Top 13 health and nutrition benefits of apricots

The sweet and delicious taste of apricots makes them have a lot of fans around the world. Also, it is not all about the apricots’ taste; actually, they have a lot of health benefits and nutrition that makes them lovely fruit.

Apricots mostly remind people of the fruit, which improves digestion and eye health. But that’s not all! Apricots have way more health benefits than it seems to!

Same as other fruits, apricots have many nutrition and health benefits, and they can be added to a healthy diet. Apricots are one of nature’s unique fruits; if you don’t think so, you need to read their health benefits!

Here you can see all the nutrition of two fresh apricots in a glance:

You can kill two birds with one stone by eating apricots! Meaning that your body will get carbs, protein, fat, fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium, and you can enjoy its delicious taste as well!

What are the health benefits of apricots?

1. Apricots are antioxidant
   Surprisingly, apricots are rich in vitamins A, C, and E, which make them antioxidant. Therefore, you should eat apricots to protect your body from oxidants.
2. Apricots are low in calories
   Do you believe that two apricots have only 34 calories?! So, you can enjoy eating apricots without any concern about gaining weight!
   The nutrition in apricots makes the body feel full for a long time; that’s why it can help the weight loss.
3. Apricots boost skin health
   The existence of vitamin C and E in apricots, helps the skin to be protected by UV damages and free radicals. And the good news is that eating apricots helps build collagen, which makes your skin to be shiny and fresh. Apricots also slow down the aging process!
4. Apricots are hydrating
   Apricots are high in water, the same as other fruits. So, you should eat apricots in order to regulate blood pressure and body temperature.
   If you are an athlete, or just do exercise a lot, or often experience dehydration, you should add apricots in your diet.
5. Apricots are high in potassium
   Our nerves and muscles need potassium to function well. Happily, apricots are good source of potassium and help the body’s functions.
6. Apricots promote eye health
   Maybe carrot is the first fruit that comes to your mind when talking about fruits that can promote eye health! But actually, the carrot is not the only one, and apricots promote eye health as well.
   Since apricot is an excellent source of vitamin A and E, it prevents eye disorders and night blindness.
7. Apricots promote gut health
   Apricots contain soluble fiber, which maintains cholesterol levels and blood sugar. As a result, they promote gut health.
8. Apricots protect liver
   As we mentioned earlier, apricots are great antioxidants, so, it prevents liver damages.
9. Apricots are delicious
   Dried apricots or the fresh ones are both delicious and can be great alternatives to unhealthy snacks.
10. Apricots are rich in fiber
    Fiber is found in both fresh and dried apricots, which makes your digestion in order. So, if you have any digestion problem, you should add apricots to your diet.
    Also, the fiber in apricots helps your body to regulate the blood sugar level.
11. Apricots are good for your heart
    Other amazing benefits of apricots are protecting the heart by reducing the bad cholesterol level and increasing the good cholesterol level in the body.
12. Apricots are good for your blood
    The iron in apricots stays for a long time in the body, which prevents you from facing anemia.
13. Apricots are beneficial during pregnancy
    You may know that iron and copper are two important nutrition during pregnancy. Since apricot is rich in both of them, it would be one of the best fruits for pregnant women.

If you want to eat apricot in a different and new way, you should slice it and add it to your salad, add it to your morning cereal, eat the apricot jam, eat it in a stew, add it to your smoothie or dessert, etc.

Moreover, you can enjoy the apricot recipes at the end of the blog.

What are the health benefits of dried apricots?

Dried apricots are easy to store, and you may find them more delicious! Moreover, based on some studies, it has been clear that canning or freezing apricots won’t reduce their benefits and nutrition.

Here are some of the fantastic benefits of dried apricots in a glance:

• Dried apricots are rich in Fiber
• Dried apricots are low in calorie
• Dried apricots are nutrient
• Dried apricots make the skin glow
• Dried apricots promote the eye health
• Dried apricots are beneficial during pregnancy
• Dried apricots improve digestion
• Apricots and brain: Another amazing benefits of apricots are their effect on the brain and maintain brain health.
  Let’s go in detail to know whether apricots are good for the brain or not.
  Apricots are good source of magnesium and potassium that are the two important minerals for giving energy and stamina. So, by eating apricots, you will maintain the brain and heart health.

The question that might cross your mind that “How many dried apricots should I eat a day?” The answer could not be the same for everyone, but the general answer is that a half cup of dried apricots is enough.

If you are looking for the best place to buy dried apricots at a very affordable price, then Natural Moreish sounds to be the best option. It provides many high quality dried fruits such as apricots, blood orange, pear, strawberries, etc.

But what happens if you eat too many apricots?

Both dried and fresh apricots have a lot of health benefits that you can hardly find a disadvantage of eating them. But as you know, overeating any food, fruit, etc., may cause some problems.

It is just advised that people who suffer from breathing disorders should avoid eating too many dried fruits like apricots. On the other hand, if people eat dried fruits regularly, they won’t face any problems. So, try to be moderate!

Now, let’s answer the commonly asked questions about fresh and dried apricots:

Are apricots high in vitamin C?
Yes! Apricots are known as excellent sources of vitamin C, and since our body cannot produce it, you can eat apricots to get the needed vitamin C.
Generally, vitamin C plays a vital role in the body’s immune system. That’s why it is recommended to get enough vitamin C daily.
In addition to apricots, strawberries, broccoli, and peppers are rich in vitamin C as well.

Are dried apricots laxative?
Yes! Not only dried apricots but dried figs, raisins, dates, etc., are laxative and improve digestion.

Are apricots high in sugar?
Happily, apricots are not high in sugar, so they are welcomed by people and enjoyed them. One fresh apricot has only three grams of sugar!

Buying bulk or retail dried apricots?

If you want to take advantage of all the mentioned health benefits and nutrition of apricots, now you might be interested in buying dried apricots online with some clicks! So, you should become familiar with Natural Moreish’s high-quality products and enjoy them.

Just choose products such as dried fruits, seeds, tea, spices, etc. and receive free shipping on orders of more than 94$.

How to add apricots to your diet?

Besides being delicious, apricots have a lot of health benefits, such as being rich in fibre, potassium, vitamin C, etc. It is highly recommended that they be added as ingredients in your foods, desserts, cakes, smoothies, etc. Eating dried apricots or fresh ones are not the only ways of enjoying their taste and health benefits, so you can enjoy eating apricots in different ways.

Here are easy to make apricot recipes such as chocolate apricot pie, apricot cake, apricot ice cream, and apricot strawberry smoothie.

Chocolate apricot pie

Ingredients

• 1 Chocolate crust
• 4 eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon Natural Moreish vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups 2 percent milk
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (about 8) sliced apricots

How to make a chocolate apricot pie?

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. In a bowl, whisk eggs; set aside. In another bowl, combine chocolate, butter and vanilla.
3. Combine milk with 1/2 cup sugar and salt over medium heat. continuously whisk until mixture comes to a simmer
4. Remove pot from heat. Whisk milk mixture into eggs until combined.
5. Whisk chocolate-butter mixture into milk-egg mixture; spoon custard into piecrust.
6. Bake pie until it begins to set at edges, but center jiggles slightly when you shake the pan, 13 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove pie from oven; let cool for at least 3 hours. In a bowl, 10 minutes before serving, toss apricots with remaining one tablespoon sugar; arrange apricots on top of the pie.

Apricot cake

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon Natural Moreish vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• Zest from 1 medium lemon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Natural Moreish baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 14 medium apricots
• 2 tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons apricot or strawberry jam for glazing

How to cook apricot cake?

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175° C).
2. Cut the apricots into halves.
3. Line cake pan with baking parchment.
4. Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Combine the flour with the baking powder and salt. Sift into the butter/egg mixture, beating well. Then add the buttermilk and mix well again.
7. Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Place the halved apricots, cut side down, in rows, or in circles on top of the batter.
8. Sprinkle the two tablespoons sugar over the apricots. (optional)
9. Bake 30-40 minutes.
10. At last, melt the jam over low heat and spread it over the cake while both are still hot.

Apricot ice cream

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh apricots
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 2/3 cup combined cooking juices and water

How to make apricot ice cream?

1. Pit the apricots and cook over medium heat, in a little water, covered, until mushy.
2. Drain them carefully, reserving the cooking juice.
3. Either blend them or force them through a sieve.
4. Measure the cooking juices, adding water to make 2/3 cup if needed. Make a syrup of this liquid and the sugar, cooking them over medium heat for 10 minutes.
5. When the apricots are cool, add the syrup and mix well (or blend).
6. Whip the cream and stir it into the apricot mix.
7. Pour into a container and freeze until semi-solid (a couple of hours.)
8. Stir, pushing the more solid parts from the sides towards the center. Mix well.
9. Cover again, and freeze until hard.
10. Now it is ready to serve.

Apricot strawberry smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold coconut water, or cold filtered water
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled (you can sub for 1 cup blueberries)
• 2 cups (about 3/4 lb) apricots, pitted
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 tsp flaxseed oil (optional)

How to make an apricot strawberry smoothie?

1. Add ingredients in order listed and blend until smooth.
2. Drink cold!

The last word

After knowing all the nutrition and health benefits of apricots, such as the vitamins, now it is time to add dried apricot or fresh ones to your diet.

Just try different eating apricots such as the mentioned recipes, enjoy their taste, and stay healthy.

PS. This article is written based on the Natural Moreish content team’s research on different blogs, websites, and articles. Natural Moreish doesn’t suggest acknowledge or claim the information on this post.