The Benefits of Eating Dried Figs

Sweet, soft figs are a wonderfully nutritious fruit that can be eaten as a snack or added to recipes. With their delicious flavor, figs are enjoyed all over the world in both their fresh and dried forms. While juicy fresh figs only last a week or so after being harvested, dried figs last for ages and can be found any time of year, so you can reap the health benefits of figs regardless of the season. Here are some of the ways adding figs to your diet can benefit you.

Good for Your Bones

Figs are a good source of calcium and potassium, which means they're great for bone health. Calcium is essential for bone density while potassium helps the body to retain calcium. Eat figs to keep your bones strong for years to come.

Great For Your Skin

Packed with vitamin C and E, plus other antioxidants, figs can help your overall skin health and help protect against signs of aging like wrinkles, as well as acne, and blemishes. Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, which helps keep the skin looking youthful.

Helps with Blood Pressure

The potassium found in figs helps balance salt levels in the body, which helps prevent the development of high blood pressure. Adding figs to your diet is a good idea if you are at risk for hypertension or have a lot of sodium in your diet.

Boosts Your Immunity

Figs' antioxidants help reduce oxidative stress in the body and can boost your immune system's functionality. Vitamin C helps with white cell production to keep your immune system working its best. A perfect excuse to eat a handful of dried figs!

High in Fiber

Thanks to their high fiber content, figs can help get rid of excess cholesterol and protect your cardiovascular system. Fiber also helps regulate glucose and insulin in the body which is good for controlling blood sugar, however, because figs are high in natural sugars, people with diabetes should talk to their doctors before adding figs to their diet.

Can Help with Weight Loss

On a similar note, the high fiber in dried figs can help with weight loss. Eating fiber gives a feeling of fullness. However, don't overdo it when eating figs as they still contain more concentrated amounts of sugar.

Full of Antioxidants

Thanks to their anti-inflammatory antioxidants, figs can help reduce inflammation associated with chronic disease.

Good for Reproductive Health

Thanks to nutrients like iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese, dried figs can help with reproductive health and can help increase fertility.

Eat dried figs in salads, baked into bread, muffins, scones, or other baked goods, with oatmeal or yogurt, stuffed into meat, or on their own as a snack.