Each has its advantages, but in the end, both can be part of a healthy diet.

Not eating as much fruit as you should?

You’re not alone.

a collage of a bowl of fresh apricots beside a board with dried apricots

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There arenumerous reasonsto ensure you’re eating enough fruit, with fiber being one of the biggies.

Fruits also contain various disease-fighting antioxidants, which iswhy the more varietyof fruit that you eat, the better.

Eating fruitin conjunction with veggiesmay even increase your longevity.

The answer might seem obvious at first, but a deeper dive reveals a not-so-cut-and-dried answer.

While dried fruit lacks water, most fresh fruit is at least 80% water.

That then skews the calories.

In other words, fresh fruits have less sugar than dried fruits.

Take that same cup of grapes and raisins, for instance.

Here’s another reason to love the water content of fresh fruits: It’ll make you fuller.

Surprisingly, the answer is yes.

Start with the obvious, namely the convenience factor.

Dried fruit may even hold some nutritional advantages.

Prunes and plums are classic examplesprunes are more effective at encouragingregular bowel movementsthan plums.

So, Which Is Healthier?

If raisins were a Dirty Dozen contender, they would rank as the dirtiest produce.

A serving of dried fruit is about a quarter of a cup.

Check labels when buying dried fruit to ensure it doesn’t contain added sugar.

Meanwhile, aim for about 2 cups of fresh fruit every day, Burnstine recommends.

The best part about this prescription?

Fresh fruit is nature’s candy, which means you’ll satisfy that sweet tooth without added sugars.