English 
Francais 
عربي 
Dried fruit and nuts are good for you … but only in moderation
Vitamins, salts, minerals, fibre … we already know the beneficial qualities of fruit that’s fresh, frozen or tinned. But when it comes to dried fruit and nuts, we need to be more cautious and eat them in moderation only because of their high glucide (carbohydrate) content. Above all, they should not replace “real” fruit.
The French Ministry of Health is very clear on this point. Because of their high energy density, no dried fruit or nuts should be treated as one of our recommended 5 daily portions of fruit and vegetables.
The term dried fruit refers to dried forms of fruits such as grapes (raisins and sultanas), apricots, bananas, dates, plums (prunes) and apples. But it also refers to oily nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews and peanuts.
Generally speaking, all these foods are very high in fibre. Which is the good news. But the bad news is all too familiar – they are highly glucidic, which makes them a far richer source of calories than fresh fruit. And oily nuts are also very rich in lipids. All of which are good reasons for eating them only in moderation, particularly when they are salted!
If you’re keen on dried fruits and nuts, the best thing would be to combine them with other fruits and vegetables. For example, you could try crushed, dry roasted peanuts with grated carrot. Or pine nuts with lamb’s lettuce, walnuts with chicory or pistachios with red cabbage.
Print this article
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Send to a friend
Convert to pdf
Copyright Authorization
153 article(s)
Sleepwalking … more than just being asleep on your feet!
Women’s voices are higher pitched just before ovulation
Reducing fat, salt and sugar – how will our children react?
The menopause need not always be hell…
Ozone pollution – increasing numbers of deaths worldwide
Measles epidemic causes concern …
