How to choose dried fruits.

1. Dried apricots

5 dried abrikosok contains daily rate of potassium and iron, B vitamins, pectin, carotene, ascorbic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid. But! Fresh apricot weighs 50 g, it contains 12 calories. Apricots, one thing, weighs only 10 grams and calorie it has almost the same! Tasty, easy, useful, but it is difficult to stop.

Bright orange apricots does not suit us - a color obtained after processing malicious. What makes it dark and unsightly, more useful and more secure. Choose apricots with stones.

2. Prune

If you prune the coffee color, it means that his pre-scalded with boiling water. And the vitamins in it enough. Factory and private manufacturers for the disinfection and preservation of the forest of prunes before drying dipped in boiling water, often with caustic soda solution. From this treatment from prunes appears brown shade, it loses many nutritional properties and its taste starts to taste bitter.

Also, do not buy dark gray "Anthracite" prunes, he apparently treated with glycerol. Quote from certain benefits: "The product is treated with glycerol, a glossy surface, which improves its presentation».
This prunes - matte black only, not bitter, has an intense sweet taste with slight acidity.

Prune is still possible check this: wet and look at it after half an hour, sometimes has to whiten natural treated - no.
The smaller prunes shines, the better. Gloss says about fumigation and about the treatment of poor quality fat of unknown origin or glycerol.
Prunes with bone useful!

In the East, saying: "If you get the fruit of a bone - it means to deprive him of soul»))

3. Figs

Avicenna considered it useful for colds and coughs, they treated the kidney and spleen, believed that "... guys removes heat from the burn, bite of a mad dog calms and heals the bite Black Widow." Better to choose figs, which has a matte color. This is a sign that he was not treated with sulfur fumes. Unprocessed dried figs is gray, beige or light brown. And if he has a brilliant amber color, it means prokoptili sulfur fumes.

4. Raisins

In a handful of raisins 400 kcal. It has a lot of boron, manganese, potassium, B vitamins and iron. There is always a noble raisins tail - this means that the berries were gentle mechanical treatment. Almost all processed raisins light gray, it is suitable only well washed and soaked. Dark raisins need to ride between the fingers - the dye, if any, will give themselves.

Green and black grapes drying after a few dark. Sulfur dioxide, sorbic acid and sulfites, which are used in the preparation of raisin is not harmless. Sulfites also make it clear and bright, stabilizing the color and preservatives are the berries. Therefore, natural raisins - brown, light brown or black, but not gold.

Manufacturers in order to attract the attention of buyers can add the butter. If a handful of such product to rub the palms, then they will remain traces of oil. And do not add vegetable and mineral oil, which may trigger beriberi. Take wrinkled, fleshy, dull berries without damage. Do not buy too hard or too soft raisins. Availability of raisins tails about the quality of the product. These berries have been minimally processed, and their integrity is not compromised.

5. Dates

Biblical fruit. A person can easily live for several months, and the Bedouins can live and for several years, eating only dates, without fear that his body will remain without any vitamins or minerals. You can not buy too wet, shiny, or, conversely, too dried fruit, candied, with flaking crust - they are likely to have dangerous mold.

I like the Iranian live dates in a box of 500 grams - very tasty. Just pay attention to the processing method, composition and shelf-life indicated on the package. If the period of storage specified no more than 6 months, there is a warning about keeping away from insects and dates themselves inside a dark, slightly frosted colors - these can safely take.

6. Apples, pears

Dried fruit from his native climate zone bring us more good than overseas. The apples and pears a lot of pectin, enzymes that break down fats, B vitamins, vitamin C, which, however, is easy to disappear if not properly dried. They are good for anemia, vitamin deficiency, contain iron, volatile, tannins than improve digestion and raise the tone, output salts of heavy metals, finally, reduce cholesterol.

These apples are shriveled, unsightly and greyish. Although, if you prepare your own home drying using a dehydrator, you can make beautiful svetlenkie chips - previously dipped in a solution of lemon juice for 10 minutes.

7. Sooo delicious Abkhaz dried persimmons with natural white coating on the rope. It must necessarily be pinkish and when tapped on the table to publish a gentle sigh, not a knock!