Dried fruit used to only show up in Grandma’s fruit cake at holiday time, but it’s come a long way in recent years. From using dried fruit as a natural sweetener instead of refined white or artificial to sugars to enjoying it right out of the bag paired with a few nuts or seeds, dried fruit has a place in everyone’s everyday diet. Here, the Traina family shares the top four reasons people can enjoy eating more dried fruit.

4. Dried fruit is an easy, portable and flavorful way to up fruit intake on a daily basis.

3. Dried fruit adds flavor and texture to both savory and sweet dishes, and it has so many uses. From sprinkling Traina® Home Grown fruitons® onto salads, using sun dried tomatoes in pasta dishes and topping burgers and hot dogs with Traina® Home Grown Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup varieties to using Traina® Home Grown Sun Dried Apricot or Plum BBQ sauce to liven up a variety of grilled, roasted or smoked proteins, there are so many easy ways to add dried fruit to any meal!

2. Dried fruit has a longer shelf life than fresh fruit and can be conveniently packed in school lunches, a gym bag, purse or briefcase for noshing anytime. Busy schedules have shifted the way people used to eat — rather than sitting down to “three square meals” people are often eating on the go or taking in smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Portable dried fruit lends itself to this type of eating any time of day — such as sprinkling some into yogurt, onto a salad or into soups or casseroles, dried fruit is versatile enough to be used in practically any recipe. 

1. Quite simply: dried fruit is delicious! Enough said!

The Traina family is on a fruit-forward mission to help consumers eat more whole foods such as dried fruit. For easy tips, ideas and recipes on how to enjoy Traina® Home Grown dried fruit products every day, visit www.trainafoods.com.