Food dehydration is the process of removing water from foods. Dehydrated food contains very little amount of water. Thus, it is less prone to the growth of enzymes and bacteria. Therefore, dried food can be preserved for a long time. In this article, I am going to discuss the pros and cons of dehydrated food. After the reading, you will know how you can get benefited from food dehydration. You will also know what are the disadvantages of dried food so that you can get alert.
Advantages of dehydrated food
There are several ways after getting your foods dehydrated. The natural way of food dehydration is drying out the foods in the sunlight. You can also dry out the food using many different kitchen appliances. A food dehydrator is the most common kitchen appliance that people use. Some people also use their convection ovens. But it is not ideal to use a convection oven to dehydrate foods.
People also get their foods dehydrated using an air fryer that dehydrates. While choosing an air fryer, or any other kitchen appliances for dehydrating foods, keep in mind that the lowest temperature of the appliance has to be around 100 degree fahrenheit.
You may read our article on the best air fryers that dehydrate to get some good recommendations. Now let’s find out what the advantages of dehydrated foods are.
Natural
Dehydrated foods are natural. Usually, we do not add any chemicals or preservatives to it. Therefore, it is better to consume dehydrated foods instead of taking packed or canned snacks. You can make your kids happy with dehydrated fruits preparing at home. Therefore, it can be a good alternative for bad unhealthy foods for both adults and kids.
Maintained nutritional contents
Dehydrated foods contain almost the same nutritional contents as fresh raw foods. Only a few vitamins such as Vitamin C get degraded if the temperature is not maintained properly. Therefore, they are high in food values. On the other hand, cooked foods are not that much rich in nutrients compared to dehydrated foods. You may read our article on whether dehydrated foods lose nutrients to know more about this topic.
Higher concentration of nutrients
As we remove water, dehydrated foods have a higher concentration of nutrients. Therefore, an equal quantity of dehydrated foods has higher nutrients than that of raw foods.
Rich fiber content
Fiber does not get affected by food dehydrated. Therefore, the fiber content in dehydrated food is higher than the raw food. Therefore, doctors usually suggest consuming dehydrated food for patients with constipation problems.
Easy to carry
Dehydrated foods are lightweight. Therefore, you can carry it while traveling. For this reason, dried foods are very common during hiking, camping, and climbing. They occupy less space, no need to cook but gives you sufficient nutrients.
Natural food preservation
Dehydration is a great way to preserve food in a natural way without using any harmful preservatives. By removing the water, dehydrated foods prevent the growth of bacteria and enzymes. Therefore, your foods remain fresh for a long time.
Food dehydration saves money
If you harvest your own fruit or vegetable, then you may have a lot of them during the season. Often, it is not possible to consume all of them before they get rotten. The solution to preserving them for future use is dehydrating them. Thus, food dehydration saves your money by saving your harvest.
Disadvantages of dehydrated food
Higher calories
Dehydrated foods contain a lot of calories. The calories per volume increase as we remove water from the food. For this reason, people often consume them in a higher quantity not knowing that they are consuming a lot of calories.
Degradation of certain vitamins
Some vitamins are very temperature sensitive. For example, vitamin C starts to degrade at a temperature above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, some vitamins are sensitive to UV light. For example, Vitamin A gets destroyed if it is exposed to direct sunlight. Therefore, dehydrated food may lose some nutrients if it is not treated properly.
Different look and taste
The look and taste of dehydrated foods are different from the fresh condition. For example, dehydrated apple look darker and the taste of it is completely different from the taste of raw apple. Therefore, it may take some time for getting accustomed to dried foods.
Food dehydration is boring
Dehydration is a slow process. It requires heating in a very low temperature for a long time. Sometimes, it takes few days to complete the dehydration process. Therefore, it is boring, time-consuming, and requires some skills. If you are not a patient person, the food can get burnt if you expose them to a higher temperature to lessen the time.
Higher mineral and sugar
Dehydrated food may contain higher minerals such as sodium that may not good for human health. On the other hand, higher sugar content in an equivalent volume of food in dehydrated food is also not good for us.
Bottom line
Dehydrated foods have more advantages than cons they have. Although the number of cons is not small, the gravity of them is not that significant. Therefore, I think there is no harm if we consume them thinking about the disadvantages such as higher calories and sugar.
Related article
- Read about our recommended dehydrators for beginners.