Candied fruits are a great alternative to candy and other sweets, nutritionists say. But in order for them to bring benefit, not harm, you need to buy high-quality candied fruits.
Candied fruits are made from a variety of fruits (pineapple, mango, melon, watermelon, orange, banana and many others). Therefore, the selection of candied fruits is large enough and will delight everyone. The benefits of candied fruits lie in the fiber and vitamins contained in the peel of the fruit from which they are prepared.
Candied fruits are whole fruits or their pieces, cooked in sugar syrup, and then dried and covered with sugar.
Choose candied fruits without chemical additives. Natural candied fruits of a pale shade (after all, if the fruit was boiled in syrup and then dried, it should lose all its brightness).
In contrast, candied fruits of all colors of the rainbow are usually colored and contain harmful substances. If you nevertheless bought bright and beautiful candied fruits, then you can identify the presence of dye in them at home. To do this, you need to put a few pieces of delicacies in boiling water. If the water is colored, then the candied fruits are unnatural. If the pieces dissolve completely in water, then the product was improperly cooked (candied fruits were digested in syrup and nothing useful was left in them).
Choose candied fruits in transparent sealed packaging, so you can appreciate their appearance. You will also be able to determine how good they are. To do this, squeeze a piece of candied fruit through the packaging; a good and properly cooked product should not release moisture when pressed. Pay attention to the hardness of the candied fruits (they should not be too hard and candied). When buying, be sure to look at the expiration date of the product: usually it is a year from the date of manufacture.
At home, candied fruits can be stored for about a year, but always in a tightly closed container (for example, in a glass jar with a lid).
