In today’s world, everything has become readymade. Be it food, textiles or anything, people are only interested to purchase things that are readily available. That is why I guess most of you spend your entire weekend in shopping the stuff enough for the whole week. Do you go grocery shopping? Then you would have definitely noticed the dehydrated fruits and vegetables. Many of you will be wondering whether these foods are good for health!
Let me explain you in detail…
What is dehydration?
Dehydration is the process where we squeeze water out from a food product. This is one of the oldest forms of food preservation. It requires no preservatives and it yields tasty food with months of shelf life. Removing moisture from foods makes them smaller and lighter.
Why dehydration?
The main reason for food spoilage is the growth of microbes. Reducing the moisture content of food prevents the growth of these spoilage-causing microorganisms. Hence, this helps to prevent spoilage in dried food.
What are the benefits?
- Dehydrated food tastes great
- No preservatives or chemical additives
- Storing dehydrated food is efficient
- Cost savings
- Quality control
- Portability
- Replace store-bought snacks and eat healthier
- Raw food
- Reduce waste by preserving
- Buy more quality during “peak” season
What are the health benefits?
* Help to build up a healthy nutritional body
Dried food is great when it comes to its nutritional value. Dried fruits like apricots offer beta carotene and vitamin E in great quantities. These are all essential for your healthy body and mind.
* Easy digestion
Munching on dried fruits on a daily basis is a great way to have a controlled diet. It does not overburden your digestive system. As dried food has most of its water content extracted from it, it is easy for the stomach to digest. It does not make you feel bloated or lethargic as oily or junk food does.
* To maintain a fit and perfect physique
Dehydrated food is delicious to eat. It has all its nutrients and sugars in concentrated form. The small size and lack of fats in these foods makes them perfect for those who like to eat light. With the intake of necessary nutrients, the body will have a healthy growth.
* Provides an instant source of energy
The dried fruits have their sugars in a concentrated form. This is because all the water dries during the dehydration process. These fruits can work as an instant pick-me-up and a source of energy that’s natural with no side effects.
* For healthy eyes and skin
Dried fruits like apples and berries are rich in natural antioxidants. They help you to stave off many kinds of lifestyle diseases. Including antioxidants in your diet is the ideal way to ensure your hair, skin, and eyes are healthy. Dried fruits have a higher concentration of antioxidants than fresh fruit, says study.
* A Check to Constipation
If you’re looking for a rich source of fibre in your diet, here is the solution. Include some dried fruits such as prunes to your diet. Fibre is an essential component of the diet for the better health of stomach. It stimulates bowel activity. It also ensures good health of your digestive system. The dried fruits have a higher content of fibre.
* Healthy way to gain weight (for lean people!)
Dried fruits are rich in calories that are present in a concentrated form. These are a great source of energy for athletes looking to recover from injuries. If you are looking for healthy ways to gain weight, you can try it!
* Builds body’s Immunity
Drying fruits may destroy the vitamin C, because it gets oxidized. But with some fruits you can get vitamin A and beta carotene which add to the immunity of your body.
* Improves Gastrointestinal Health
There is a high level of glucose in dehydrated foods. It helps in production of gastrointestinal fluids. These fluids soften digested food that passes through the intestines. All these benefits help to improve your bowel movement.
* To Maintain a constant Haemoglobin level
Dehydrated fruits such as apricots contain an impressive amount of iron. In fact, a 100-gram serving of dried apricots contains twice the iron than that of the same serving of beef. It is also four times than the same serving of chicken! High content of Iron helps to maintain your Haemoglobin level in the red blood cells.
* Ensures Bone health
Figs, oranges and blackcurrants are a few of the many dried fruits that are high in calcium. Calcium is a bone-building nutrient that keeps your skeletal system healthy. Dried foods, hence help in building your bone strength.
*Zero Cholesterol – Eating dried fruits and vegetables can be addicting. You would be glad to know that dehydrated foods contain zero cholesterol. It also has zero trans-fat, and sodium. These convenient snacks make the perfect diet because they are low in calories and high in fibre! Even better, you can bring a packet of dried fruits and veggies and take it with you on the go.
What is the necessity for Dehydrated food?
- You can enjoy your favourite food as a daily snack. You can also pack it up and take it with you on your camping trips with no fear of spoilage.
- Often, people are allergic to chemicals or preservatives. So, dehydrating food will be the best option for them to enjoy the deliciousness.
What are the cons?
I already mentioned that drying does not diminish the fibre and sugar content of food. But some nutrients might get washed away during blanching, heating and air drying. For instance, a fraction of vitamins like A, B and C might get destroyed, and some minerals might get lost.
Why should you prefer this?
Dehydrating food is a simple and convenient way of preserving and storing foods. These foods will someday come in handy. It is a delicious and healthy snack. It is an ingredient for cooking and also a source of energy for campers and hikers. It is also the best gift option for family and friends.
So finally, it is very much easy to dry the food that you like and store it for future. As they say “Make hay while the Sun shines!”