Why dried fruit ruins your weight loss goals

May 15, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

“I’ll only have one…”

“lol… I can’t even say it with a straight face…”

This, you tell yourself, as you initiate the process of polishing off an entire bag.

To be fair, you hadn’t planned it this way. You bought this dried cranberry-pineapple-mystery-fruit mix, truly believing you could exercise self-restraint. But now? Now, you’re looking at an empty plastic sack (save for the sugary dust, covering the bottom) and telling yourself another lie: “Well, it was fruit – so that means it’s healthy.”

Yes, I too can relate to this irrational routine. Many an underhydrated Bikram class have I left, only to immediately indulge in exactly this sort of dietary sin. I grab a bag. I plan for a handful. I eat the whole thing. Then, if I end up on a kick of doing this for a week or more, there’s more of me, suddenly.

And there’s a reason for this – for why dried fruit’s weight loss anathema. First off? The sugar. These badboys are typically brimming with processed, refined, turn-into-fat-and-do-not-pass-go sugar. Granted, if you’re willing to pay twelve dollars for those doll sized plastic bins of the organic brand, you might be spared this sweet, legal drug that hijacks your mind and mass alike. That’s a fund siphoning option, for sure. But, most of the time, that’s not the case.

Plus, for less than that amount, you could just buy an abundance of the legit, undried stuff. Plus plus, off that abundant stuff, you could feel full. (Sans feeling like the fat, dead spaghetti guy from “Se7en”.) See, with dried fruit, you end up pigging out on these basically-gummy-bears because they don’t have much water. Try eating the same amount of grapes, mangos, or bananas in their non-dried form, and tell me that you don’t feel at least fifteen times fuller. Why? Because: water.

But, if we’re talking about being full… why not mention fiber? Okay, okay. So dried fruit may have a higher fiber content than the fresh form. Sounds great, right? Well, yes, because fiber does fill you up. However, because the water content’s so low, the tendency’s still too eat too much of your dried edibles before your brain can realize what your mouth’s done to your tummy. Suddenly, you’re overstuffed ’cause it didn’t feel like enough at first (plus the sugar had you reaching for more). And now it’s too much. Between the inevitable sugar crash and your no-vacancy viscera, all you’re good for is a nap and, well, something that rhymes with “nap” later.

(Don’t let Whole Foods Eve tempt you with her sugary dried apples)

In sum, nature’s a lot smarter than we give the ol’ biddy credit for being. Like a loving mother sending us off to school with a balanced lunch, she’s pre-packaged our produce with everything we need: just the right amount of sugar – paired with the perfect level of filling fiber and water so that we don’t overdo aforementioned feasting.

So, the rule of thumb? Don’t dry your plums.

If you wanna shrink your frame, don’t shrink your fruit.