Have you ever been looking at a boring plate of food and thought that it needed some colour? And then did you actually add some colour? I bet you didn’t think about the effect you were having on your body, as much as if you were colouring in a picture for fun.
Now, get ready to go along for the ride while we examine the wonderful world of mixed fruit.
Introduction to Mixed Fruit
We all know those cute little fruit bowls with strawberries, oranges, kiwis and whatever other colourful fruit the seller had. But do you know just what type of benefits are in those mixtures?
Benefits of a Colorful Diet
The more colours on your plate, the more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you’re taking in. A rainbow plate isn’t just an Instagram thing. It’s an invitation to a whole lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants In other words, don’t focus on calories or carbs. Instead, think colour. Different colours represent different nutrients.
Origins of Fruit Mixes
And humans always have craved variety. Our ancestors mixed fruit from multiple trees that they might have found in a patch of forest in the same region to create what we would call the first fruit mixes. This was no frivolous food passion. It was a clever way to be well-balanced nutritionally.
Dive into the World of Mixed Fruit
Fruit mixes could be of various types, for instance, fresh ones in a bowl or canned ones. The following essay introduces some examples of famous combinations and why fresh one always out run the canned one.
Fruit mixes could either be fresh or canned. Personally, I will choose the fresh type. There are two typical fruit mixes.One of them is fresh fruit. Taking our school’s mixed class as an example, in lunchtime, in the dining hall, school bus girls and boys sit all together. During our break time, teachers and students all together eat at the same place. In this situation, the corporation provides various types of food for different people. It is good for promoting lunch together and is conducive to stomach.
Another is paid in. The best recommendation I will give them is persimmon, plum and chestnut. Nowadays, most companies and organisations buy food from markets or the roadside rather than cook themselves. The reason is that it is very convenient. People don’t need to cook by themselves. It is the tendency in this century.
I will choose the fresh one. Because the fresh type does not mix chemical stuff, comfortable for humans. However, according to my personal experience, the fruit purchased in the regular market, more natural, while the food imported from outside, more nutrition.
Popular Mixed Fruit Combinations
Whether tropical mixed bowls with mangoes, pineapples and passion fruits, or temperate assortments with berries, apples and pears, there’s a blend to please every palate.
Fresh Rather Than Canned, It Is Better For You Mixed cans of fruits are very convenient, but worst for nutrition of fresh fruits.
Why Fresh Matters
As well as being full of water, fresh fruits contain no added sugar or preservatives, making them the ideal food to snack on.
The Magic Behind Freeze Drying
Now step into the world of fruits rehydrated via the magic of freeze drying, where their flavour, colour and nutrition is maintained intact.
Process of Freeze Drying
Essentially, in a freeze-drying process, the fruit is frozen and then the ambient pressure is sufficiently reduced so that the frozen water in it is able to sublime (transform directly from solid to gas).
Benefits of Freeze Dried Fruits
Besides their longevity, freeze dried fruits are also firm, colourful and most importantly, nutrition-packed so that they could complement your diet.
Dehydration: The Age-Old Technique
Before freeze drying, there was dehydration, an ancient method to preserve fruits.
How Dehydration Works
The fruit has to have its moisture evaporated either using a dryer, sun or air, there are certain mechanised systems for this purpose.
Comparing Freeze Dried vs. Dehydrated
Although the result is still a cube of freeze-dried strawberry, both methods eliminate moisture, but with the difference being that freeze drying maintains more of the fruit’s nutrients than any dehydration method can. This is because the freeze drying process renders water from the fruit in either a liquid or solid state, such as ice or a water vapour, under low air pressure and low temperatures. The most typical method involves placing the strawberries on screens to suck out moisture from the ice crystals, without completely submerging them like in hot water. Preserving the original taste of food often means losing many of its original nutrients, such as in the case of dehydration.
Incorporating Mixed Fruits into Diet
You can increase your nutrient intake – and re-introduce some colour to your plate – by adding a few mixed fruits (either freeze dried or dehydrated) to your cereals, yogurts or by snacking on them.
Conclusion
But a rainbow of colour on your plate is more than eye candy — it’s a taste adventure and a vitamin boost. Photo by A Girl DeflatedWhether in fresh, freeze dried, or dehydrated form, there’s still no reason not to eat your five a day with a touch of colour.
FAQs
Why should I choose fresh fruits over canned or frozen? Because they are more natural without any added sugars or preservatives.
What is the difference between freeze drying and freezing? Freeze drying is the process in which the frozen water is sublimated directly to gas. The fruit keeps most of its nutrients. Freezing is also cooling down the fruit using refrigeration to stop the ripening process. The molecules move more slowly but gravity still makes the fruit fall.
Surprisingly, even though it is widely known that fruits contain many nutrients, is dehydrated fruits as nutritious as fresh one?
Despite some people have the idea that dehydrated fruits are nutritious, the factors that lead some nutrient may be lost during leaving product muscle by fire or wind may be resulted in some nutrient dilution.
Will you be cooking with the same fruits I shipped to you? Yes! Mixed fruits can be added to salads, desserts or mains on a daily basis to take your flavour and nutrition experience to a whole new level.
Do freeze dried foods maintain their taste and colour? Yes, on of the advantages of freeze dried foods is that the fruits retain their original colour, shape and form.
