Dry fruits: The Natural Source of Goodness

Dry fruits came into being a very long time ago. It is interesting the way this happened and has influenced the health of many in more ways than one!

Like every hot and arid region, our subcontinent too exemplified the instances when for a short period during winter there were certain fruits that one could eat. People of those times found out that some of these fruits could be preserved and consumed during the hotter months - when it is difficult to grow food due to the scarcity of water and moisture in the air.

This gave birth to different types of dry fruits.

Some of these include prunes and apricots besides raisins, kismis and cashew. Today you can buy dry fruits online quite easily. It is important to include these in one’s diet since these are packed with essential nutrients. While some like raisins and prunes help prevent anaemia, a mix of some of these dry fruits is also ideal as high-calorie snacks. These are rich in iron and indeed help you in managing your weight efficiently. Almonds, pistachios and raisins help keep your cholesterol under check too. Some of these dry fruits will be discussed in particular.

Prunes or Dried Plums are Good for the Health

There are several ways in which prunes can help you lead a healthy life. University’s Institute of Psychology, Health and Society conducted a study recently in which they found that all those who were obese and consumed prunes on a daily basis, lost around 2 kg within a short period of 12 weeks. The reasons for this were analysed and it was observed that prunes, a good source of energy, take a fair amount of time to digest. This leaves the person full for protracted period of time. Since prunes are also a great source of soluble fibre, this helps one in losing weight by simply preventing one from overeating.

Prunes also control and prevent hypertension. This is on account of the fact that 100gm of prunes contain almost 745 mg of potassium. A paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine quoted that around 17,000 participants who were placed on a high potassium diet had the least chances of developing hypertension. Further, in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a study confirmed that those who ate rich sources of fibre had 12% less risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease as well as 11% less cardiovascular disease as compared to those that consumed the least quantity of fibre. Prunes are also used in the treatment of hepatitis and help prevent and treat osteoporosis besides being beneficial for diabetics.

The Health Benefits from Eating Cashews

There are several health benefits of eating cashew nuts that are rich in phosphorus, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc besides being great sources in proteins, phytochemicals and antioxidants.

1. Cashews help in the fight against cancer. This is owing to their high content of a class of flavanols that help starve tumours as well as prevent the cancer cells from dividing. It is possible that cashews reduce the risk of colon cancer and their high content of copper and phytochemicals and antioxidants also give you increased defence against heart disease.

2. Cashews are rich in mineral copper that helps produce melanin, a pigment which gives our hair and skin their colour.

3. They improve the health of your bone due to being rich in magnesium. The combination of copper and magnesium in cashews helps in giving both substance and flexibility to your bones and joints.

Dry fruits are a prime source of nutritive minerals and vitamins. Dry fruits such as prunes, cashews and raisins are available with the leading online grocery shops today; thus making it easy for everyone to put these nutritious foods on the table for the entire family round the year!