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Dried fruits are a valuable food product, enriched with vitamins and minerals. Almost every diet contains snacks with this delicacy in its menu. Dried berries and fruits (including nuts) are great as an afternoon snack while losing weight. It is only important to choose the right portion, otherwise you can get the opposite effect.

The effect of dried fruits on the body during weight loss

When you add small amounts of dried fruit to your diet, your body receives the required daily amount of minerals and other beneficial microelements. And most importantly, dried fruits significantly dull the feeling of hunger and are a delicious sweet dessert during a diet.

During weight loss, the body begins to experience a lot of stress, thereby causing severe hunger and unpleasant weakness. A properly selected set of dried fruits will help replace rich and high-calorie foods. It is especially useful to eat them on fasting days.

Dietary products that can be partially or completely replaced with dried fruits:

But you should understand that you shouldn’t eat dried fruits alone, they still contain sugar, and their excess can significantly spoil digestion and bring the whole diet to naught. You need to eat dried fruits in small portions, no more than 5 times a day.

If you add nuts to dried fruits, then this mixture will perfectly replace a full lunch while losing weight.

What dried fruits are recommended for weight loss?

A diet based on dried fruits is considered one of the healthiest and most delicious diets. In just 2-4 weeks you can lose significant weight and, on top of that, saturate your body with vitamins and strengthen your immune system.

Most dried fruit diets include a mixture of healthy and nutritious nuts, so when we talk about dried fruit we mean dried berries, fruits and nuts.

• Prunes are the first famous dried fruit, designed to quickly rid the body of harmful substances, improve digestion and remove excess fats, preventing them from being fully absorbed. Prunes also contain beneficial substances that improve mood.
• Dried apricots are the second in line of the healthiest dried fruits for weight loss. It replenishes calcium, potassium and magnesium reserves. Regulates heart function and reduces hunger for 1 hour.
• Raisins are a vitamin-rich dried fruit that contains healthy sugars and iodine. Improves thyroid function. Included in any diet. Gives the body strength.
• Dates are popular dried berries that have a special “date” diet. However, many nutritionists do not recommend consuming these sweets as a product for weight loss. Most dates are not dried naturally, but using saccharification. That is, all dates are first soaked in sugar syrup and then only dried. As everyone losing weight knows, excess sugar spoils your figure. And only a small proportion of the dates available on the shelves, dried without the use of sugar, are suitable for dietary nutrition for the purpose of losing weight.
• Apples and pears are also actively used in diets and promote active weight loss. But unlike other dried fruits, apples and pears are preferable to use as a base for compote.
• Figs are an ancient dried fruit designed to cleanse the intestines and stimulate the process of weight loss. In addition to the weight loss effect, figs are considered the most active source of stimulating the immune system. Figs also cope well with colds and saturate the body with a large amount of vitamins. Separately, we can note the small grains of figs - they play the role of fiber - they remove everything unnecessary and harmful from the intestines.
• Nuts are the main source of satiety during weight loss. Any mixture of dried fruits is not complete without adding healthy nuts.

These include:

• almond;
• cashew nuts;
• pistachios;
• hazelnut;
• Walnut.

It is not recommended to eat salted nuts, sweetened nuts or chocolate while losing weight.

Advantages

Dried fruits, berries and nuts contain a large amount of useful substances, vitamins and microelements. Thus, dried apricots are known for being rich in vitamins that strengthen the immune system. Its use will not only help you get rid of extra pounds, but also strengthen the body’s protective function. The cardiovascular system is strengthened, the condition of the skin and hair improves.

Prunes are an equally healthy type of dried fruit, rich in fiber and a choleretic agent. This helps improve metabolism and cleanse the body of toxins.

Including figs in your diet can improve the digestion process. Due to the fact that figs promote rapid satiety, consuming them will prevent you from overeating, which is often the main reason for gaining excess weight.

In addition to the listed dried fruits, the authors of the diet allow you to include peaches, pears, apples, cherries, and other types of fruits and berries in your diet. It is important to include nuts in your diet, the properties of which allow you to protect the body from various ailments and saturate it with essential vitamins.

A diet based on dried fruits, if there are no contraindications, allows you to get rid of several extra pounds. According to the authors, by following simple rules, you can lose up to one kilogram in one day. A combination of diet and exercise will allow you to achieve good results.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any other dietary product, dried fruits have their pros and cons. The main thing here is to maintain a happy medium and not overeat them.

Losing weight with dried fruits has several benefits:

• heals and strengthens the entire body;
• Helps effectively fight excess weight;
• reduces hunger;
• normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• helps to gently reduce the size of the stomach.

Dried fruits also have their disadvantages:

• Contraindicated for people with diabetes.
• In case of gastrointestinal diseases they can be dangerous. If you eat dried fruits for too long and too often, you may experience digestive problems.
• Frequent counterfeits (especially candied fruits).
• Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic conditions. Dried fruits are often sold by weight. All day long, open boxes with dried delicacies stand in the open air - flies land on them, dust settles, hundreds of people pass by, who can sneeze, touch or even spit on the dried fruit.
• Treatment with chemicals. It is better not to trust those dried fruits that are sold in market stalls. Many unscrupulous sellers spray products with chemicals to repel pests and improve the appearance of the product.

Advantages and disadvantages of a fasting day on dried fruits

The main advantages of fasting days on dried fruits are:

1. Nutritional value and quick satiety in a small portion.
2. Availability at any time of the year.
3. Improved intestinal health in a short period of time.
4. Improving the condition of skin and hair.
5. Reducing the volume of the stomach.
6. Weight loss.
7. Rejuvenation of the body.

As with all types of diets, there are also disadvantages: imbalance and monotony of nutrition, possible side effects in the form of allergies and digestive disorders (diarrhea, flatulence).

Dried fruits + nuts

Some 5-7 years ago, nuts were considered the enemy of all those losing weight and were prohibited in any diet. The reason was the large amount of fat and calories. But thanks to modern research, nutritionists have come to the conclusion that a small amount of nuts eaten during a diet will only be beneficial and will not slow down the process of losing weight.

Nuts contain fiber and protein - one of the main components of a proper diet. They also have a beneficial effect on overall energy.

The ideal combination when losing weight would be a mixture of dried fruits (75%) and nuts (25%). You can make healthy and tasty bars based on dried fruits, nuts and grains; you can read more about them here.

How to choose the right dried fruits

In order for the weight loss process to go smoothly without compromising your health, it is important to know how to choose quality products correctly. This is especially true for mixtures of dried fruits and nuts. Remember a few rules and tips for choosing dried products:

• Any dried fruits (including mixtures) must be hermetically packaged.
• Dried fruits should not smell of acid or wine.
• The dried apricots should not be very soft and definitely not hard.
• Dried apricots and prunes should have no seeds.
• Avoid bright orange dried apricots and black shiny prunes - these are all dyes.
• There should be no plaque on dried fruits. The presence of dust, dirt, grayness is a sign of contamination or even the beginning of mold.
• Do not buy loose dried fruits in tents near the road - dirt and machine exhaust settle on them.
• If you doubt the freshness of dried fruits, ask the seller to show documents for the products. There must be a date and expiration date. If the seller refuses to show the documentation, immediately pass by.
• Avoid buying sticky and candied dried fruits. They were most likely dried using sugar syrup. High-quality and natural dried fruit should not stick to your hands and sugar crystals should not form on it.

Useful tips

For more effective absorption of dried fruits, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with useful tips and tricks.

1. Do not store dried fruits in bags or plastic. They can quickly deteriorate and become moldy. It is better to use cloth bags.
2. Before eating dried fruits, rinse them thoroughly.
3. Dried fruits can be eaten in four cases:
   instead of a snack;
4. overcome strong feelings of hunger;
5. enjoy something sweet;
6. drink delicious compote.
7. Eat dried fruits in small quantities, do not overeat on them.
8. Consume no more than half a handful of raisins per day.
9. Dried fruits are best consumed in the morning. You should not eat them at night.

Recipe for dietary dessert made from dried fruits

This recipe is not just a delicious dessert, but is also a valuable strengthening, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulating agent that should be consumed even during the most severe diet. This sweet tastes very aromatic and tart. Ideal for tea. And most importantly, preparing such a vitamin charge is very simple:

1. You will need dried fruits in equal quantities. Depending on the final volume you need. For the first time, you can do quite a bit for testing. Take a handful of prunes, dried apricots, raisins, walnuts and hazelnuts. In addition there is 1 lemon and honey.
2. We thoroughly wash the fruits and nuts and let them dry from the water.
3. Next, you need to grind all the dried fruits. You need to remove all the seeds from the lemon, otherwise the mixture will be very bitter. You can use a blender, but a meat grinder is best.
4. Mix the resulting ground mixture thoroughly and season with honey. 1-2 tablespoons is enough.

You need to eat this “vitamin” every day before meals. And then any diet will be tasty and effective for you. This delicacy can fully replace the use of vitamins in tablet form.

This mixture of dried fruits is very sweet and has a high calorie content, but it does not have any negative effect on the weight loss process. But such vitamins perfectly relieve hunger and the need for sweets. Plus, this mixture is great outside of the diet.

We bring to your attention a video with a famous nutritionist from the Ionova Clinic about which dried fruits are healthy:

Adviсe

Fasting days will bring a positive effect in any case, but if you follow these simple tips, you can increase the benefit from them even more:

1. Fasting days should be arranged regularly; this is the only way to achieve sustainable and effective results.
2. Using various options for fasting days has a positive effect on the weight loss process.
3. It is advisable to carry out fasting days at the same time every week, for example on Saturdays.
4. It is necessary to refrain from fasting on training days.

Contraindications

Despite the high usefulness of the dried fruit diet, there are a number of contraindications to its use as a stimulant for weight loss:

• presence of diabetes mellitus;
• flatulence;
• dysbacteriosis;
• exacerbation of gastritis;
• stomach ulcer;
• intolerance to certain dried fruits;
• allergy.

If you find at least one indicator that suits you in the list, don’t despair. There are many other effective weight loss methods that lull the feeling of hunger and benefit the body.

When losing weight, dried fruits perfectly complement your diet and protect your figure. The main thing is to choose the right dietary menu and calculate the required amount of dry treats. The best decision would be to go to a nutritionist, where they will explain everything to you in detail and select a suitable diet.

The benefits of dried fruits

Dried fruits are relatively cheap and easy to store. For this reason, they become indispensable components in the preparation of various dishes and drinks. This healthy alternative to sugary snacks is a valuable source of antioxidants and micronutrients containing vitamins, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
They are also low in fat, saturated fatty acids and sodium.
Raisins are the most popular fruit in the Mediterranean diet and have high antioxidant properties due to the chemical components they contain. Raisins contain phenolic acids and flavonols, as well as catechins and anthocyanins (red grapes)

. Therefore, this dried fruit is considered a product that is especially beneficial for the health of the body.

Several studies report the benefits of raisins in treating obesity and diabetes, preventing stomach cancer, preventing dental caries, and reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, systolic blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Date palm fruits are also very beneficial for health. They consist of seeds that are surrounded by pulp. The fruit is rich, in particular, in polyphenols and many other biologically active compounds that benefit the body. Among these compounds, flavonoids are well known, which protect tissues from harmful effects and inhibit enzymes responsible for the formation of free radicals, thanks to their high content of natural antioxidants. In addition, dates are valued by consumers not only for their organoleptic properties, but also for their biological activity, which reduces the risk of developing a number of diseases, such as cardiovascular, cancer and other diseases.

Almost all types of dried fruits contain dietary fiber, including carbohydrates, which are not digested or absorbed in the small intestine, entering the large intestine intact. Their role in human health has been mentioned since the time of Hippocrates, but only in the 1970s of the 20th century, and subsequently many epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that a diet low in dietary fiber is associated with a number of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, vascular diseases, some tumor diseases, especially colon cancer, and obesity.

That is why the inclusion of dried fruits as a snack is recommended when following different diets.

According to experts, despite the calorie content of dried fruits, they are very useful, because when they enter the stomach, the fiber swells and causes a feeling of fullness.