119/365 Have you Tried it Dried?

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The daily recommendation for fresh fruit is 5 servings or 2 cups. Dried fruit is a pretty good choice if you can't get fresh fruit.

There are many reasons to consider dried fruit. It's portable, you can't bruise it, and it has a longer shelf life. It's also tasty and has most of the vitamins you would find in fresh fruit. The downside to drying fruit is how they are sweetened and preserved. Dried fruit often has added sugar and/or sulfites. Sulfites are added "to prevent dried fruit from spoilage and preserve that just picked vibrant color. (Supermarket Guru)" Sulfites can be dangerous if you have a sulfite allergy or are low in sulfite oxidase, an enzyme that converts sulfites to sulfates. Other than that, sulfites aren't dangerous though more research is being conducted to prove just that.

Personally, I think we should all avoid preservatives and additives. Newman's Own is a great organic brand. They feature a line of preservative-free dried fruit. Though fresh fruit is best, dried fruit is a viable second option.

In health,

Lauren

http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/1156