![]() One small box has nearly 2 grams of fiber and protein, and they’re also a good source of iron, potassium and magnesium, the “calming mineral.” Individual portions of raisins are a kid-favorite and can be a healthy addition to your kid’s diet. But it’s important to keep in mind that since dried fruit is so sweet and snackable, it’s easy to go overboard. ![]() When you compare the same serving size of fresh fruit to dried fruit, dried fruit has more calories.Ĭounting calories isn’t something any kid should be doing, whether they’re overweight or not. Related: What is High-Fructose Corn Syrup? The calories in dried fruit can add up quickly It all wreaks havoc on your health.”Īnother thing to consider is that some manufacturers add sugar to certain types of dried fruit like tart cranberries so that they’ll taste sweet. Mark Hyman, “…high fructose corn syrup is absolutely worse for you than the natural sugar found in berries and apples, but for the most part, sugar is sugar is sugar. Through my work as a health journalist, I’m of the mind that all sugar, whether it’s natural or added, has the same effect on the body and should be limited.Īccording to Dr. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends kids between 2 and 18 eat less than 25 grams, or 6 teaspoons, of added sugars a day.Īs the new Nutrition Facts labels continue to be rolled out, it will be easier than ever to decipher the grams of natural and added sugars in a food.Īlthough some experts consider dried fruit healthy for kids because it has natural sugars, I’m not convinced. When it comes to sugar, most experts say that it’s the added sugars that we should be paying attention to.Īccording to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), too much added sugar can increase a child’s risk for obesity, tooth decay, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). ![]() Dried fruit is healthy because it has natural sugars, right? Unlike other types of kids’ snacks, dried fruit contains no sodium, cholesterol or fat (except for coconut).Īdding dried fruit to a salad, veggies, or plain Greek yogurt for example, can make it taste better and encourage your kids to eat foods they wouldn’t have otherwise touched. However, certain types of dried fruit lose some of their nutrients like vitamins A, C, thiamine and folate-a result of the drying process. What’s more, dried fruit can provide significant proportions of the daily recommended intake of several micronutrients like folate. So whether you buy it in a bag, a box, or as part of your favorite trail mix, dried fruit can be healthy for kids and a way to increase the amount of servings they get each day.ĭried fruit contains more fiber and phenols, a type of antioxidant that’s protective against certain diseases, than fresh fruit per ounce, Anthony Komaroff, M.D. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the amount of whole fruit kids consume has increased 67 percent, but 60 percent of kids still aren’t eating enough.
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