March 9, 2024

2024-03-09 14:14:08

“Three types, including dried fruit, cooked and mashed fruit, and canned fruit with juice, are highly nutritious”… Jelly should be avoided as much as possible

Entered 2024.03.08 13:10 Entered 2024.03.08 13:10 Modified 2024.03.08 14:29 Views 3,865

Research has shown that dried fruit among fruit snacks is good for overall health. It is rich in nutrients and fiber and has low added sugar content. These include dried plums, raisins, dried jujubes, and dried persimmons. [사진= 게티이미지뱅크]To get enough nutrients from fruit, it is best to eat fresh fruit. However, many people enjoy fruit-flavored jellies, which are ultra-processed foods filled with reshaped fruits or artificial sweeteners, as snacks. Which fruit snacks are the healthiest?

A study showed that among various fruit snacks, dried fruit, cooked and mashed fruit (fruit puree), and canned fruit with juice meet the nutritional recommendations of experts, and among them, dried fruit has the highest nutritional value.

A research team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) found this finding following examining various fruit snacks sold on the market. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines commercial fruit snacks as “products made from fruit and fruit juice with or without added sugar, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.”

To find out which fruit snacks had the highest nutritional value, the research team collected and analyzed the nutritional contents of 1,497 fruit snack products using the ‘Mintel Global New Product Database’. The research team defined these fruit snacks as ‘non-frozen, non-drinkable foods made mainly from fruit ingredients.’

The study found that among commercially available fruit snacks, (whole) dried fruit had the best overall nutritional profile, with the highest nutrient density and fiber content and the lowest added sugars. On the other hand, fruit snacks made by drying and processing fruit were found to have the lowest nutrient density and fiber content and the highest added sugar content. Canned fruit packaged without juice also had low nutrient density and high added sugar content.

“It’s best to eat fresh fruit,” said lead author of the study, Associate Professor Amanda Kinchla (Food Science). However, approximately 80% of Americans do not eat the five servings of fruit per day recommended by the federal dietary guidelines,” he said.

To compare the healthfulness of fruit snacks, the research team used the Nutrient-Rich Foods (NRF) Index, which calculates an overall nutritional quality score based on a food’s nutrient profile. In addition, the overall nutritional quality of each fruit snack was evaluated considering recommended nutrients such as protein, dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin D, calcium, and iron, and nutrients that should be limited in the diet, such as saturated fat, cholesterol, added sugar, and sodium. Fruit snacks included dried fruit, fruit purees, fruit-based bars, fruit chips, canned fruit with juice, and canned fruit without juice.

“Fruit snacks need to be reformulated to take into account sugar content, nutrient density, and fiber content,” said Assistant Professor Alyssa Nolden, co-lead author of the study. “We need to reduce the added sugar content, increase the fiber content, and improve the overall nutrient density,” he said. Diabetics should be careful not to consume too many fruit snacks.

The results of this study (Nutrient Density, Added Sugar, and Fiber Content of Commercially Available Fruit Snacks in the United States from 2017 to 2022) were published in the international academic journal Nutrients.

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