Making dried apricot isn’t very difficult. Basically, you evaporate the water content while making sure that the nutritive value of the fruit isn’t reduced.
Dried apricots are energy-filled and come with great health benefits. Consume just a cup of dried apricots and it’ll be sufficient to produce 300+ calories. Among many other amazing things, dried apricots are rich in fiber, potassium, iron, and vitamin C, E, and A.
If you are someone struggling with constipation problems, the fiber element of dried apricot is going to be very helpful. Also, these fruits provide good sources of zeaxanthin and lutein, two vital antioxidants that maintain and enhance eye health. Among other things, dried apricots can have a positive in the lives of those going through diabetes and inflammation problems.
This post is going to cover the key health and nutrition benefits one can get from consuming dried apricots. The one-line summary is that this amazing fruit keeps you healthy and you have all the reasons to consume it daily.
Dried Apricots are Rich in Nutrients
That’s very true. These amazing fruits are filled with fiber, potassium, vitamins and several other important nutrients. To give you an idea of how much nutrients apricots provide, put a 100 gram of them (about 30 dried apricots halves) into a cup, hold it, and take a look at the following list of nutrients:
- 241 calories
- 3 gram of fiber
- 1160 milligram of potassium
- 55 milligram of calcium
- 63 gram of carbohydrates
- 3 milligram of iron
- 71 milligram of phosphorus
- 2 milligram of selenium
- 180 microgram of vitamin A
- 4 gram of protein
- 10 microgram of folate
- 5 gram of fat
- 32 milligram of magnesium
- 1 milligram of vitamin C
That much nutrients you get from a small quantity of dried apricot. Can you resist eating them now? Probably not.
Dried Apricots Help in Weight Loss
Sure, dried apricots are high in calories (and discussed above) but they are also fiber-rich. This means you start consuming them in moderation, they are going to help you lose weight in a healthier and easier way.
Since numbers make a difference, research indicates that you can have 10 grams of fiber if you consume 40 grams of dried apricots (or about six of them).
What is more, people who eat fresh and dried fruits appear to have higher BMI (as per a cross-sectional study). These fruits, according to other researches, can help boost meal satisfaction, decrease hunger levels, and reduce energy intake when consumed as snacks or along with meals.
The readers may want to know that there’s a direct relationship between weight loss and dried apricot consumption, though these fruits are rich in fiber content that may complement your weight loss diet. Therefore, it’s advisable to consult a reliable dietitian and practice moderation when it comes to consuming dried apricots.
Using Dried Apricots During Pregnancy Can be Helpful
Blood health has a positive relationship with iron — the mineral our bodies need for many functions — and dried apricots contain iron. During pregnancy, the blood volume of women increases by about 50%, making it necessary for them to have more iron in their diets. Pregnancy and lactation may also cause metabolic variations in women’s bodies. If a pregnant woman exercises too little or doesn’t take balanced diets, she may face constipation problems. Drinking more water and eating fiber-rich fruits like dried apricots greatly help relieve digestive problems.
Dried apricots are a good source of iron and fiber, so consume them in moderation when you need a balanced diet.
Dried Fruit Help Treat Anemia
Anemia is a condition in which our bodies lack adequate and healthy red blood cells (RBCs) that carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells (whose function is to carry oxygen molecules in the blood) becomes deficient and that happens due to the lack of iron.
Consuming foods that are rich in iron can be very helpful in the process of treating anemia. Dried apricots contain iron as well as vitamin C — which enhances iron absorption — and so you can partially depend on it to meet your body’s iron intake requirements. Please be noted that relying solely on apricots isn’t a good idea as your daily intake of iron during anemia needs to be fulfilled with other types of foods. Just so you know how much iron you can get from dried apricots, a single cup of these fruits contains about 3.5 milligrams of iron — not very much. Your daily iron intake may require 10 such cups for you to meet the threshold. So it’s advisable to consume dried apricots as a supplementary source and include other sources of iron (such as beans, spinach, and lentil) in your daily diet.
Dried apricots help relieve constipation
Constipation is a very common problem among people. Many things can lead to the rise of this problem, including the lifestyle choices of people, their eating habits, the medications they take, and any medical conditions they have. The role of fiber in dried apricots is important in the process of remedying constipation. For example, fiber increases bulk and accelerates colon transit; it accelerates colon transit and increases THE osmotic load by producing short-chain fatty acids; the same acids can help change the intraluminal microbiome (mass), resulting in accelerated colon transit. (Source: Diets for Constipation by Sun Hwan Bae)
Dried apricots contain fiber and so they can help in the process of constipation treatment. The more fiber you include in your diet, the easier it will be for your body to increase the bulk and consistency of bowel movements, helping them pass through the digestive system more quickly.
Conclusion
Dried apricots are essential as they are replete with minerals and nutrients that have great health benefits. These fruits also make an excellent snack, improving your hunger and meal satisfaction all along. As delicious and healthy they dried apricots are, caution must be taken in limiting their daily intake. Because they are calorie-dense, it’ll be sufficient if you consume a cup of dried apricots a day. If you want amazing quality dried fruit — prepared in the pure lands of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral — order some from EAST20th. You’ll taste it once and then come back for more!
