Don't forget dried fruit

If someone says the words "dried fruit", what do you think of? Adding it to the Christmas cake, the raisins that you find in certain cereal or the shrivelled prunes and apricots at the back of the cupboard that will probably never be eaten? Whatever images dried fruit conjures up for you, it might be time to start including it regularly. Not only is it packed with fibre, but is a good source of iron and calcium - particularly useful for anyone who avoids red meat or dairy foods (or their fortified alternatives) respectively. Although low in Vitamin C, dried fruit is rich in other antioxidants; prunes have a particularly high content due to their dark colour.

As we've said a number of times in previous posts, fruit doesn't have to be fresh, so dried fruit counts towards your 5 A Day. Remember that as the water has been removed, gram for gram you don't need to eat as much dried fruit as when it is in its fresh state. The following can be used as a guide for what counts as a portion of dried fruit:

• 1 tablespoon of raisins, sultanas or currents
• 3 prunes or dried apricots
• 2 figs
• 4 apple rings
• 2 halves of peach or pear

Anyone with diabetes needs to be particularly careful with portions of dried fruit, as the sugars are more concentrated; eating a handful of any dried fruit would likely send their blood sugar levels soaring.

You might notice that we haven't included all the dried fruits available; what about pineapple, mango, cranberries and all the others you might have seen in the supermarket aisle? A lot of these other dried fruits have extra sugar added to them, which detracts from their nutritional value somewhat and in some cases makes them not much better than sweets. That said, check the packaging as sometimes it is possible to get the more exotic dried fruits without added sugars. Another dried fruit that I've excluded is banana chips, as these are often fried when they are processed, but again your best bet is to check the label.

A portion of dried fruit can be eaten as a snack, but as a portion has a small volume, you might find that it does not fill you as well as a piece of fresh fruit. Try adding dried fruit to other foods to boost the nutritional content of your meals. Why not give the following ideas a go?

• Add dried fruit to porridge or your favourite cereal
• Halve and toast a bagel, then spread with light soft cheese and add chopped dried apricots - serve for breakfast or as a light lunch with salad. I find this topping also works well on a slice of malt loaf or tea bread.
• Raisins also work well added to sandwich fillings such as grated cheese or hummus; they also can be added to salad side dishes such as rice with chopped pappers and nuts or grated carrot and beetroot.
• Try the following as desserts: core a cooking apple and stuff with raisins before cooking in the oven; add a chopped banana plus a dried fruit of your choice to natural yoghurt; add sultanas to rice pudding with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
• If you're in the mood for baking, add some dried fruit to the mix. With scones don't just stick to dried vine fruits, try adding chopped apricots or dates with some added mixed spice. If you like fruitcake, but want something less rich, try making a tea bread, as these are lower in added fat and sugar; if you have a copy of the Be-Ro book they have a number of recipes, but with lots of regional variations, searching the internet will bring up plenty of suggestions and you can always improvise by adding your own combination of dried fruit. Don't forget that flapjacks and tray bakes are also good for the addition of dried fruit.

Photo by Pawel Kuzniar via Wikimeida Commons