By: Caroline Maas, staff writer

While this is not necessarily a recipe, I consider it enough of a staple food to provide an informative nutritional background for it.

Dried fruit in general provides our bodies with all things good and natural. However, despite its unending nutritional superiority to sugary desserts and snacks, dried fruit has a much more concentrated fruit and calorie count, which can make it easier to binge eat. Then it is no longer healthy.

With this forewarning, eating dried fruit in moderation is a grand substitution from otherwise processed sweets to satisfy a sugar craving. According to Livestrong.com, “Dried mango is a good source of Vitamin A–20 percent of daily value–which plays a key role in cell growth, healthy vision and a robust immune system.”

One-third a cup of dried mango contains 40 grams of carbohydrates, two of which come from dietary fiber, 32 of which come from sugar. Not all sugar is bad, though, and in the case of dried mango, the sugar helps to supply our brain’s preferred source of energy. Additionally, its fiber content helps support our digestive tracts. Try to avoid dried mango, and dried fruit in general, that contains added sugar, as the high concentration of sugar that appears in the fruit naturally will definitely be enough to satisfy that sweet-tooth.

So, the next time you’re tempted to reach for a piece of candy to satisfy that craving, reach for some of nature’s candy- whether it be dried mango, cranberries, banana, etc. Dried fruit is ever-so tasty!