Are Raisins Really Good for You
Are Raisins Healthy? Here’s What Experts Say
N utrition experts tend to favor a “less is more” approach when it comes to deciding what to eat: choosing whole, minimally processed foods over those with long, unpronounceable ingredient lists. Raisins, otherwise known as dried grapes, fit the bill. “They’re a whole food that’s minimally processed with no added ingredients or preservatives,” says Jenny Friedman, a Philadelphia-based dietitian. But raisins are also relatively high in sugar and calories.
So are raisins healthy? Here’s what you need to know about the nutritional profile of raisins.
What are the health benefits of raisins?
Raisins are dried grapes. They’re typically reddish-brown, but also come in a golden variety. “Traditional raisins are sun-dried and contain no additional preservatives or stabilizers,” says Friedman; the process of air-drying is responsible for their brown color. “Golden raisins, however, are dried in a dehydrator and contain sulfur dioxide as a preservative,” making them gold in color.
Both tend to be made from the same type of grape, and both are healthy. For being so small, raisins are a nutrient-dense food. “Imagine all of the nutrition from one grape concentrated into one tiny package,” she says.
Raisins are a good source of phytonutrients — naturally occurring plant compounds — that contain antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, adds registered dietitian Brian St. Pierre. They also have some iron and small amounts of other vitamins and minerals, including about 300 mg of potassium for a standard quarter-cup serving. (The National Institutes of Health recommends 4,700 mg of potassium a day for adults.) Raisins contain magnesium, which is beneficial for heart health as well as healthy nerve and muscle function, Friedman says. Shrunken grapes also contain about two grams of fiber per serving.
But raisins are also relatively high in calories. A serving has about 130, which can be a lot for a little snack. “As dried grapes, they don’t contain nearly as much water as regular grapes, so on a per-calorie basis, they are not as filling or satisfying as regular grapes or other fresh fruits,” St. Pierre says.
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Are raisins high in sugar?
Yes. One serving contains about 24 grams of sugar — about the amount of sugar in a Snickers bar or a handful of jelly beans.
One difference is that the sugar in raisins, unlike in candy, occurs naturally. Because raisins are a whole food, they also offer other nutritional components like fiber, which help regulate the body’s response to an influx of sugar.
There is an upside to the high sugar content of raisins. It’s primarily in the form of fructose, a fruit sugar, making raisins an easily digestible source of quick energy. That endears them to endurance athletes, who eat raisins to fuel performance, says Friedman.
What’s the healthiest way to eat raisins?
First, make sure you buy a brand that contains only one ingredient (raisins) and no added sugar.
Next, watch your portions. It’s easy to overdo it, which is why mini one-ounce boxes of raisins are a great size for snacking. They contain slightly less than the typical serving size, with about 100 calories instead of 130. “When thinking about the recommended portion for raisins, I’d try to visualize that box, a golf ball, egg, or what can fit in the palm of a hand,” Friedman says.
You can eat them on their own, but “I recommend pairing raisins with some protein and fat,” says Friedman. “The addition of something sweet to this combo results in something as satisfying as it is filling.” Smear celery stalks with peanut butter and raisins, St. Pierre suggests, or sprinkle them atop a salad.
If you want to cut back on sugar in your diet, add raisins to replace some of the granulated sugar in recipes such as banana bread, pumpkin bread or cookies, Friedman suggests. You’ll be adding sweetness in a more natural way.
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Are Raisins Really Good for You?
Raisins are either a food you love or hate. As a shriveled grape, you may understand the raisins’ plight. But like the grape and most other fruits — dried included — raisins are good for you and make a healthy addition to your diet. And because they lack water content, you don’t need to eat a lot get the benefits.
Tip
Yes, raisins really are good for you. They help you meet your daily fruit needs in a small portion and supply fiber, potassium, B vitamins and copper.
Raisins Nutrition
When debating whether raisins are really good for you, understand what’s considered a portion to help keep things in perspective. Because raisins are a dried fruit, the portion size is much smaller than that of a regular fruit, such as grapes. That’s because removing the water content concentrates the nutrition and decreases portion size.
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A typical portion of raisins is equal to 1/4 cup. By comparison, a typical portion of grapes is equal to 1 cup.
Raisins’ nutrition in a 1/4-cup serving, or one small 1.5-ounce box of raisins, includes:
- 129 calories
- 34 grams of carbs
- 25.5 grams of sugar
- 1.6 grams of fiber
- 1.3 grams of protein
A typical serving of raisins isn’t a significant source of many nutrients, with the exception of copper. One serving of raisins provides 15 percent of your daily value (DV) for copper. This trace mineral helps your body absorb iron and assists iron in the formation of your red blood cells.
Although not a significant source of these nutrients, eating 1/4 cup of the dried fruit can also help you get closer to your daily potassium, iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium needs. It’s also a source of many of the B vitamins.
For comparison to raisin nutrition, a 1-cup serving of grapes contains:
- 62 calories
- 16 grams of carbs
- 15 grams of sugar
- 1 gram of fiber
- 1 gram of protein
Your 1-cup serving of grapes also provides more than 10 percent of the DV for manganese and vitamin K. The 1/4-cup serving of raisins provides only 6 percent of the DV for manganese and 1 percent of the DV for vitamin K.
If you compare the calories between raisins and grapes, you may notice that raisins contain more than twice the number of calories as grapes, in a significantly smaller serving size. If you’re counting calories or watching your weight, it’s important to pay attention to calorie content so you don’t eat more than you need. Eating too many calories from any source, whether from raisins or grapes, leads to weight gain.
Benefits of Raisins
If you’re looking for a snack that can satisfy your sweet tooth and improve your health, add raisins to your snack repertoire.
The health benefits of raisins include:
- Protection against free radicals
- Lowered blood pressure
- Decreased cholesterol
- Improved blood sugars
Compared to grapes, raisins have three times the antioxidant power, according to Berkeley Wellness. Antioxidants are substances that help stop or delay damage to your cells. Filling your diet with more antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies, like raisins, may help protect you from disease.
Snacking on raisins may also help lower your blood pressure. One out of every three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2014 study published in the Postgraduate Medicine found evidence that raisins may significantly lower blood pressure.
Raisins may also help you keep your weight under control, according to a 2017 study published in Food & Nutrition Research. This cross-sectional study, which included data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2012, found that regular raisin consumers had a lower body mass index than nonregular raisin eaters. They also had higher intakes of many health-promoting nutrients, such as fiber, potassium and vitamin C.
Replacing your usual unhealthy food with raisins may also help you get better control over your blood sugars if you have diabetes. A 2015 study published in Physicians and Sportsmedicine compared the blood sugar levels in a small group of individuals with diabetes when snacking on raisins compared to processed foods. The researchers found that eating raisins as a snack significantly improved both immediate and long-term blood sugar levels.
