dried fruit

Fruit - Fresh and dried fruit - Nutritional properties

Fruit in the diet

In dietetics, nutrition and nutrition, fruit is generally divided into:

  • Fresh fruit (associated with the fleshy, acidulous and sugary products of plants)
  • Dried fruit (dried fruits such as hazelnut, some drupes of fleshy fruit like walnut, etc.)
  • Preserved fruit

NB. The following will be considered the fresh fruit and dried fruit, while for the description of the preserved fruit, see the article concerning the seasonality and the methods of preserving the fruit.

fresh fruit

According to the classification of the SINU (Italian Human Nutrition Society), fresh fruit is a set of products that can be re-united in the VI and VII food group:

VI) yellow or green vegetables and fruit, sources of vitamin A,

VII) vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C.

In reality, fresh fruit is characterized by many other nutritional aspects and the aforementioned vitamins are only a fraction of the important nutritional contribution of fruit.

Fresh fruit, if consumed in suitable portions (400-800 g / day) and appropriately contextualized based on the composition of the diet (to avoid exceeding simple sugars), represents a supporting pillar of human nutrition.

Fresh fruit first and foremost supplies large amounts of water, facilitating the maintenance of hydration even in subjects who neglect or do not feel the stimulus of thirst. Hydration is a fundamental aspect of the general homeostatic maintenance of the organism and effectively prevents some potentially harmful conditions such as renal fatigue and metabolic acidosis.

From the energy point of view, fresh fruit provides a rather heterogeneous quantity of calories, both on the basis of the botanical species and on the seasonality of the fruit. Ranges from 16kcal / 100g of watermelon to 72kcal / 100g of mandarins, mostly provided by fructose. Obviously, there are also particularly caloric fresh fruits with a nutritional composition that deviates from the average; this is the case of coconut (364 kcal / 100g and 35g of lipids), avocado (231 kcal / 100g and 23g of lipids), chestnuts (165 kcal and 25.3g of starch) etc.

The amount of lipids (except for exceptions) is reduced but mainly composed of unsaturated and polyunsaturated lipids (also essential), while the protein content is of low biological value and is quantitatively irrelevant.

On the contrary, the high contribution in soluble dietary fiber is noteworthy. It consists predominantly of water-soluble polymers, and contributes significantly to reaching the minimum daily level (30g / day) useful for maintaining intestinal integrity and, as a prebiotic, for the tropism of the natural colic bacterial flora.

The vitamin content is excellent; as already mentioned, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin A (in β-carotene) are the masters, but also good quantities of tocopherols (vit E) and modest amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and vitamin K.

As regards the saline framework, we remind (also to the supporters of recent "nutritional theories") that fresh fruit is, together with vegetables and whole grains, the group of foods that contributes most to the contribution of alkaline ions and in particular of magnesium (Mg). Also potassium (K), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se) and copper (Cu) are not missing.

One more word must be spent to illustrate the antioxidant potential of fresh fruit; we know that at the cellular level these molecules represent a real shield against oxidative stress, therefore against aging, cancerogenesis and atherogenesis. Among the most abundant antioxidants in fruit include vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, phenolic substances (resveratrol but not only!), Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) etc.

Dried fruit

To learn more: dried fruit, nutritional properties

Dried fruit means a group of foods with low water intake and high energy and lipid content. The edible portion consists of the seed, which must be consumed fresh, dried or toasted.

Recently, dried fruit has become more important in the collective diet; the major institutions, by virtue of its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, have established that dried fruit must constitute a fixed element of human nutrition through frequent but moderate consumption.

Dried fruits essentially contain fatty acids from the omega6 family (ω ‰ 6); omega6, unlike the omega3 (ω 3) typical of fish, although essential molecules are NOT deficient in the collective feeding. They are widely distributed in foods and their excess in relation to omega3 (omega3 / omega6 ratio) can cause pro-inflammatory decompensation. The most present fatty acids are therefore: linoleic acid (LA 18: 2), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA 18: 3), diomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA 20: 3), and arachidonic acid (AA 20: 4) .

Other nutritional components are also present but, considering the reduced consumption portions (a few grams) imposed by the high caloric intake (> 500kcal / 100g), they do not seem to significantly affect the recommended rations. Obviously, if more use is made of it, the intake of mineral salts and tocopherols becomes significant.

Does the fruit get fat?

A distinction should be made between the nutritional role of fresh fruit and dried fruit ... but in any case, assuming adequate consumption, the answer is no!

Thinking about the chemical composition of fresh fruit, it is clear that it is the only true category of naturally SWEET foods. Readers will think:

" Exactly! Since it contains sugar (fructose), consuming fruit should help raise the calorie intake of the diet "

... and my answer is that:

" Fruit consumption must be contextualized and managed in a subjectively most suitable manner ... ie:

Fruit provides simple carbohydrates just like any food product in the confectionery industry, but who would feel like comparing an orange to a croissant? From my point of view, consuming fruit as a substitute for sweet foods is one of the key principles of contemporary dietary CORRECTION, as well as a cardinal principle of the TRUE Mediterranean diet.

Many sweet foods (then added in saccharose) are born (as you will read in the article Seasonality and conservation of fruit) as preserved food (see jams, jams, canned fruit, dried fruit, etc.), therefore, they should be consumed only in those few weeks in which there is NO fresh fruit available (full winter for instance). Unfortunately it is not so! Sweet foods are available to consumers throughout the year and have almost replaced the consumption of fresh fruit; on the other hand, replacing sweet foods with fresh fruit would allow for:

  • Increase hydration
  • Increase your mineral intake
  • Increase the intake of vitamins
  • Increase antioxidant intake
  • Increase the intake of soluble dietary fiber (!!!)
  • Reduce the intake of simple sugars by at least 500%
  • Decrease overall caloric intake
  • Moderate insulin response
  • Encourage satiety

This is not intended to convince readers to abolish all sweet foods ... but simply to remember that replacing most of them with fruit could significantly increase the quality of one's diet.

" And for dried fruit ?"

Well, this is a group of foods certainly rich in essential lipids but still with very high energy density. If consumed in moderation and associated with MAGRE protein sources (so as not to exceed the lipid percentage equal to 30% of the total calories), the dried fruits can provide absolutely noteworthy benefits ... but when you begin to "crush the nuts (almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, hazelnuts etc.) ... the important thing is to be able to stop at the right time! (which given the pleasantness of the product, it turns out to be an attitude DIFFICULT but keep ...)

Fruit tart

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