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Presented as good appetite suppressants, especially before exercise, and easier to store than fresh foods: are dried fruits really all good for health? This is the question asked to doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant of Europe 1, this week in Without an appointment. The opportunity to take stock of what exactly this generic term covers, and the contributions of each of these foods.
Vitamins … but also carbohydrates
When we talk about dried fruits, we refer to apricots, bananas or dried grapes as well as oilseeds which are naturally so, such as walnuts or hazelnuts. In both cases, a first piece of advice: despite their nutritional benefits, you should not binge on them all day. These foods are indeed very rich in carbohydrates. In a normal day, a handful is more than enough, and it should never replace fresh fruit.
Why ? First, because there is no more water in the dried fruit. However, fruits help to guarantee our water needs. For vitamins, it’s a bit the same: once dried, fruits still contain them, but less. Vitamin C, for example, which is very fragile, almost disappears in dried fruits. On the other hand, raisins contain iron and vitamin B, dried apricots are rich in potassium and dried bananas, in magnesium. The fig, on the other hand, provides a good dose of calcium.
“Plain” dried fruits before or during sport
What about the interest of these foods for athletes? It’s great, as they are a good source of energy – especially oilseeds, which are high in fat. But be careful to choose them “plain”, in order to limit excess salt. Dried fruits can be eaten before physical activity, or even during, when it is of long duration, such as a hike or a marathon.
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