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Are dried apricots good for you?
Dried apricots are delicious snacks that can be quite healthy as part of your diet. Here are some of the many reasons dried apricots can be good for your health:
- Dried apricots are nutrient-dense. When apricots (or any fruit for that matter) are dried, all of the beneficial nutrients – including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and dietary fiber – concentrate into their smaller, dried form. So with each dried apricot you eat, you’re getting the benefits of a full apricot.
- Dried apricots are rich in eye-boosting nutrients. Natural sources of Vitamin E and Vitamin A apricots can contribute to eye health, especially as you age.
- Dried apricots are good for your bones. As you age – particularly post-menopausal women – you’ll likely have to work hard to combat loss of bone density. The vitamin and mineral content in dried apricots can be helpful for maintaining bone density.
- Dried apricots are good for your skin. The vitamins and minerals apricots are packed with have been shown to contribute to overall skin health and appearance.
- Dried apricots may be good for controlling blood pressure. Rich in potassium, which is linked to controlling healthy blood pressure, regular consumption of dried apricots can be helpful for combatting HBP and hypertension.
- Dried apricots can be good for your gut. It’s important to get dietary fiber in your diet to help feed the healthy gut flora in your intestines, and dried apricots contain around 2 grams of dietary per fiber per every 100 grams of fruit.
All in all, apricots are packed with health benefits and can be a fantastic addition to your overall diet, particularly as a healthy swap for more processed foods.
Some Quick Facts About Dried Apricots
Dried apricots are a rare example of a food that is actually healthier in some respects than its original form. Drying them enables the apricots to provide a higher level of many nutrients than fresh apricots provide. And they are absolutely wonderful foods to incorporate if you’re trying to follow a health-conscious diet.
If you’re on a low sodium diet, dried apricots are a treat or recipe ingredient you can enjoy without worry. This tasty dried fruit contains no carbohydrates and no saturated fat. Dried apricots are also ideal for anyone concerned with blood pressure management or those who are focused on a heart-healthy diet.
Dried apricots are certainly one of the healthiest dried fruit options available. Don’t be afraid that the calorie count of dried apricots is higher than some other, possibly less healthy, snack options. Considering those calories come chock full of nutrients, you’re making a much better choice. When you need a high-energy snack to get you through a morning or afternoon slump, help you reach the end of a hiking or biking adventure, or simply nudge you through a tiring activity, a handful of dried apricots is an excellent choice. Not only will you get the burst of energy you need, but you’ll also be stocking up on lots of beneficial nutrients that can help your body in numerous ways.
How to dry apricots?
If you have some extra time on your hands, you can dry apricots yourself in your oven, in natural sunlight, or in a dehydrator. To dry apricots, you must first cut them in half, remove the stone and place them on a tray or pan to dry. The drying process takes 12 hours or more when you use a dehydrator or oven. If you don’t want to spend time going through the preparation process and waiting period, you can, of course, avoid all of that if you simply buy dried apricots online.
How long do dried apricots last?
Dried fruits keep extremely well, including dried apricots. If you keep them in a pantry, they’ll last about six months. To preserve them for an additional six months, you can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to keep them fresh for an additional year, you can always freeze them (although it’s not entirely practical).
Dried apricots nutrition questions
When you buy dried apricots, you’re making an investment in your health. In just one cup of dried apricots, you’ll get 19% DV of fiber, which helps reduce LDL and total cholesterol levels. It also aids in digestion and helps prevent constipation. When it comes to vitamins and minerals, dried apricots are absolutely packed. Dried apricots are an excellent source of potassium. They also provide calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin E. When you include dried apricots in your diet, you’ll be getting a good amount of vitamin A as well. Vitamin A functions as an antioxidant to support immune function. It also plays a significant role in maintaining good eye health.
How many calories & carbs in dried apricots?
There are 120 calories and 29g Carbohydrates for a serving size of 6 dried apricots (40g)
Are dried apricots a healthy snack?
Even though they are relatively calorie-dense, dried apricots are exceptionally healthy. In fact, the dried form of apricots is actually more nutrient-dense than fresh apricots. Dried apricots are actually recommended specifically by the NHS for their health benefits since they are rich in a wide variety of health-promoting nutrients.
Are dried apricots as healthy as fresh?
In some ways, dried apricots are healthier, but in other ways, they aren’t. While they are higher in nutrient-density than fresh apricots, they are also higher in sugar and have a much higher glycemic index compared to fresh fruit. It’s best to eat them in moderation.
What happens if you eat too many dried apricots?
While apricots are packed with fiber and help with constipation, apricots can also give you a stomach ache. Dried apricots are high in a sugar called fructose, which can really irritate your stomach if consumed in too high a quantity.
Culinary questions
What’s the Recommended Intake of Dried Apricots?
There’s really no specific information about the proper intake amount of dried apricots. But there’s a general rule of thumb about dried fruits that a half cup of dried fruits is roughly equivalent to a full cup of fresh fruit. Remember, dried fruits’ calorie and sugar content are much higher than fresh fruits, so you’ll want to limit your portion size overall.
What is the best time to eat dried apricots?
Ideally, consume dried fruit such as apricots in the morning when your insulin sensitivity is higher, and you can deal with the high sugar content.
Can I soak dried apricots?
You can rehydrate dried fruit such as apricots just by soaking them in cold water or plant-based milk for a few hours. It’s a great way to make a real difference in the final quality of the dish in which you’re incorporating dried fruit.
What to do with dried apricots?
There are quite a bit of things you can do with apricots. Here’s a list of 8 great uses for them:
- Dried apricots can be included in granola recipes and homemade trail mix or stirred into cereal or oatmeal.
- A partial re-hydration is all that’s needed when you add dried apricots to a bread or stuffing recipe.
- A sprinkling of chopped, partially rehydrated apricots can add a surprising sweetness to an ordinary salad.
- For an easy, healthy, and delicious appetizer, simply press almonds into dried apricots.
- You can add chopped dried apricots to your ice cream or frozen yogurt as a unique and delicious topping.
- You can add dried apricots to baked goods such as scones, biscotti, or muffins.
- Dip your dried apricots into liquified chocolate for a sinfully sweet treat.
- Make a delectable compote, such as the one you can serve over warm French toast, but you’ll need to soak them prior to using them.
Typically the quality of the ingredients used in a recipe directly affects how delicious the end result is, so make sure you’re buying the highest quality dried apricots.
Recipes with dried apricots
Here’s a great and unique recipe incorporating apricots. Give it a try!
Chicken Breasts with Savory Apricot-Onion Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 ½ ounces dried apricots
- 4 skin-on boneless chicken breasts (9 ounces each)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 diced large onion
- 1 thinly sliced garlic clove
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or vegan butter alternative
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- In a small bowl, cover the apricots with hot water and let stand until soft, about 15 minutes; then drain out the water.
- Meanwhile, dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper.
- In a stainless steel skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook over moderately high heat until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and roast for about 14 minutes.
- Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to the skillet. Season with salt and cook over moderate heat until the onion is tender.
- Add the wine and bring to a boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Regularly scrape up the browned bits in the skillet.
- Add the chicken stock, apricots, and apricot preserves and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the sauce thickens.
- Remove the pan from heat and swirl in the butter until it’s melted. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to plates, spoon the sauce on top and serve.
