Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.
September 2008
On my dad's farm (actually just our back yard) I would occasionally come across an apple or some grapes that were obviously not fresh but they hadn't rotted, either. I was never curious enough or hungry enough to find out how they might taste. Some Stone Age kid probably did though, and over the centuries humans became pretty good at drying fruit as well as meat, fish and some things that we might not consider edible.
In a country that has the fresh versions year round we don't appreciate the fact that dried foods were important for the survival of our ancestors in some areas of the world. Without vermin-proof containers or refrigeration and with salt not available everywhere, drying was the only option for making food last longer in edible condition. For Stone Age wanderers its lighter weight was a vital advantage.
Is there a nutritional downside to dried fruit? Not as a practical matter. Except for vitamin C, most of which disappears from heat and exposure to air, all the other nutrients are actually concentrated in the drying process. That makes sense because the dried version of a fig, for example, has less than one-third as much water as a fresh one.
It's easy to joke about older folks' need for prunes but oldsters have the last laugh. Americans avoid fruits and vegetables so they get only about one fifth as much fiber as Stone Agers did. Fiber not only promotes bowel regularity, it is probably a factor in preventing colon cancer. Another benefit of fiber is its contribution to a healthy bowel flora, meaning the good bacteria that live within the intestines and that limit the growth of disease-causing germs.
As persons age they absorb vitamins from food less efficiently so that the higher concentration of vitamins in dried versus fresh fruit is another advantage. Dried figs are high in calcium, magnesium and boron, all of which are important in maintaining bone strength.
Drying concentrates the sugar in fruit so it's no wonder that they have candy-like sweetness. If you're familiar with the Glycemic Index you know that dates are near the top of the list of foods that raise blood sugar and it's easy to eat lots of them at a sitting.
There is almost no fat in fruit, whether fresh or dried, and what there is of it is the healthy polyunsaturated kind.
Antioxidants are the hottest topic in nutrition these days and all fruits have plenty of them in great variety. These beneficial nutrients survive the drying process so you'll get even more of them in dried fruit.
If salads seem boring to you, add some dried cranberries, currants, cherries or chopped prunes. They pack a whole lot more nutrition than iceberg lettuce.
The bottom line is that dried fruit has loads of nutritional benefits and not much of a downside if you snack on it sparingly. It's a good idea to have a couple of jars out where the kids have easy access to them instead of chips and candy.
Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is the author of Health Secrets of the Stone Age, Better Life Publishers 2005. Contact him at drphil@stoneagedoc.com.