Last week we discussed fiber and the formation of uncomfortable gas. Today I want to briefly discuss dried fruit as a snack. I mention last week’s blog entry because it does apply particularly to dried fruit. Certain fruits that are commonly dried, especially raisins, apricots, prunes, and apples have both soluble fiber and difficult to digest sugars that can lead to gas in some individuals. Read last week’s entry for more information.Dried fruit can be a good snack in limited quantities. But there are some caveats to that. First of all, you’ll need to drink plenty of water since it’s been stripped out of the fruit. Second, you should realize that though the food has lost of a lot of volume from the water, it still has the fiber and sugar of the original fruit. That means there are a lot of calories, mostly from sugar, in a small package. So keep your quantities limited.
Finally, I suggest you avoid or limit consumption of most commercial dried fruits that are treated with sulfur dioxide, especially if you’re sensitive to sulfites. If you get frequent headaches after eating certain foods or drinking red wine, you may be experiencing a reaction to the sulfites.
Sulfur dioxide is used to preserve the color in fruits. Sulfites are present in a myriad of other foods, including the caramel color in soda. Sulfur dioxide itself is poisonous in large quantities and used commercially for a wide range of applications, including as a solvent, bleach, and refrigerant. Sulfites in food and drinks can trigger severe asthma attacks.
Generally speaking it’s been shown to be safe in the quantities used in foods. However, in dried fruit it’s only real purpose is to preserve the color… so it’s only an aesthetic preservative. It changes the flavor and I believe it can cause other problems as well because the concentration is relatively high compared to other foods. Dried fruit made without sulfur dioxide will typically be brown, but there’s nothing wrong with that.
So if you like dried fruit, try to stick to the brown kind with less preservatives. Eat it in small quantities. If at all possible, go for fresh fruit instead.
