Dried Fruit for Snacks

Do you often wonder about whether eating dried fruit is a good or bad thing?  Here is a query I often get....

Q:  I have quite the sweet tooth!  Is eating dried fruit a good idea for a sweet snack or do you have other suggestions?

Although dried fruit is packed with nutrients and fibre, it is also packed with calories.  For example, just a 1/2 cup of raisins contains 250 calories, the same number of calories found in 3 apples or 8 cups of fresh grapes!

In addition to the high calorie content, dried fruits can also be difficult to chew, sticking to teeth and dental work.  If you can eat small amounts of dried fruits, then this is certainly better than eating candy.  Or, instead of basing your sweet snacks on dried fruit alone, try adding them to other snacks like nonfat yogurt, trainl mix or healthy cereal.  1 cup of Special K with 1/2 cup nonfat milk, topped with 50 raisins also has 250 calories and no fat, but offers you calcium and protein in addition to being an excellent snack or breakfast.

To save yourself even more calories, swap the dried fruit for fresh fruit, which is more filling, lower in calories and equally as sweet and nutritious.  Because of their high water content, you can eat a lot more fresh produce for the same amount of calories!  Yee ha!