Dried fruits are foods rich in naturally present sugars, but they also contain a good amount of fiber. If we do not abuse, we can take them as healthy substitutes for ‘sweets’.
Too sweet
As we can imagine, the trinkets are not healthy at all. They are foods made up almost entirely of sugars and do not provide interesting nutrients for our health. However, since we were little we have consumed them in Spain as if they were a prize and, of course, now when we are older we still want them. Although it is better to avoid sweets, not all sweet foods are prohibited.
The main problem with sweets is that because they have so much sugar, they accustom our sense of taste to levels of sweetness that are too high. In any case, we do not have to be overwhelmed: the taste for natural sweets can recover, it is only a matter of taking them again and getting used to them. In this way, fruits, vegetables and nuts will once again be sweet enough.
Chocolate is a sweet that seems prohibited for any type of diet, but this is not always the case. If we get used to the taste of chocolate with a percentage of cocoa equal to or greater than 80% we can even take two ounces a day. Cocoa is a great source of antioxidants due to its flavonoid content. This is not the only example of a healthy sweet, in his Instagram profile, Carlos Ríos exposes four others:
Dates
These fruits are known to be typical of North Africa, although they can also be found cultivated in Spain. Although they are often thought of as a type of dried fruit, in reality, it is not. This fruit is dried in the sun while it is hanging from the tree and never after being picked.
It is a very energetic fruit: 100 grams of this food contains no less than 314 kilocalories, according to the Spanish Nutrition Foundation (FEN). The greatest contribution it contains are carbohydrates that occupy more than 70% of the composition and among which the naturally present and, therefore, healthy sugars stand out. The date also stands out for being a source of fiber.
Raisins
If we think of a dried fruit, the most popular is the raisin. It is part of a lot of sweets, aperitif cocktails and even salads. Although the dish in which they are found is not always healthy, raisins can be a solution for those who want to get rid of the candy bug.
Grapes are, in themselves, fruits with a high proportion of sugars. After drying, the vast majority of their water is lost and, therefore, the percentage of sugar per gram rises. For this reason, raisins have a very high energy value: 286 kilocalories per 100 grams, according to the FEN.
Dried figs
Another fruit that stands out for its high proportion of sugars is the fig and it is also used for drying. Dried figs were already a popular food in the Middle Ages, as were other dried fruits. Its sweet taste, the accumulation of sugars and, consequently, its high energy value were appreciated characteristics.
Specifically, 100 grams of dried figs represent a little less than 230 kilocalories and, as with the rest of dried fruits, their majority content is carbohydrates. In the case of dried figs, they make up about 53% of the composition and the vast majority are naturally present sugars.
Dried apricots
This dried fruit is the one that probably has the closest appearance to a jelly bean. They are circular, flat and with an intense orange color. A dried apricot is nothing more than a dried apricot, a fruit similar to peach and appreciated for its sweet flavor that is enhanced in this dehydrated version.
If we eat 100 grams of dried apricots, we will be incorporating almost 235 kilocalories into our body, a high amount for a fruit, but loaded with nutrients. The carbohydrates in apricot dried apricots account for more than 55% of the food, but the fiber content is also high: it is almost 8%.
