What dried fruits can you eat when losing weight, in what quantity and when?

Hello, my dear losers. Do you think it is possible to grind dried fruits when losing weight? There is so much controversy and conflicting opinions about them. Some valiantly prove that dried fruits are too nutritious and therefore contraindicated for those losing weight. Others see them as the perfect snack. And they don’t see anything wrong with eating dried fruits. I propose to thoroughly understand this issue together.

The effect of dried fruits on the body during weight loss

When you add small amounts of dried fruit to your diet, your body receives the required daily amount of minerals and other beneficial microelements. And most importantly, dried fruits significantly dull the feeling of hunger and are a delicious sweet dessert during a diet.

During weight loss, the body begins to experience a lot of stress, thereby causing severe hunger and unpleasant weakness. A properly selected set of dried fruits will help replace rich and high-calorie foods. It is especially useful to eat them on fasting days.

Dietary products that can be partially or completely replaced with dried fruits:

• kefir;
• lettuce leaves;
• green tea;
• skimmed milk;
• breads.

But you should understand that you shouldn’t eat dried fruits alone, they still contain sugar, and their excess can significantly spoil digestion and bring the whole diet to naught. You need to eat dried fruits in small portions, no more than 5 times a day.

If you add nuts to dried fruits, then this mixture will perfectly replace a full lunch while losing weight.

What can you eat before bed?

The old rule of “don't eat after six” doesn't work. The last meal is recommended two to three hours before going to bed. But sometimes you really want to eat late in the evening, so much so that you can’t sleep. You shouldn’t torture your body and force it to sleep. You need to know what you can eat before bed and what foods should help you get quality sleep and not impede digestion.

What dried fruits are recommended for weight loss?

A diet based on dried fruits is considered one of the healthiest and most delicious diets. In just 2-4 weeks you can lose significant weight and, on top of that, saturate your body with vitamins and strengthen your immune system.

Most dried fruit diets include a mixture of healthy and nutritious nuts, so when we talk about dried fruit we mean dried berries, fruits and nuts.

• Prunes are the first famous dried fruit, designed to quickly rid the body of harmful substances, improve digestion and remove excess fats, preventing them from being fully absorbed. Prunes also contain beneficial substances that improve mood.
• Dried apricots are the second in line of the healthiest dried fruits for weight loss. It replenishes calcium, potassium and magnesium reserves. Regulates heart function and reduces hunger for 1 hour.
• Raisins are a vitamin-rich dried fruit that contains healthy sugars and iodine. Improves thyroid function. Included in any diet. Gives the body strength.
• Dates are popular dried berries that have a special “date” diet. However, many nutritionists do not recommend consuming these sweets as a product for weight loss. Most dates are not dried naturally, but using saccharification. That is, all dates are first soaked in sugar syrup and then only dried. As everyone losing weight knows, excess sugar spoils your figure. And only a small proportion of the dates available on the shelves, dried without the use of sugar, are suitable for dietary nutrition for the purpose of losing weight.
• Apples and pears are also actively used in diets and promote active weight loss. But unlike other dried fruits, apples and pears are preferable to use as a base for compote.
• Figs are an ancient dried fruit designed to cleanse the intestines and stimulate the process of weight loss. In addition to the weight loss effect, figs are considered the most active source of stimulating the immune system. Figs also cope well with colds and saturate the body with a large amount of vitamins. Separately, we can note the small grains of figs - they play the role of fiber - they remove everything unnecessary and harmful from the intestines.
• Nuts are the main source of satiety during weight loss. Any mixture of dried fruits is not complete without adding healthy nuts.

These include:

• almond;
• cashew nuts;
• pistachios;
• hazelnut;
• Walnut.

It is not recommended to eat salted nuts, sweetened nuts or chocolate while losing weight.

Optimal Portions of Dried Fruits

It is worth remembering that dried fruits are high in calories; they must be consumed within reasonable limits, especially if you want to lose weight. The maximum dosage of dried fruits per day is 40-50 grams. An alternative to dried fruits can be a compote made from them - it has beneficial properties and a reduced calorie content. Also, dried fruits and berries are an ideal component for smoothies and cocktails.

Daily consumption rate:

• pineapple - 2-3 rings;
• pear -2-3 pcs.;
• raisins - 10-15 pcs.;
• dried apricots - 5-6 pcs.;
• dates - 3-4 pcs.;
• prunes - 4-5 pcs.;
• apples - 5-7 pcs.;
• figs - 3-5 pcs.

In a diet based on the principles of proper nutrition, types of dried fruits such as dried cherries and melon are often used. When losing weight, their use is undesirable, since these types are high in calories - 290 and 341 kilocalories per 100 g of product, respectively.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any other dietary product, dried fruits have their pros and cons. The main thing here is to maintain a happy medium and not overeat them.

Losing weight with dried fruits has several benefits:

• heals and strengthens the entire body;
• Helps effectively fight excess weight;
• reduces hunger;
• normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• helps to gently reduce the size of the stomach.

Dried fruits also have their disadvantages:

• Contraindicated for people with diabetes.
• In case of gastrointestinal diseases they can be dangerous. If you eat dried fruits for too long and too often, you may experience digestive problems.
• Frequent counterfeits (especially candied fruits).
• Failure to comply with sanitary and hygienic conditions. Dried fruits are often sold by weight. All day long, open boxes with dried delicacies stand in the open air - flies land on them, dust settles, hundreds of people pass by, who can sneeze, touch or even spit on the dried fruit.
• Treatment with chemicals. It is better not to trust those dried fruits that are sold in market stalls. Many unscrupulous sellers spray products with chemicals to repel pests and improve the appearance of the product.

What not to eat before bed

Some foods and drinks interfere with restful sleep, take a long time to digest, or slow down your metabolism. Therefore, you should consume them before dinner:

• Coffee, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate contain caffeine.
  It causes insomnia and negatively affects the nervous system.
• A couple of glasses of wine will help you sleep, but too much alcoholic drinks
  will do the opposite. They have a destructive effect on the brain and nervous system.
• Beans, peas, lentils, soybeans are legumes.
  It will take two to three hours to digest with difficulty.
• Red lean meat - beef.
  It will take 4-5 hours to digest.
• Fatty meat - pork, lamb, mushrooms.
  They will remain in the gastrointestinal tract for 5-6 hours.
• Any fatty food
  cooked with a lot of oil. It coats the stomach, is digested slowly and will not allow the digestive system to rest during sleep.
• Confectionery, sweets, baked goods.
  This is a high-calorie food that is transformed into subcutaneous fat. It doesn't fill you for long, but after a while you want more.

Dried fruits + nuts

Some 5-7 years ago, nuts were considered the enemy of all those losing weight and were prohibited in any diet. The reason was the large amount of fat and calories. But thanks to modern research, nutritionists have come to the conclusion that a small amount of nuts eaten during a diet will only be beneficial and will not slow down the process of losing weight.

Nuts contain fiber and protein - one of the main components of a proper diet. They also have a beneficial effect on overall energy.

The ideal combination when losing weight would be a mixture of dried fruits (75%) and nuts (25%). You can make healthy and tasty bars based on dried fruits, nuts and grains; you can read more about them here.

Basic rules for an evening meal

How to eat properly in the evening:

• The bulk of the daily diet is eaten at lunch or breakfast. Dinner should be light.
• It is not recommended to go to bed immediately after eating. It’s worth at least waiting a little and walking around the apartment.
• If possible, the main dinner should be a few hours before bedtime. Before going to bed, it is better to eat or drink something light.

If you follow these simple rules, your body will feel better within a few days, and the feeling of heaviness will go away. Your sleep will be calm and your dreams will be pleasant.

It is worth eating foods that are quickly digested and do not contain substances that are stored in fat.

How to choose the right dried fruits

In order for the weight loss process to go smoothly without compromising your health, it is important to know how to choose quality products correctly. This is especially true for mixtures of dried fruits and nuts. Remember a few rules and tips for choosing dried products:

• Any dried fruits (including mixtures) must be hermetically packaged.
• Dried fruits should not smell of acid or wine.
• The dried apricots should not be very soft and definitely not hard.
• Dried apricots and prunes should have no seeds.
• Avoid bright orange dried apricots and black shiny prunes - these are all dyes.
• There should be no plaque on dried fruits. The presence of dust, dirt, grayness is a sign of contamination or even the beginning of mold.
• Do not buy loose dried fruits in tents near the road - dirt and machine exhaust settle on them.
• If you doubt the freshness of dried fruits, ask the seller to show documents for the products. There must be a date and expiration date. If the seller refuses to show the documentation, immediately pass by.
• Avoid buying sticky and candied dried fruits. They were most likely dried using sugar syrup. High-quality and natural dried fruit should not stick to your hands and sugar crystals should not form on it.

Useful tips

For more effective absorption of dried fruits, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with useful tips and tricks.

1. Do not store dried fruits in bags or plastic. They can quickly deteriorate and become moldy. It is better to use cloth bags.
2. Before eating dried fruits, rinse them thoroughly.
3. Dried fruits can be eaten in four cases:
   instead of a snack;
4. overcome strong feelings of hunger;
5. enjoy something sweet;
6. drink delicious compote.
7. Eat dried fruits in small quantities, do not overeat on them.
8. Consume no more than half a handful of raisins per day.
9. Dried fruits are best consumed in the morning. You should not eat them at night.

White fish

Lean white fish in an amount of about 100 g is also quite suitable for dinner. There is very little fat in it, but there is plenty of healthy protein along with iodine and phosphorus. Fish is easily digestible, and at the same time helps reduce bad cholesterol in the blood. Suitable types of fish for a late dinner are pike, saury, cod, hake, pike perch, trout, and pollock. Of course, fish should not be fried in oil, but should be boiled or baked with vegetables, or grilled - in this case, the calorie content of 100 g will not exceed 100-150 kcal.

Recipe for dietary dessert made from dried fruits

This recipe is not just a delicious dessert, but is also a valuable strengthening, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulating agent that should be consumed even during the most severe diet. This sweet tastes very aromatic and tart. Ideal for tea. And most importantly, preparing such a vitamin charge is very simple:

1. You will need dried fruits in equal quantities. Depending on the final volume you need. For the first time, you can do quite a bit for testing. Take a handful of prunes, dried apricots, raisins, walnuts and hazelnuts. In addition there is 1 lemon and honey.
2. We thoroughly wash the fruits and nuts and let them dry from the water.
3. Next, you need to grind all the dried fruits. You need to remove all the seeds from the lemon, otherwise the mixture will be very bitter. You can use a blender, but a meat grinder is best.
4. Mix the resulting ground mixture thoroughly and season with honey. 1-2 tablespoons is enough.

You need to eat this “vitamin” every day before meals. And then any diet will be tasty and effective for you. This delicacy can fully replace the use of vitamins in tablet form.

This mixture of dried fruits is very sweet and has a high calorie content, but it does not have any negative effect on the weight loss process. But such vitamins perfectly relieve hunger and the need for sweets. Plus, this mixture is great outside of the diet.

We bring to your attention a video with a famous nutritionist from the Ionova Clinic about which dried fruits are healthy:

Contraindications

Despite the high usefulness of the dried fruit diet, there are a number of contraindications to its use as a stimulant for weight loss:

• presence of diabetes mellitus;
• flatulence;
• dysbacteriosis;
• exacerbation of gastritis;
• stomach ulcer;
• intolerance to certain dried fruits;
• allergy.

If you find at least one indicator that suits you in the list, don’t despair. There are many other effective weight loss methods that lull the feeling of hunger and benefit the body.

When losing weight, dried fruits perfectly complement your diet and protect your figure. The main thing is to choose the right dietary menu and calculate the required amount of dry treats. The best decision would be to go to a nutritionist, where they will explain everything to you in detail and select a suitable diet.