Dr. Soniya Chavan

Fresh Fruits vs. Dehydrated Fruits - What’s Better?

It is said that dehydrated fruits offer same health benefits as that of fresh fruits, but differ slightly in mineral and vitamin content. Both fresh and dried fruits will provide you with fiber and antioxidants, which are beneficial for your health; however dried fruits usually lose a small percentage of their vitamins during the process of dehydration.

When you compare fresh and dried fruits, it’s great to make use of the standard serving sizes, which are 1 cup of fresh fruit and ¼ cup of dried fruit.

But when fruits lose their water content and eventually volume during the drying process, their sugar, calorie and nutrient content become concentrated. So when you consume a handful of dried fruits, there is an in-take of more calories than you would if you consumed that same quantity of fresh fruits.

Besides giving you a variety in taste and health benefits, both fresh fruits and dehydrated fruits have their own significance.

For instance, whereas dry fruits can offer you portability and a longer shelf life; fresh fruit as opposed to dry fruits contain higher amount of minerals and hence is a more nutritious choice than dried fruits.

If you are keeping a close watch on your weight, then dried fruits should not be eaten much as they contain considerably more calories in each serving than the fresh fruits. Dried fruits that contain sugar additives are high in calorie content, but the ones with low calorie content offer numerous health rewards:

- Antioxidants

There are some dried fruits which are a rich source of antioxidants, the Journal of the American College of Nutrition revealed. For instance, Phenol an antioxidant-type is found more in dried fruits such as figs and dates than in fresh fruits.

- High Fiber

Dried fruits are usually high in fiber content than the equal-sized serving of the fresh fruits. Fiber helps in running our digestive system smoothly and prevents obesity as well as cancer and heart disease.

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Related Tip: Whole Fruit vs Fruit Juice - Which Is Healthier for You?

According to a recent study of fertility and diet conducted by the Harvard Medical School, it has been revealed that consuming certain foods and abstaining from some can be easily opted for without any external intervention in order to aid in improving the ovulatory system, even though there are factors that you are unable to control, such as genetics and age. It is important to be aware of the small dietary changes that can potentially make you much more fertile than those who do not go for a healthy diet.

1. Go for complex carbohydrates: Experts suggest eating more of slow and complex carbohydrates and restricting the consumption of processed ones. Your body is able to digest bad carbohydrates in order to turn them into blood sugar, which is harmful to the body. So you must stay away from cakes and cookies, white breads, white rice, junk food and all such items that appear unsurpassable. It is because the pancreas are compelled to release an additional amount of insulin into the blood for controlling the blood-sugar spike. On the other hand, you can go for good carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, which take time to digest and have a much slower effect on the insulin and blood sugar. It is evident that high levels of insulin can inhibit the process of ovulation.

2. Choose Iron-Rich Foods:  A diet rich in iron that comes from vegetables and supplements may lower the risk of ovulatory infertility. Ovulatory infertility is only one cause of infertility and affects 25 percent of infertile couples. Vegetarian foods with iron include all types of beans, eggs, lentils, spinach, fortified cereals, long-grain enriched rice and whole grains. Add vitamin C from citrus fruits, bell peppers or berries to your meals to enhance iron absorption.

3. The "Fertility Diet":  Women should choose the following "fertility diet" -

   • Less animal protein and more vegetable protein
   • Less trans fat and more monounsaturated fat (from foods such as avocados and olive oil)
   • More high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrate-rich foods (including whole grains)
   • More vegetarian sources of iron and fewer meat sources
   • Multivitamins
   • High-fat dairy instead of low-fat dairy
4. Get enough folic acid: Folic acid has been proven to reduce a baby's risk of neural-tube birth defects such as spina bifida, and it is linked to a lower incidence of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and diabetes. A good over-the-counter prenatal vitamin should contain more than the minimum recommendation of folic acid, between 600 and 800 mcg – what you'll need during pregnancy. In addition, you can eat folate-rich foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables like spinach or kale, citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals.
5. Dairy: It pays to bone up on dairy (milk, yogurt, and cheese) when you’re trying to conceive. Adding dairy to your preconception diet is good not only for bone health but also — potentially — for your reproductive health. So drink that milk, spoon up that yogurt, sip that smoothie, nibble on that cheese.