Is Dried Fruit Just As Healthy As Fresh? I love fresh fruit, but during the winter my options are limited. Dried fruit is tasty, but it’s so sweet that it seems more like candy than a nutritious snack. I gain weight too easily to risk it—will dried fruit make me fat?
Fresh fruit is usually the better choice if you’re watching your weight because it contains water, so you can eat more of it for fewer calories. Even so, dried fruit (often called “nature’s candy”) can offer a nutritious, low-fat way to vary your choices. In fact, a recent study found that dried fruit has a greater nutrient density, more filling fiber and significantly greater phenol antioxidant content compared with fresh fruit. So go ahead and enjoy the dried stuff. Just make sure to watch portion sizes—it’s easy to go overboard on these sweet treats!
