Benefits of dehydrating food
Dehydration is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. While our ancestors relied on the sun to dry food, today we have commercial equipment and home appliances that can remove bacteria-forming moisture. This process preserves food for much longer than its ordinary shelf life.
Dehydrated foods can be a healthier alternative to many snacks, and you can add them to salads, oatmeal, baked goods, and smoothies. Because they rehydrate in liquid, they’re also easy to use in recipes.
Dehydrated foods keep their nutritional value. As a lightweight, nutrient-dense option, dehydrated foods are a go-to for hikers and travelers looking to save space.
Almost anything can be dehydrated. Some common food items made with dehydration include:
• Fruit leather made from apples, berries, dates, and other fruits
• Soup mixes made of dehydrated onions, carrots, mushrooms, and other vegetables
• Herbs dehydrated for a longer shelf life
• Homemade potato, kale, banana, beets, and apple chips
• Powdered lemon, lime, or orange peel used in teas, alcoholic beverages, and other recipes
You can dehydrate your own fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even meat in an oven or specialty food dehydrator.
Nutrition Information
The dehydrating process retains a food’s original nutritional value. For example, apple chips will have the same calorie, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, and sugar content as the fresh fruit.
Dehydrated foods also maintain their nutrients for much longer than their fresh counterparts. Research shows that fresh produce loses its vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content within a few days of refrigeration — with reductions as high as 50% for some nutrients.
1. All-Natural Foods
The number one benefit of dehydrating your food is keeping it all-natural. Many fruits and vegetables are seasonal, which means you might miss out on them for part of the year altogether.
If you’re building a prepper pantry, it’s important to prepare in a way that your food storage won’t be compromised if the electricity goes out for a period of time.
Dehydrating food allows you to store all-natural food in preparation for living in an off-grid situation if needed.
2. Healthy and Nutritious Foods
The food dehydration process preserves your food’s original vitamins, minerals, and enzymes better than many other forms of cooking or food preservation. Some studies have shown that dried fruits contain more antioxidants than their fresh counterparts.
1. Saves Money
Dehydrating food can save you money. If you buy your foods in bulk and then dehydrate them, you save money on:
• The ingredients
• The gas from making fewer trips to the store
• Gourmet products that you made yourself for a fraction of the cost of packaged products.
10 Benefits of Dehydrated Food for Building a Prepper Pantry
1 Keeping it all-natural
2 Preserves the original vitamins, minerals, and enzymes
3 No preservatives or chemicals
4 A money-saver
5 Low risk of contamination
6 Eating smaller portions
7. A greater supply of antioxidants and fiber
8. Prepares you for emergencies
9. Takes up little space in your prepper pantry
10. Is one of the easiest methods of preserving food
Dehydrated food: Healthy or not?
Food dehydration does not only help increase the shelf life of foods, but in the case of preservation methods such as dehydration, it can also help reduce their storage space.
Benefits Of Dehydration
Dehydration of fruits and vegetables is a great way to preserve more flavor and vitamins than high heat canning, or pressure canning. Dehydrated fruits, prepared at the peak of ripeness, will have a similar profile to fruits frozen at the same time.
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