No, it's not.
    In SOME circumstances it can help your reach your targets.
    Another example where it would be a bad thing to do is "carb loading".
    Also as post-workout recovery.

    The "7 servings" things is a correlation. See the graph showing the correlation between Organic produce and Autism or whatever.
    It's quite likely many people are deficient in nutrients; often partly BECAUSE they think it's as simple as just hitting that number 5, 7 or whatever!

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