Fibre, fat, and protein dense dry fruits are the perfect alternatives for snacking one can look for while following strict diet regime. Ananya, a 36-year-old corporate manager, was simply following this notion and frequently snacked over the variety of dry fruits. Her routine was too busy to adopt a healthy lifestyle. So, her dietician suggested including a few dry fruits to her diet routine to improve her metabolism. However, due to lack of any specific limits on these smacking nuts, she ingested a handful of them almost three times a day.
After a month of dieting, her weight gained astonishingly, instead of losing it. Above that, she frequently complained of stomach bloat. On discussing it with her diet consultant, she was made aware of the following effects of over-consumption of dry fruits:
Hyperkalemia
Dry fruits are rich in potassium content. Consuming them beyond a limit increases the potassium levels in body fluids, thereby may cause diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiencies (with normal kidneys), severe arrhythmia and related hazardous conditions.
Digestive and metabolic problems
The high fiber content in the dry fruits causes an increased pressure on the digestion and metabolism of the body, resulting in increased gas production, constipation or sometimes even diarrhea.
Putting on an extra kilo
Dried fruits contain relatively higher reserves of calories than the juicy fruits. According to a nutritionist, eating a candy is relatively healthier than eating excessive dry fruits. This not only causes a gain in weight of a person but also makes them unhealthy from within.
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Processed dry fruits
Most of the varieties of dry fruits like raisins, dried apricots, and even almonds, are processed in industries to provide to make them look appealing and bright. Commonly, preservatives containing sulfites are used to achieve such finish.
However, sulfite is a potential irritant and may cause various allergy-related problems to the body, including asthma, skin rashes and stomach cramps.
Further, dry fruits may be sugar-coated with a variety of artificial sweeteners that may cause a sudden surge in blood glucose levels, leading to extreme problems like immediate loss of memory or kidney dysfunction, or even cardiac arrest.
Additionally, over-consumption of sugar-coated dry fruits over a larger period of time may be responsible for inevitable tooth decay of a person leading to cavities.
Skin related problems
Being rich in proteins and fats, dry fruits and nuts are believed to activate the oil glands in the skin, especially those present on the face. Overeating of dried fruits and nuts causes excessive sebum production, which leads to increased number of clogged pores, and consequently, higher risk of acne.
Rise in body heat production
Nuts and dry fruits have high calorific value and, therefore, produce huge quantities of heat on metabolism. Excess consumption of the same leads to tremendous heat generation in the body, that is unfit for metabolic enzymes in the body.
Ananya now knew that, however, nuts and dry fruits are extremely nutritious ingredients of an everyday diet, but only in moderation. As the saying goes ” Everything in Moderation”, having an only essential quantity of the same can reap the promised benefits.
Watch your count and stay healthy.
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