Is Fresh Better than Dried

[RighteousYogini]

As I obsess further about the purchase of the dehydrator, I wonder is the nutritional quality, enzymes etc, AS HIGH as eating the food fresh???? I mean, is the goal to use the DH just as a transition and then leave it behind? Ideally . . . would we not eat dehydrated, except as a treat?

Shanti, shanti, shanti

[Dimond]

Yes, you're correct. In most circumstances, fresh is better and dehydrated should eventually be consumed in limited quantity. The only exception is superfoods/supplements which are often fine in larger quantities and on a daily basis, though not instead of fresh unless necessary (travel, emergencies, etc.).

[sport]

No doubt, but then we can not always be perfect.

[RawLibrarian]

Lots of people really enjoy using their dehydrators; some would not stay raw without one.

I have been raw a few years now, have never owned a dehydrator and have no intention of getting one because I don't have room for it and I don't make gourmet food.

One reason I eat raw is to get lots of water from my food, which dehydration removes. Whether dehydration removes nutrients, I have no clue, but it definitely removes water. I like juicy food, myself.

I think you can make yourself crazy by obsessing about things like 'am I losing a scintilla of nutrition because I use a dehydrator?'

[sport]

I think that it allows you to eat some foods that you may not otherwise eat so it adds to our variety.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i like having a dehydrator for treats... like kale chips for example! or dried kiwi... (soooo good)... or to soften a jalepeno pepper when it's stuffed full of 'da bomb cheese sauce'.

or for cookies...

oh and crackers...

:drool:

[RighteousYogini]

Thanks everyone! Yah, I guess if it means the difference between sustaining long-term raw or feeling deprived, it's worth it!

[Aleesha Sattva]

i eat very simply... but it's still nice to make myself a treat here and there. i may not use it often... but it's sooooo worth the investment into my long-term raw self!

[Katterin]

Glad to hear that - I bought one last week but its not working properly so is being exchanged tomorrow.

I originally bought it as all the recipes I've seen on the most part require a dehydrator, and I like experimenting with stuff! However since enthusiastically overdosing in the gourmet food department and then feeling bad, I was a bit worried to read this thread... £230 spent for nothing? You mean I wont use it in a year?

But thinking about it, I do like crackers and breads etc (I'd just bought a bread machine before I went raw) so I dont think its a waste. I thik being able to dry your own fruit without the amount of chemicals they put in as preservatives is worth it, as well as being able to make treats which helps to keep "raw". Plus I love dried kale - tastes like the seaweed they used to make in the chinese!

Besides, most of my family and friends will never be raw, so at least I can make them treats (and bread) myself and at least know that my stuff is much healthier for them than shop bought!

And on a wierd note, I can survive on just the bread smell without the need to eat it - makes the place smell wonderful! x

[Katterin]

Oh, and as far as I know, if you keep the dehydrator at about 105F then you are not killing/losing the living enzymes or nutrients. You are just removing the "water" over about 10-18 hours depending on what your dehydrating.

It does however mean that dried fruit etc ends up in the more starchy category rather than sugar category.

I think dehydrating stuff can also help preserve it much better than freezing - you can always resoak after all though it will never be exactly how it was in the beginning! I've seen alot of info about using it for preserving seasonal fruit. x

[modernmonkey]

Plus I love dried kale - tastes like the seaweed they used to make in the chinese!

That's right! It isn't seaweed, it is actually cabbage.

[Katterin]

I know! And taste so much better without all the bad chemicals they put on it :) x

[green goddess]

I agree that the dehydrator does add variety, and can help people eat foods that would otherwise not get used. It's fun to experiment! And I loooooove kale chips.

I do find that eating dehydrated goodies makes me thirstier, obviously because the water has been dehydrated out of the food; so I make sure to drink more water to compensate with the kale chips or whatever.

Fresh will generally always be better than dried, in my book, as far as optimum nutrition in whole foods goes (because dehydrating as actually a form of processing), but dried certainly has its place in a raw foods lifestyle! If it allows me to snack on kale like it's going out of style, well, that's just super! ;)