The downside of dried fruit

Many people think that dried fruit is good for the heart and weight loss, but in fact it is the opposite. Experts even recommend that you should not eat this dish.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam - Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition said that the most important characteristic of fresh fruits is providing vitamins, water, and minerals. Dried fruits are processed by removing water.

Illustration photo.

In essence, dried fruit still provides energy and carbohydrates. Too much energy is not good for people who are overweight, obese, or have diabetes. This is even more dangerous when dried fruit is light in weight while still having a lot of energy, making it difficult for the eater to control the amount of food they put into their stomach.

However, many advertisements today spread about the benefits of this snack for the heart and weight loss. Associate Professor Lam affirmed that this is completely contradictory.

“If we talk about the fat-reducing and cardiovascular benefits of dried fruit, it may only be partly true in terms of providing fiber. But along with that amount of fiber is carbohydrates. For example, a normal 100g banana will provide 100 kcal, equivalent to 30 minutes of walking to burn that much energy, but when you eat it, you can easily eat several dried bananas at once, not to mention that they are soaked in added sugar. Therefore, dried fruit is really high in energy. Eating it carelessly can cause overweight and obesity. Then, the body will develop cardiovascular disease,” Associate Professor Lam analyzed.

No more vitamins

Another drawback, Associate Professor Lam said, is that when dried, the vitamins in the fruit almost completely disappear.

“Fruits mainly provide vitamin C, but when dried and stored for a long time, it will be gone. In addition, they may also contain vitamin B1, B2, but through the preservation process, these vitamins all return to zero. In short, dried fruit only helps to make the appetite better and provides carbohydrates. We advise diabetics not to eat this type, but to only provide carbohydrates from rice, corn, and potatoes,” Associate Professor Lam advised.

Accordingly, all foods, especially fruits and vegetables, under the influence of temperature, lose vitamins. For example, fresh vegetables, boiled in water, also lose 50-70% of vitamins, if not eaten immediately, they will completely dissolve.

As for fruits with colors like pink and carrots, they contain beta-carotene which when entering the body turns into vitamin A or kept in its pure form also has an antioxidant effect but not significantly.

According to Zing.vn