Sugar is tasty, but it is hardly good for you. Sure snacking down on some sugary goodness might taste great, but it will rot your teeth, clog your veins and create a whole host of health problems.
You don’t want that, do you? Thought not!
Fruit is great for you, but there is one issue. Fruits tend to be quite hefty in natural sugars, and when they’re dried, producers tend to stupidly add even more! What’s with that? We want a healthy snack! If we wanted sugar we would get candy, right?
Right! So, if you want a healthy snack, without those sugars, don’t go anywhere, we are about to blow your mind… and your fruit cravings!
Why Is Dried Fruit Worse For You Than Fresh Fruit?
Dried fruit is much higher in sugars, and they also tend to have a higher glycemic index as well. So, while it is delicious, it is much worse for you than fresh fruit.
Dried fruit still has all that nutrition, and it is easier to pack. However, with all that sugar, it kind of puts a downer on the health factor they come with. It’s just better for you to eat the fresh version!
Which Dried Fruit Is The Healthiest?
If dried fruit is notoriously sugary, is there one that is best? Overall, dates are probably the best. They have high iron levels, plenty of antioxidants are high in potassium, fiber, and so on.
Their glycemic index is a lot lower than others too, so they are unlikely to spike your blood sugar so much.
Which Dried Fruit Has The Least Amount Of Sugar?
If you are looking for low sugar, however, dried mulberries are actually the best. Alright, we admit, they’re not exactly the most common choice. But, they are known for being the lowest in sugars but serve the same purpose as raisins do.
They are also very favored due to their vitamin C. Only one cup per day of dried mulberries will give you an insane 130% of your daily vitamin C needs! Hot damn that’s a lot of vitamin C!
How To Remove Added Sugar From Dried Fruit
What if you want normal dried fruit but not sugar, you can remove it right? No. Sorry. You can’t actually remove the sugar from dried fruit. It’s not like a sugary candy where you could, in theory, scrape the sugar off. It’s part of it, inside the fruit.
There’s no getting rid of it.
Does Soaking Dried Fruit Remove Sugar
You might think that soaking your dried fruits will remove the sugar, but it won’t. The amount of natural sugar in fruit is compacted as it is dried. So, nothing you do will get rid of it.
However, if you need to know which ones will be best and worse for you, note that dates and apricots when dried are the highest in sugar, but prunes and figs are the lowest in sugar.
How Can You Tell If Dried Fruit Has Added Sugar?
Luckily, most food companies will list sugars on their packaging. These sugars will include those natural to the food, as well as those that have been added as well.
On the downside, this does mean that you can’t really tell if any has been added to fruit just from the label.
To look for added sugars you want to look at the ingredients as these will usually be more of a giveaway.
Fruits Low In Sugar For Diabetes
Diabetics need to be careful of their sugar intake. For that reason, dried fruits may not be the best port of call if you are diabetic. However, normal fruits are fine.
Some fruit will be high in sugar naturally, but others won’t contain as much. Berries are notoriously less sugar-heavy than others, and citrus is also usually low in sugar too.
Here are some of our favorite low-sugar fruits for diabetics!
- Lemons
- Limes
- Kiwis
- Grapefruit
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Watermelon
Here’s an epic smoothie recipe suitable for diabetics:
Diabetic-Friendly Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup/30g of spinach
- 1/4 avocado flesh scooped out
- 1 medium-sized green apple diced
- 1/2 cucumber diced
- 1 cup/200ml of cold water
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 small handful of celery diced
Instructions
- Wash the fresh veggies and prepare them as described above.
- Add all ingredients to a blender, and blitz until completely smooth. About 2-3 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
High Sugar Fruits To Avoid
Alternatively, what should you avoid if you are being cautious of sugar?
Here are some fruits you will want to keep at an arm’s length if you are watching your sugar intake or are diabetic:
- Mangoes
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Tangerines
- Lycées
FAQs:
What more can we tell you? So much more… dried fruit is amazing, but you should always be on the lookout for lowering your sugar intake. There is enough of it in our dried as it is.
Is There Dried Fruit Without Sugar?
Any naturally dried fruit will have no added sugar, but there will still be sugar in it as fruit has natural sugar content. Natural sugars are not so bad for you though. It’s those added sugars you want to be really cautious with!
Which Dried Fruit Has The Most Sugar?
The two fruits with the highest natural sugars and calories would be dates and raisins. This is only natural sugars though, not including added sugars.
Raisins have 59% natural sugars, and dates have 64 to 66%.
However, some dried fruits may be higher due to added sugars.
Are Dried Fruits Healthy?
Dried fruits are very nutritious, and you should not be turned off by their high sugar content. Dried fruit will have the same nutritional value as fresh fruit, but can have 3.5 times more fiber.
Most Popular Dried Fruit
Raisins are probably the most popular dried fruit there.
How Much Dried Fruit Should You Eat A Day?
The FDA recommends eating a good 40g of dried fruit each day.
Are Dried Cranberries Or Raisins Better For You?
Raisins are slightly lower in sugar and calories than cranberries are. They also offer higher protein and potassium rates. They are more nutritious overall than cranberries are.
Summary:
Although dried fruit is nutritious and good for you, just like anything, everything should be consumed in moderation. Even water should be consumed in moderation.
So be cautious when it comes to dried fruit, but don’t exclude them completely from your diet, as they do have their benefits!
Additionally, she spent a few years working for Smoothie King, where she gained extensive knowledge about making smoothies.
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