The Unexpected Downside To Dried Fruit, According To Experts

What you snack on makes all the difference in your weight loss journey. It's essential to find the right snacks that are low-calorie, satisfy your cravings, and are metabolism-boosting. Healthy, balanced snacks are the best way to stay full and have sustainable energy throughout the day for weight loss. Snacks like Greek yogurt, roasted edamame, kale chips, and more can help you see steady, consistent weight loss

Unfortunately, no matter how virtuous a food sounds—particularly when it's marketing with popular buzz-words like "all-natural," "gluten-free," and "organic"—it can still be bad for you. One surprisingly unhealthy snack for weight loss is dried fruit. Even though fruits (especially these) are a great source of the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive, dried fruit could have adverse effects if you’re not careful.

To learn more about the unexpected downside to dried fruit, we spoke with Lisa Richards, a nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. She told us that even though this snack is high in fiber, its high added sugar and calorie content could lead to weight gain. Dried fruits lose water—thus volume—during the drying process so their nutrient, calorie, and sugar content becomes concentrated once they’re dried. Find out more about this surprisingly unhealthy snack below!

Dried fruit is defined as sweet fruit that has the majority of the original water content removed from a drying process. They're very popular in the Mediterranean and the Middle East—dates are actually one of the earliest dried fruits that were eaten. Some other popular dried fruits include raisins, prunes (dried plums), apricots, figs, and peaches. There are other dried fruits like dried mango, pineapple, and berries, but these tend to be dried with added sugar.

Even though dried fruit is definitely a healthier option than processed, sugary alternatives out there, Richards warns that dried fruit can actually still lead to weight gain and even health complications if consumed in excess. This is because, after the drying process, this snack sneaks in a lot of extra calories and sugar into your diet.

"Dried fruit tends to be higher in sugar than I prefer to consume, primarily because it's highly concentrated in nature," she notes. "This is primarily due to the preparation method which causes a high concentration of sugar and calories into a small serving size." That's why fresh fruit is a healthier option. While dried fruit still has a high fiber content, fresh fruit fiber is accompanied by a high water content. Fiber and water can help you feel full faster—that way you can consume fewer calories overall.

Plus, it's also much easier to overindulge in multiple handfuls of dried fruit and may end up consuming more sugar than you should. "Due to the small nature of dried fruit, it is easy to overeat on these snack items and the calories add up quickly," Richards notes. Yikes! This is especially bad because excessive sugar intake can lead to some scary health effects, not just weight gain, including digestive issues, diabetes, acne breakouts, tooth decay, and more.

Thankfully there are still healthy ways you can enjoy dried fruit if you don't want to completely give up on this sweet snack—you should just be conscious of the amount that you're eating and avoid varieties with added sugar. Richards explains that dried fruit "should be consumed with moderation and is ideally paired with [a] protein like nuts."

That way, you can limit your sugar intake, stay satiated, and avoid overeating. Plus, nuts like almonds are full of protein and healthy fats, and they're also low in carbs—so they're a great snack to keep you satiated longer between meals. "Nuts can help add satiety to this snack and is altogether a nutrient-dense option," she concludes.

Ultimately, the most important thing to remember on your weight loss journey is to snack on foods that you enjoy and are healthy. Moderation is always key when it comes to a healthy diet. Although a snack may seem healthy, consuming too much of some foods can add unwanted sugar and calories to your diet that could prevent you from seeing results. Just pay attention to what and how much you're eating—a handful of dried peaches or raisins can be a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without putting your health at risk. And, you can also add some protein like nuts to the mix to help you stay fuller longer without overeating.