Tu Bishvat has arrived, and over the next two days we are going to be flooded with dried fruits. But just before you give in to temptation, you should know a few things: The most dramatic problem with dried fruits is the damage to the body’s natural satiety mechanism. Fresh fruits contain about 80% to 90% water, which creates a large physical volume in the stomach and activates stretch receptors that signal to the brain, “I’m full.”
During the drying process, the water evaporates and the fruit shrinks, but the sugar and calories remain in exactly the same amount. The result is a very high “caloric density” in a small volume.
A dried apricot and a fresh apricot contain exactly the same number of calories; a bunch of grapes contains exactly the same number of calories as a teaspoon of raisins.
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Where is the problem?
When eating “from the central bowl” on Tu Bishvat, we have no measure of quantity. When we eat a fresh apple, the prolonged chewing and the volume create a natural pause.
In contrast, eating a handful of raisins or dried figs happens quickly, without significant chewing effort, and before the brain has time to register that this is the caloric equivalent of a full meal, the hand is already reaching for the next handful.
Studies in the field of nutrition show that people tend to consume up to three times more calories when food is served in a dried and compact form compared to its fresh form.
One of the main studies that directly compared dried fruits to fresh fruits (specifically grapes versus raisins) and their effect on satiety and caloric intake was published in the scientific journal Appetite. It showed that people tend to consume a fixed volume of food; when the water is removed from the fruit, the volume decreases and the caloric density increases, which leads to excess caloric consumption.
Preservatives and food coloring
Beyond calories, industrial dried fruits are a product that undergoes intensive “cosmetic treatment.” To prevent the fruit from browning (a natural process that occurs when fruit is exposed to oxygen), manufacturers use sulfur dioxide (E220) and additional sulfites.
Sulfites:
These are substances intended to preserve the bright orange color of the apricot or the golden color of the raisin. The problem is that they may cause allergic reactions, breathing difficulties among asthma sufferers, and severe headaches. In addition, sulfites destroy vitamin B1 (thiamine) in the fruit.
Artificial food coloring:
In some “candied” dried fruits (such as papaya or pineapple in fluorescent colors), artificial food colorings are used, some of which have been linked in various studies to attention and concentration disorders in children.
Ferrous sulfate:
A substance sometimes added to darken the color of olives or certain fruits and give them a more “uniform” appearance.
The bottom line here is that we are introducing unnecessary chemicals into the body just so the fruit will look prettier.
An organic apricot without these substances will be brown, shriveled, and unattractive—but it is the only one that truly deserves our health.
What happens to vitamins and iron?
There is a tendency to think that drying fruit “concentrates” the nutritional values, and this is true only at the statistical level of weight. At the level of the individual fruit, we lose a lot:
Vitamin C:
This is a vitamin that oxidizes and is destroyed by heat and exposure to air. In most dried fruits, the level of vitamin C approaches zero. If a fresh orange or kiwi contains a huge amount that supports the immune system in winter, in the dried version you have completely lost this advantage.
The iron myth:
When comparing one apricot to one apricot—the amount of iron is identical. The deception is in the nutritional labeling: manufacturers state values per 100 grams, and in order to reach 100 grams of dried apricot, you need to eat a much larger quantity of fruits compared to fresh apricot.
So yes, there is more iron in 100 grams, but along the way you consumed about five times more calories and sugar to get it.
The data you must know
To understand the size of the trap, it is worth remembering that each such small unit is an “energy bomb”:
Dried fig: about 70 calories per unit. Two such figs are equal in caloric value to two slices of light bread, but they disappear in the mouth within seconds.
Date: About 50 calories per unit.
Dried apricot or dried plum: About 30 calories per unit.
Nuts and almonds: Although they are healthy, they are very dense. A small handful of nuts and dried fruits can easily reach 500 calories—a full meal by any measure, eaten as a “snack” next to the television.
One almond – 8 calories
One cashew nut – 13 calories
Half a walnut – 17 calories
Half a pecan – 15 calories
If you do choose to include dried fruits in Tu Bishvat celebrations, the best recommendation is to choose organic fruits (those that have not undergone “cosmetic treatment” with preservatives and artificial colors) and consume them in a measured way and in proper quantities, with full awareness of the high caloric value hidden in each small unit.