DIY food at home is growing in popularity as people realize the health benefits of dehydrating food that come with home-made dried foods, and as a wider range of domestic food dehydrators becomes available in the market.
With the options of frozen foods, canned foods and freeze-dried foods, and the convenience of store-bought dried foods, why is it that home food dehydration is becoming more popular?
Home-dehydrated foods, like beef jerky, have a number of health benefits, and an increasing number of people are purchasing their own food dehydrators in order to enjoy the health benefits of home-dried foods.
One of the obvious benefits of dehydrating food is that it allows for longer storage than fresh food, especially when it relates to garden produce such as fruits and vegetables like eggplants that may not freeze well.
So, first off, it means that you can eat produce over a longer period than its harvest season, and you won’t be eating food that is beginning to deteriorate.
In this article:
TL;DR: Key Takeaways
- 🔋 Dried fruit concentrates sugars and calories, so it’s an energy-dense snack — great for hiking, easy to overdo on the couch.
- 🚫 Homemade dried fruit skips the added sugar and sulfites common in commercial bags.
- 🌾 Dried fruits and vegetables pack more fiber and antioxidants per weight than their fresh counterparts.
- 🍊 Vitamin A and C take the biggest hit from drying — steam-blanching or a citrus dip beforehand helps preserve more.
What Are the Benefits of Dehydrating Food?
1. Concentrated Energy
Dehydrating fruit concentrates some elements, such as fruit sugars, which will have a higher volume per weight in dried fruit than in fresh fruit (dehydrated plums are a good example). So you don’t need to eat as much dried fruit to get the same amount of energy as that in fresh fruit. This is great if you are out hiking, but one needs to be careful not to overeat on dried fruit if you are in a more sedentary mode, because the concentration of sugars and calories in the dried food can lead to weight gain.
2. Additives Free
Commercial dried fruits, however, often have added sugar and sulfites, so using your own food dehydrator will enable you to cut out these additives, producing a healthier snack for you and your family.
3. Fiber and Antioxidants
Dried fruit also tends to have higher concentrations of fiber and antioxidants than the equivalent weight of fresh fruit. According to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “dried fruits should be a greater part of the diet as they are dense in phenol antioxidants and nutrients, most notably fiber.”
Medical professional Shane Hennig recommends it because of its overall benefits to long-term health.
Health benefits that polyphenol antioxidants are associated with include decreased oxidative damage, better digestive health, and improved blood flow.
Dried vegetables and sprouts, naturally low in “high-cholesterol” fats, are high in fiber.
4. Vitamins and Minerals
Research shows that food dehydration does lead to a certain degree of loss of some vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A and vitamin C, which are destroyed by light and air. Using a sulfite treatment to reduce oxidation and preserve the vitamin C, however, will destroy the thiamine and riboflavin, as well as producing other side effects, for example, triggering adverse reactions in asthma sufferers.
Steam-blanching prior to dehydration will reduce the loss of thiamine and vitamins A and C, while dipping of fruit in citrus juice will reduce oxidation and preserve more of the vitamin C in the food.
Personal Tips You Can Steal
I skip the sulfite treatment entirely on my own batches — a quick citrus dip does most of the same job for vitamin C retention without the additive, and it’s one less chemical I have to buy or store. If you’re drying for hiking specifically, portion the concentrated-energy fruit into small bags before you go, because it’s way too easy to graze through a whole batch in one sitting once you’re back home and sedentary.
Final Thoughts
With all these health benefits, it really makes sense to invest in a home food dehydrator, and to enjoy healthy, affordable treats instead of expensive, additive-laden commercial snacks.
P.S. If you’re new to this, start with something forgiving like apple slices or dried plums — they’re hard to mess up and they’ll show you fast whether you’re hooked on this hobby. 🙂
