One good snack that I have found for diabetic friends is Dried Vegetables. They are a good source of vitamins, nutriens and fiber. Now, when it comes to Dried Vegetables snack, a simple search will yield thousands types of Dried vegetables. But for myself, I have narrowed it down to:
1) Dried Vegetables (fried)
Now just as it sounds, the fried word in the above subheading that scares me. Even if its fiber rich, nutrient rich vegetables, when it's fried, it means that some of its value has been lost. Then I have to worry about its fat content.
According to this livestrong article,
There are a number of different brands of dried vegetable chips, all with different ingredients. Nuts Online features a bulk dried vegetable chip that includes sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beans, taro and blue sweet potato. The chips are fried in non-hydrogenated canola oil and include added dextrin and salt. Dextrin is a type of carbohydrate that helps adhere the salt to the chip.
One serving of dried vegetable chips contains 6 grams of total fat and 1 gram of saturated fat.
Because the vegetable chips are made with non-hydrogenated canola oil, they have an overall low saturated fat content, which is 1 gram.
So, it means that if we do choose this type of dried vegetables, we have to make sure the type of oil used.
How about vacuum fried?
Well, as per description vegetables are fried in a vacuum, so in comparison with normal deep frying the temperature of the oil is lower. As a result, vacuum fried foods are crispy and maintain their bright colour. But, even though less oil, this type of dried veggies is still a result of frying and contain oil.
2) Dehydrated Vegetables
Next up, we have the better sounding dehydrated vegetables. These vegetables have its water content removed in the drying process, but it maintains most of its vitamins and minerals. The other advantage is dehydrated vegetables can last longer than fresh veggies and it is safe to eat. The only downside is that the dehydration process concentrates calorie and sugar content, so eating portion is very crucial.
Webmd.com also states this:
However, because dried food loses its water content, it’s usually smaller in size and has more calories by weight. Keep your portions of dehydrated foods smaller than what's recommended for the unprocessed food to avoid overeating.
3) Freeze dried Vegetables
This seems to be very popular lately. I have seen many veggie snacks boasting of how wonderful freeze dried is and its benefits. The biggest benefit is that with freeze dried process, there's no oil involved, it retains 90pc of its nutrients! From my experience, eating them is also a delight, crunchy, nice texture and not so strong in taste.
From healthline,
Freeze-drying is a form of dehydration that removes a product’s water content by turning it from ice to vapor. The three-step process preserves a product’s nutritional value, taste, and appearance while extending shelf life.
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