Good Heart Freeze Dried Fruit — The Next Best Thing to Fresh [Review]
If you ask me, fruit is pretty much the best thing in the history of ever. Ever since I can remember I’ve always preferred nature’s sweets over the artificial kind. One of my all time favourite things to eat is fruit salad (it’s the easiest and most delicious way to get your 5 a day!), but, like most people, my busy lifestyle doesn’t always allow for me to get in all the fruit I need on a daily basis. And then there’s the whole issue of storage — fruit wastage is a huge global problem and if you’re a one woman show like men, getting through loads of fresh fruit on your own isn’t exactly easy. Luckily we live in a time where all sorts of clever people are doing all sorts of wonderful things to solve these little niggly problems, like fruit going off before you can shove it down your pie hole. I introduce to you, Good Heart Freeze Dried Fruit Chips — the next best thing to fresh!
I know what you’re thinking; “eh, dried fruit? That’s not new at all!” While dried fruit has existed for ages its new, cooler cousin freeze dried fruit is a whole new kettle of fish entirely. Freeze dried fruit is similar to dried fruit, because it has been dehydrated, but it has a crunchy texture, similar to a potato chip, and it contains far less calories and sugar than traditional dried fruit. Traditional dried fruit isn’t actually all that good for you and while you might think it’s a good way to get your fruit intake up, traditional dried fruit is really just a small, energy-dense treat with not much nutrient value.
Unlike dried fruit, freeze dried fruit is not made with added sugar and while traditional dried fruits have had almost all of the water content and nutrients removed through sun or machine drying methods, the freeze drying process allows for the fruits’ nutrients to be maintained. Freeze drying locks in the nutritional composition and structure of the fruit by first freezing it, then drying it in a commercial vacuum process. The interior water is quickly taken to the vapor state and is pulled off the fruit, removing approximately 96% of the water from the fruit while maintaining its shape, colour and flavour. The result is a nutrient-dense, amazingly crunchy version of your favourite fruit.
The great thing about freeze dried fruit is that it contains similar amounts of nutrients when compared with fresh fruit. Some are lost during the freeze-drying process, but you still increase your intake for vitamins A and C, iron and potassium when you eat it. While freeze dried fruit does lose a small amount of its nutritional value, it makes up for this with increased antioxidants and fiber content.
Freeze dried fruit contains up to 2 g of fiber per 1/2 cup which is great for helping keep your appetite under control so you don’t reach for unhealthy snacks between meals. But that’s not all, freeze drying fruit also turns your favourite fruit into an antioxidant powerhouse. The free drying process concentrates the antioxidants in the fruit, giving you more antioxidant bang for your buck in a smaller package. For example, just 2 tablespoons of freeze-dried black raspberries offer as many antioxidants as an entire cup of fresh ones!
Yes indeed, there’s no doubt that freeze dried fruit is the future of snacking and after trying the new range of Good Heart Freeze Dried Fruit Chips I’m so hooked it’s crazy. As a serial snacker, who needs convenient on-the-go snacks to keep my next-level ‘hanger’ at bay through out the day, my first bite of these fruity delights changed my life. The light-weight snack packs contain just one one main ingredient — REAL FRUIT and I can’t get enough. Besides being super delicious, Good Heart Freeze Dried Fruit Chips are also fat-free, gluten-free and GMO-free, and preservative-free. I love these bite-sized treats because they crunch like potato chips and have the sweetness of a dessert treat.
The Good Heart Freeze Dried Fruit Chips come in a variety of flavours including strawberry, banana and fig and the single-serving packets are easy to pop into lunch boxes, gym bags, picnic baskets, carry-ons and backpacks. You can also add them to your cereal, muesli, or smoothie in the morning or bake them into banana bread or even muffins – the possibilities are endless. I’ve tried all three of the current flavours in the range (I’m holding thumbs they launch more flavours soon!) and the fig is by far my favourite. I love figs but they can be a mission to eat so these freeze dried versions are a true revelation for me and boy-oh-boy are they tasty. The crunch of the figs is my favourite and they’re so delicious it hurts. I’m also a huge fan of strawberries so those were also a winner for me.
You can find the Good Heart Freeze Dried Fruit Chips range at Clicks, Dis-Chem, Wellness Warehouse, and Engen garages at R34,94 per 20g packet. What’s more, the Good Heart range is not only good for you but for others too — Good Heart donates a percentage of the proceeds from every packet of chips sold to Feed SA with funds going towards helping feed a hungry child.
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