Why Dried Fruit Is Not A Good Staple

Dried fruit is a very dense and concentrated food. It provides a lot of nutrition, as well as energy.

Many people, especially those who are into the raw food diets, use dried fruits (mostly dates) as a staple food. 

I think that's a terrible mistake and probably why many start to develop health problems which eventually lead them to abandon the high carb vegan diet.

DRIED FRUIT IS BAD FOR YOUR TEETH

Dates and other dried fruits have a very low water content, which make their sugars stick to our teeth, feeding the bacteria present in our mouths and thus causing dental decay.

DRIED FRUIT MAY CAUSE DIGESTIVE ISSUES

They are very high in fructose and that, together with being devoid of water, makes them harder to digest. Eating dried fruits in big quantities may cause gas, bloating and indigestion, in particular to those with fructose malabsorption.

DRIED FRUIT DEHYDRATES YOU

Have you ever tried to eat a relatively big amount of dried fruits in one sitting? Unless you are properly hydrated prior and also drink a lot of water during and after eating them, they will dehydrate you, making you feel tired and sluggish

DRIED FRUIT IS ADDICTIVE

Their high sugar concentration makes dried fruit to be addictive and difficult to stop eating for many people, which might lead to overeating and a consequent weight gain.

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Soaking the dried fruit for a couple of hours before eating would decrease the negative impacts to a certain degree, as well as rinsing our mouths with water and/or brushing our teeth right afterwards.

Eating dried fruit as a staple just for the sake of "staying raw" is risky and silly. 

Let alone that there are no proven benefits of eating a 100% raw diet in contrast to a cooked plant based diet, but whatever benefits there might be, I highly doubt could be achieved by eating a sub-optimal choice such as dried fruit in big amounts.

Having said that, I'm not totally against dried fruit, and I think it has their place. There are certain moments where dried fruit can be a good option.

For example, dates are my first choice for fueling long runs or hikes. They serve great for that purpose, when you need a quick burst of energy and need something calorie dense and easy to carry.

They're also good as a small snack or when you crave something dense and sweet (like a dessert) and want to choose a healthy alternative rather than eating some kind of junk food like candy.