Eating for Energy and Enjoyment: The Benefits of Including Raisins and Fiber
Calorie-rich foods are often mistakenly labeled as unhealthy.
However, restricting the foods you enjoy is what’s truly unhealthy. Those foods provide energy, nutrition, and joy in your daily life. Your body is meant to carry you throughout life, so why not fuel it properly? As a clinical dietitian, one of my main missions is to help people differentiate between fad diets and balanced eating. The truth is, most people don’t get enough dietary fiber in a typical day.
Fiber does more than just keep your digestion moving.
Fiber helps with nutrient absorption by slowing gastric emptying and thereby increasing feelings of fullness both during and after meals. With carbohydrate-heavy foods, fiber can also help stabilize blood sugar levels, which is essential for energy and mood.
Additionally, fiber plays a key role in preventing constipation and may lower the risk of colorectal cancer and other lifestyle-related diseases. Furthermore, it nourishes the beneficial gut bacteria that support digestion and appetite regulation.
California raisins are juicy and full of flavor – 100% naturally sweet and a natural source of fiber. They contain antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that contribute to a varied and balanced diet. After all, they’re simply grapes – only enhanced with water and California sunshine.
Many people think of raisins primarily as oatmeal toppings, but they are far more versatile than that. The beauty of California raisins lies in their variety of uses: you can top your yogurt, mix them into salads, smoothies, baked goods, raw snacks, or enjoy them as they are when you need a little boost.
A small handful (about 30 g) contains under 100 calories and offers fiber and natural sweetness.
For adults, a fiber-rich diet that includes one small handful of California raisins daily can support healthy digestion.
What to snack on?
So, that gives us a rough idea of where our calorie intake from snacks needs to be, but a recent study of 854 people by Kings College London and ZOE found that the number of calories we get from our snacks (aka the QUANTITY), and how often we snack matters far less than the QUALITY of the snacks that we choose [1]. In fact, people who enjoyed good-quality snacks like nuts, seeds and fruit had a healthier weight, less belly fat and felt less hungry, too. Meanwhile, those munching on heavily processed, poor-quality snacks like cakes, candy, and cookies had higher blood sugar and fat levels after eating, and insulin resistance – which means that it’s harder for our body’s cells to take up sugar from our blood and use it as energy. So, it’s not surprising that they felt hungrier, and carried extra pounds, too.
“Snacking quality, not quantity impacts our health the most.”
So, if you’re health conscious and a fan of snacking, it would make sense to try and stock up on healthier options such as fibre-rich, no added sugar and nutrient-dense snacks that are 100 per cent fruit, like California Raisins because your overall diet and health will be all the better for it.
Remember! Calories are just one part of the story
Energy, satiety, taste, and the overall experience are equally important. Food isn’t about numbers; it’s about how your body feels after eating.
It’s about perspective. It’s about balance.
Mira Steensbæk
Nissen Clinical Dietitian
References:
- DTU Fødevareinstituttet (2015), Danskernes kostvaner 2011-2013, https://www.food.dtu.dk/- /media/institutter/foedevareinstituttet/publikationer/pub-2015/rapport_danskernes-kostvaner-201 1-2013.pdf?la=da&hash=96450113D67CC9AD2C339E57A361492D003ECE1E
- Blomhoff, R., Andersen, R., Arnesen, E. K., Christensen, J. J., Eneroth, H., Erkkola, M., Gudanaviciene, I., Halldorsson, T. I., Høyer-Lund, A., Lemming, E. W., Meltzer, H. M., Pitsi, T., Schwab, U., Siksna, I., Thorsdottir, I., & Trolle, E. (2023), Nordic nutrition recommendations 2023. Copenhagen, Nordic Council of Ministers. https://pub.norden.org/nord2023-003/nord2023-003.pdf
- Carlsen, H., & Pajari, A. M. (2023). Dietary fiber – a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023. Food & nutrition research, 67, 10.29219/fnr.v67.9979. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v67.9979
- DTU Fødevareinstituttet (2015), Danskernes kostvaner 2011-2013, https://www.food.dtu.dk/- /media/institutter/foedevareinstituttet/publikationer/pub-2015/rapport_danskernes-kostvaner-201 1-2013.pdf?la=da&hash=96450113D67CC9AD2C339E57A361492D003ECE1E