Not All Fruit is Created Equal: The Unhealthy Truth About Dried Fruit

If fruit is good for you, then dried fruit is just as good, right? Well, not exactly. Dried fruit can have a place in your diet, but as a person with diabetes, you need to know the pitfalls to avoid and exactly how to enjoy this snack safely.

Dried fruit is virtually fat and cholesterol free, but it can be incredibly high in sugar and preservatives. Here’s why: The process of dehydrating removes all the water from the fruit. The benefits are that it makes the fruit smaller, nonperishable, easier to tote on the go, and to stuff into desk drawers for afternoon snacks. However, removing the water also removes a lot of the nutrients. Worse, drying removes none of the sugars. In fact, most dried fruit is sprayed with extra sugar to make it even sweeter. So what you’re left with is a snack that’s less filling (the water in fruit is mostly what makes us feel full), has fewer nutrients, and more sugar than a regular piece of fruit.

So consider that handful of dried apricots you recently had for an afternoon snack. It might surprise you to learn that it was the caloric equivalent to eating three or four whole, fresh apricots! And a small handful of raisins can have as much sugar as a pound of fresh grapes—and triple the calories! That’s not exactly a ‘light’ afternoon snack!

Dried fruit is made one of two ways. If it’s labeled organic, that means it was dried naturally in the sun with no added preservatives. If not, it was put into a food dehydrator, and treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve the color of the fruit. Sulfur dioxide is deemed safe by the FDA, but it’s a chemical nonetheless, used in a surprising range of applications, from wine making to pesticide manufacturing.

Still, unadulterated dried fruit is fibrous and does have some vitamins. It’s fine in moderation, and always a better choice over packaged cookies or greasy chips. Look for dried fruit that’s organic and sundried (there’s less nutrient loss and no chemical additives) and always choose ones that have NO added sugar. And eat no more than 4–6 pieces of dried fruit at a time. One good trick is to enjoy dried fruit with nuts for protein—it’ll also make you feel more full.

Find out which dried fruits are good, better and best in our handy guide below.

Good: Dried cranberries—like the popular Craisins brand—contain a decent serving of potassium, but tart cranberries take a lot (and we mean a lot) of added sugar to make them taste good. Just a small handful contains almost as much sugar as a can of soda! Sprinkle a few in oatmeal or on a salad, but try to steer clear of snacking on them.

Better: Dried apricots contain over 90% of your recommended vitamin A needs. They’re high in vitamin E, potassium and various essential minerals. They’re also high in sugar, so keep it to no more than 6 apricot halves in a serving.

Best: Prunes (which are just dried plums) are the best dried fruit. They’re chock full of iron, magnesium, vitamin A and some very special antioxidants. Prunes’ soluble fiber helps normalize blood-sugar levels and increases insulin sensitivity. Their laxative effects are known to help prevent colon cancer, too. Chop them into oatmeal, snack on a handful or cook them into savory red wine sauces.