Raisins? What the heck?

kgagnon7779
kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
So, I always thought they were good for me - I mean, they are just shriveled up grapes, aren't they? I just entered a 1/4 cup of golden raisins into my food diary - 130 Calories, 31 Carbs and 1 G of Protein...for a measly 1/4 cup???

Crappy snack in my opinion! Unless I'm missing some magical health reward....???

My mom was always saying, "don't eat that - here, have a box of raisins, they're better for you." HMMMM.

Replies

  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
    Think about what fruit is in general, sugar. Being that you realize that they are shriveled up grapes, you have now taken away all the water, leaving sugar and fiber.
  • CraftyGirl4
    CraftyGirl4 Posts: 571 Member
    Dried fruit is a much more concentrated source of all of the nutrients in the fresh fruit. That's why a 1/4 cup is a serving of dried fruit but 1/2 cup is for the fresh stuff. 130 calories isn't all that bad. Think about the iron in raisins, the fiber, the natural sugars...mmm, mmm good!
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    Ok - good perspective. Thanks. Maybe I just don't like them enough to spend 130 calories on them. : )
  • quara
    quara Posts: 255 Member
    Exactly what the others said... dried fruit isn't a good alternative to fresh fruit, but it probably is a good alternative to candy!
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Grapes have a decent amount of calories on their own. Now take away all the water and you don't get very much food.
  • meka325
    meka325 Posts: 47
    As everyone has been saying, please remember that not all sugars and not all calories are created equal. Don't get bent out of shape over raisins. The calorie content in nuts can raise eyebrows, too, but they're still good for you. Same thing with granola. All in moderation of course. And 130 calories really isn't that much. A nice walk or a short bike ride should be able to take that right back off.
  • kgagnon7779
    kgagnon7779 Posts: 216
    As everyone has been saying, please remember that not all sugars and not all calories are created equal. Don't get bent out of shape over raisins. The calorie content in nuts can raise eyebrows, too, but they're still good for you. Same thing with granola. All in moderation of course. And 130 calories really isn't that much. A nice walk or a short bike ride should be able to take that right back off.

    Oh - I know. I can work off 130 calories in less than 15 minutes on a spin bike, but it's just that I don't think raisins are worthy of it! I'd rather drink a glass of wine (I know - not the same nutritional value, but they're both from grapes!) Someone else said it - it's just not a lot of food for the amount of calories, is all I'm saying. My idea of a measly handful of something good for you should be about 80 calories or something.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    A lot of raisins have added sugar, which really impacts that caloric value. I found some sans-sugar at an organic place. They were really tart, but pretty awesome.
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