For anyone out there still baffled by my email address, let’s try again. It’s simply clinicalnutrition (all one word, no hyphen) [AT]gmail.com (again no hyphen here.) We’ve been having a few weeks of typos but hopefully this will be the day we get it right— you never know! On the other hand, just to perpetuate the series of ridiculous and embarrassing events that have been going on all week, it may all go wrong.For anyone else who thinks they’ve had a bad week, let me put it in perspective. This has been my week for getting loo-roll stuck to my shoes, paying for lunch but leaving it in the shop and putting $300 of groceries through the tills at Lindos before realising I didn’t have any money.

To top it all off, last night I forgot that Rhonda, our lovely cleaner, was coming round with two men and a truck to pick up our spare bed.

So after a long hot dog walk, I came home, jumped in the shower with a see-through curtain, and left all the doors wide open. I presumed that Jasper the (guard)dog would defend me from any intruders—. but of course Rhonda isn’t an intruder. So before I knew it, there was lots of embarrassed laughter going on. Hey ho.

Fortunately, all this is being off-set by a lot of things going right too. Including most of you navigating the typos and getting your emails through. So, here’s this week’s question:

Question of the week:

Is dried fruit a healthy snack?

M. WORD, SMITHS

In an ideal world, we’d all eat 5-9 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Fresh fruit and veg are healthy for many reasons: they’re rich in fibre, high in anti-oxidant nutrients and generally make great, low-calorie snack foods. However, sometimes it’s hard to cram this many servings into your diet, so realistic nutrition guidelines generally say that of these 5-9 servings, one can be 100% fruit juice and one can be dried fruit.

Yes, dried fruit can be a healthy snack, certainly if you compare it to a bag of potato chips or a Snickers. However, you need to bear the following in mind:

* Commercially dried fruit products are dried in large quantities, using a relatively harsh drying process. During this process, many of the nutrients (such as beta-carotene and vitamin C) are depleted, although in some instances, other bioflavonoid antioxidants may actually be enhanced. However, the fibre content always remains the same.

* Crucially the sugar content of dried fruit is much higher, on a cup-by-cup basis. Therefore if you eat the same volume of dried fruit as you do fresh fruit, you will take in much more sugar. Remember that excess sugar can actually disrupt blood sugar levels and whilst satisfying your hunger or sweet-craving temporarily, it can actually quickly cause dips in blood sugar. A dip in blood sugar can trigger headaches, cravings, irritability and drowsiness, so it’s best to keep your portions of dried fruit small.

* Best of all, if you do snack on dried fruit, make sure you have some unroasted nuts or seeds with it. The fibre and good fat content of>unroasted nuts and seeds, helps to slow down the release of the sugar from the fruit. The combination provides sustained energy release and prevents further snacking.

* Some dried fruits contain added sugar to make them more palatable. This is especially true of the more tart fruits such as cherries and cranberries. Always check the labels and avoid added sugar where possible.

* Note that many dried fruits contain sulphur or sulphite chemicals. These chemicals are used to “fix” the colour of the fruit and keep it looking fresh. However, there are some health concerns regarding sulphite chemicals. For example, in 1999 the World Health Organisation estimated that 20-30% of childhood asthmatics may be sensitive to sulphite preservatives. Organic dried fruits shouldn’t contain any sulphite chemicals. They may look darker because of this, but they should be just as fresh. Check sell-by dates to be safe.The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291 4725 or clinicalnutrition@gmail.com