Carrying a small packet of dried fruit as an emergency snack
The Basics
“Dried fruit is a convenient and healthy snack. Most dried fruit is ready-to-eat, so it requires no preparation. It’s also healthier than most other snack foods and it can help keep you satiated for longer too”, explains nutritionist Pinal Patel.
“…Dried fruit is very practical to carry around, so keep a small packet in your handbag, backpack or coat pocket ready for a between-meal snack”, Pinal suggests.
“You don’t have to wait for dried fruit to ripen, so it always ready to eat when you need it. And unlike fresh fruit, it can sit at the bottom of your bag, or inside a jacket pocket without the risk of it making a mess!”
Common Myths and Misconceptions
- “Dried fruit is full of sugar”. Weight-for-weight, dried fruit contains proportionally more sugar than fresh fruit because once the water is removed the sugar (and other nutrients) are concentrated in a smaller space – this doesn’t make dried fruit any less healthy than fresh fruit.
- “Dried fruit is too chewy”. Some dried fruit needs to be soaked before you can use it. If you choose dried fruit that is labelled as ready-to-eat you don’t need to soak it and it shouldn’t be chewy.
- “Dried fruit is boring and tasteless”. If you find dried apples and prunes boring look out for more exotic dried fruits such dried mango, pineapple, and peaches, dried blueberries, cranberries or cherries.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep small packets of ready-to-eat dried fruit in your handbag, backpack, glove compartment of your car and desk at work so you’ve always got a healthy snack at hand in an emergency.
- You’ll find dried fruit in the home-baking section in most supermarkets. You may need to visit to a health food shop to find some of the more exotic dried fruits.
- Look for dried fruit without added sugar – you’ll be better able to enjoy the real flavour of the fruit without consuming those unnecessary extra calories.
- Keep a small bottle of water in your bag, car or backpack – the fluid is important for keeping you hydrated and help to satiate you after your snack of dried fruit (it will also help wash the fruit sugar out of your mouth).
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