To date, there are actually a lot of healthy nut and fruit bars in the market that contain dried fruit as one of the primary components. A certain Dr. Michael Greger discussed in his article about the dense calories found in dried fruit. A lot of people are getting concerned that maybe eating nutrition bars frequently could make them fat. He wanted to know what dried fruit and nuts nutrition bar is best for those who do not want to gain weight.
It has been found that 5 to 10 percent of Americans who - on average - incorporate dried fruit (approximately at least a tablespoon each) every day are less obese, less overweight, and slimmer than others. They also were less obese in the abdominal area. Though they tend to eat more, they did not gain weight. Those who ate nut butters and nuts in general also had similar results. They had lower BMIs and less excess weight. Dr. Greger summarized the different findings in his four videos.
The study
In Dr. Greger's study about figs, adding 14 figs to people's daily diet did not actually lead to weight gain, contrary to what many people think. Figs are known to be satisfying and satiating. They are packed with fiber that helps people to eat less of other foods all throughout the day. There are also newer studies that Dr. Greger discovered as to how dried apples can also help people prevent weight gain, the same goes with prunes. Three quarters of a cup of dried apples added to the diet every day for an entire year is equal to about two hundred calories a day.
Dr. Greger asked what would happen if nutrition bars had nuts and dried fruit together. He also inquired what the effect would be when people added fruit and nut bars along with their regular diets for two months. Consequently, research was conducted to validate the theory. The research was done among 100 people who were having problems managing their weight, and they were separated into two randomized groups. One group stuck with their regular diet, while the other did the same but had an extra 340 calories from two extra fruit and nut bars each day.
Those who had extra fruit and nut bars daily for two months, as expected, did not gain weight. These bars were found to have additional sugar in them, which could have been a reason why the cholesterol levels of the participants did not really become better despite the nuts that they ingested. Nuts are actually known to help lower cholesterol. In the videos of Dr. Greger, he highlighted some brands that had no added sugar. However, he also pointed out that it is a lot cheaper to simply make one's own trail mix and simply eat dried fruits and nuts on their own, without buying pre-made ones.
