Dried Fruit vs Juice, Frozen or Fresh

The Diet Detective (Charles Stuart Platkin) did an article on "Dried fruit— nature’s candy." Although I found the article very informative, I would much rather eat a fresh juicy cherry than one that has been dried up to look like a raisin. He compares it to juice and declares the dried fruit to be the better bet.
Mr. Platkin claims to have "overindulged" in his first attempt at doing research on the effects of dried fruit. That is one of the problems with raisins, they are dense and full of calories and lack the hydration of the natural fruit. Juice lacks the pulp and fiber of whole fruit. There is a reason you can’t find them in the super market – they are in the candy section. Too many calories and they are prepared by drying in the sun or an oven and an electric dehydrator. Americans are trying to hydrate themselves to stave off the wrinkling and keep the digestive track working smoothly. Dried up fruit is one way to bring on constipation – even with the fiber.
On the issue of calories he compared 1 cup of dried blueberries (296 blueberries) having 600 calories as opposed to 1 cup of fresh blueberries with only 84 calories. He should have considered 1 cup of frozen blueberries is only 60 calories - bagged at the peak of perfection. Drying is an old process that was used before we had refrigeration and other sealed preservative methods.
Of course dried fruit have more fiber, but they look to your stomach to reconstitute their fullness and in so doing remove water from the digestive process. Water is the lubricant you need to keep the food moving through the body’s system and water is what it takes to absorb the highest amount of nutrient. I never could get into raisins. Grapes (especially since they are seedless) are one the best fruits for your money.
Mr. Platkin claims that the quality of the antioxidants in the processed dried fruit is the same as the corresponding fresh fruit, but he forgets to address the process inside your stomach. That is why you follow up a "fiber supplement" with a full glass of water to promote regularity. The directions for fiber supplement is to add one rounded tablespoon to a six ounce glass of cold water and then follow with ½ glass of water immediately afterwards. That is so you don’t choke while the fiber starts reconstituting itself with fluids in your body. You need to drink the water immediately to make sure that you lubricate your swallowing the fiber.
Dried cherries are researched to be very anti-inflammatory - only three of them would be equal to the effect of aspirin. The equivalent amount of fresh cherries to accomplish the same purpose would be 20 fresh cherries. You may differ with me, but I like nothing better than a juicy, plump, fresh cherry. Frozen cherries are second best in my book, but I tried eating dried cherries and found that they got stuck inbetween my teeth and were far too sweet for my taste.
I compliment Mr. Platkin for his work and have often learned new information from his articles, but when I consider dried, frozen, fresh or juice cherries—I choose fresh cherries every time.

If I’m going to make a juice from fruit I prefer to use a high-quality juicer that doesn’t remove the pulp from the fruit. These high quality mixers have sharp stainless steel blades that are capable of chopping ice and reducing a vegetable or fruit to a fine-tasting smoothie. They are pricey - usually around $400 and that is probably the best investment you can make in getting enough fruits and veggies into your body. Add a little cinnamon to bring down the triglycerides and a little vanilla flavoring, throw in some ice cubes and you have a real ice-fruit drink. Some add plain yogurt to make an even healthier smoothie.
Antioxidants are fine in fighting the "free radicals" of aging, but even though the Journal of American College of Nutrition finds more nutrition in the condensed form of dried fruit–I can’t buy that endorsement without analyzing the effects of dried fruit on my digestive tract. It seems almost silly to think that dried fruit wouldn’t have more density in calories and nutrients, but that doesn’t tell the rest of the story. Try drying out a watermelon or a cantaloupe and there goes the biggest advantage: water. I tried dried apricots, raisins and apples and couldn’t understand why people chose dried fruit over the real thing. Give me fresh fruit - it is easier on the digestive system, tastes better and is easier to swallow and digest. Dried fruit belongs in the same category as preserving food with high sodium, wine or pickling. The best thing that ever happened to fruit and vegetables was "refrigeration."