Find out why professional athletes regularly include dried fruit in their diet. You should be aware that fresh fruit contains a special type of sugar called fructose. This substance can be quickly absorbed by the body and does not cause a sudden release of insulin. Unlike regular sugar, fructose does not promote the accumulation of adipose cells. At the same time, many people involved in fitness are interested in knowing what benefits and harms dried fruits can bring in sports.
Dried fruits: benefits and harms for athletes
Today, almost everyone understands that raw vegetables, herbs, fruits, and nuts are very beneficial for the body. They contain a large amount of micronutrients, plant fibers and enzymes necessary for the human body. If you use these products in their original form, then, undoubtedly, will bring great benefits to the body.
If you remove even one component from them, then the product ceases to be complete. When food is consumed, a chain of biochemical reactions is triggered in the body. From your high school chemistry course, you may remember that if one component is missing, then the reaction is impossible. Based on this, we can safely say that the following products that have a 100 percent purity index are harmful to the body:
- Vegetable oils - all substances have been removed except for fats.
- Refined sugar - the product contains only carbohydrates.
- Protein powder - the nature of the origin of the protein does not matter as long as it contains exclusively protein compounds.
- Any vitamins sold in pharmacies are only partially synthesized and are not a complete substance.
It can also be assumed that dried fruits are an inferior product. On the one hand, this is true, but still not enough to give up their use.
During the drying process, fruits lose water, which contributes to an increase in sugar concentration. For example, the content of this substance in fresh apricots ranges from 5 to 20 percent. Compare this figure with dried apricots - from 40 to 60 percent. As a result, we get several effects, which should be discussed in more detail.
- A sharp increase in the concentration of sugar in the body. As a result, the body needs to start actively producing large amounts of insulin. This significantly increases the load on the pancreas. This body is forced to work at the limit of its capacity in order for the sugar concentration to be reduced.
- Reproduction of yeast fungi. These organisms reproduce actively in sweet environments. It should be noted that yeast fungi are present in any organism, but in small quantities. They perform the same task as intestinal bacteria, namely, they contribute to better and faster absorption of nutrients. If the number of yeast fungi begins to grow rapidly, then the coherence of the digestive system is disrupted. This is primarily due to a decrease in the number of beneficial microorganisms. It is with this fact that the appearance of bloating and high gas production is associated with the use of dried fruits.
- Dehydration of the body. We have already said that dried fruits lack water, which is necessary for the process of processing food. It is quite obvious that the body is forced to use its own water reserves. The result is dehydration and increased levels of toxins in the body. When consuming dried fruit, you should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. However, this should not be done simultaneously with the use of these products, but after 40 or even 60 minutes.
- An increase in the number of bacteria in the oral cavity. Any product that does not contain water poses a certain threat to teeth. Typically, these products are sticky and adhere quickly to any damp surface. In addition, bacteria quickly begin to develop on them, which can cause tooth decay. Products with high acidity are especially dangerous from this point of view.
It should also be noted that, unlike raw fruits, dried fruits are absorbed much more slowly. To process them, the body spends more time and energy. But this energy could be used for other, more useful purposes, for example, for the restoration and regeneration of organs.
However, not everything is so bad, because we are talking about the benefits and harms of dried fruits in sports. Let's find out if these products can be somehow useful for our body. Since water is lost during the drying process, the concentration of not only sugar, but also nutrients increases.
Also, many dried fruits, consumed in moderation, are able to normalize the functioning of the digestive system, as well as speed up the processes of disposal of toxins and sludge. Due to the high content of potassium and magnesium, the work of the heart muscle improves, as well as the activity of the nervous system is normalized. Note that magnesium is very beneficial for women's health.
Dried fruits can also be useful during the fight against fats. They are high in fiber, glucose and fructose. But there is practically no sugar in them. To improve health, it is extremely useful to practice eating dried fruits with nuts for five days. Thanks to various essential oils, brain function improves, appetite decreases and sleep disturbances are eliminated.
How to properly consume dried fruits?
We just looked at the possible benefits and harms of dried fruits in sports, but now let's find out if you can minimize the disadvantages of dried fruits. First of all, you should soak these products in water before use. It is enough to hold them for one or two hours. Infusions of dried fruits are extremely useful for the body, however, unlike compotes, they should not be boiled. Also, do not pour food with boiling water, as this will destroy a lot of nutrients.
If you absolutely do not want to soak dried fruits before use, then you can complain about not getting carried away with these products. Throughout the day, it is enough to eat about one hundred grams of dried fruits, and in this case, their negative properties will not appear. You should be especially careful with dried fruits while losing weight. If you can eat raw vegetables and fruits without restrictions, since their energy value is low, then this will not work with dried fruits. You need to take into account their calorie content when drawing up a diet.
Due to the loss of water, dried fruits can be deceiving, because their volume is much smaller compared to raw products. Almost all the mechanisms of the human body responsible for saturation primarily respond to volume. In order not to consume a lot of dried fruits, you can recommend preparing yourself a portion in advance, using a small plate for this. Also, you should not mix dried fruits, and after eating them, you should definitely brush your teeth.
Some people believe that dried fruit contains very few nutrients. If the product was dried correctly, namely in sunlight and fresh air, then a small part of the micronutrients is lost. For example, vitamin C can be almost completely preserved if the fruit is dried in its entirety. If the fruit was cut before this, then most of the vitamin C will be lost. For this reason, try to get dried fruits with seeds, as they contain more micronutrients. It should be noted that most of the vitamins and minerals still remain in dried fruits. For example, dried apricots contain almost the entire amount of phosphorus and iron. Magnesium, calcium. And also vitamins C, PP and A. But dates are rich in vitamins B, A, C, niacin, as well as pantothenic acid.
Are dried fruits processed with chemicals?
Today, more and more often you can hear information that all dried fruits sold in supermarkets and markets are processed with chemicals. However, few people imagine what scale this disaster has reached.
To begin with, on an industrial scale, dried fruits are dried at high temperatures, and not in sunlight. This contributes to the destruction of almost all nutrients. As a result, these foods become completely useless in terms of nutritional value and are able to supply only calories to the body.
Most often, dried fruits go through the drying process in tunnel ovens, which are of a large length. Heating elements are located inside the oven, and in the middle there is a conveyor along which dried fruits move.
It is also worth remembering that now all dried fruits made on an industrial scale are pretreated with chemical compounds. In fact, these are all products of this type that are sold in our stores. Chemicals can improve the appearance of the finished product, as well as shorten the production time.
How to choose dried fruits?
Only those dried fruits that have been dried in the fresh air can be useful for the body. At the same time, they can be both in sunlight and in the shade. The second method is time-consuming to obtain the finished product, but it helps to preserve almost all nutrients.
You can determine whether a dried fruit is natural or not by its appearance. If the product does not look the most presentable and has a dark color, then it is highly likely that it was dried correctly. For example, dried apricots should be brown and not shiny.
More details about the benefits and dangers of dried fruits - in this video:
