Nutrition-rich dried fruit in high demand in winter across Pakistan

Owing to its health benefits, more and more people are making it a part of their daily diets

ISLAMABAD: With the onset of winter, the demand for dried fruit has increased across Pakistan. Packed with nutrients, dried fruits make an essential part of people’s diets as they generally contain a lot of fibre and serve as a great source of antioxidants.

Even though dried fruit has been used for centuries, in the light of modern research and proven health efficacy, their consumption is increasing like never before.

Among a wide variety of dried fruit available in the country, walnuts have the highest demand because of their nutritional value. In fact, to say that walnuts are nutritious is a bit of an understatement because they contain plenty of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

Between 13 to 20 per cent of the contents of these fruits comprise proteins, while 50 to 60 per cent of the content constitutes fats. Nine to 12 per cent contain starch, while the remaining three to five per cent of the contents comprise calories.

According to Dr Abdul Wahab, who practices at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, walnuts are beneficial for the brain as well as the nervous system.

“These nuts are very useful when you grind them and mix the powder with milk,” he said. “The daily use of the walnut and milk concoction is great for health.”

He added that walnut in powdered is also beneficial for the skin.

“If someone applies a paste of walnut and milk on their face, it will rejuvenate facial nerves and eliminates marks,” he said. “Walnuts are also good when consumed to fight cough and cold as the nut can warm up the body. Moreover, research has shown that eating 1 1/2 ounces of walnuts per day as part of a low-saturated fat and low-cholesterol diet while not increasing caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

According to research, one hundred grams of walnut produces about 600 calories. Unlike vegetables, walnuts are very high in fat, which makes about half of their total weight. As a result, they provide a lot of energy to the body which, in turn, helps to keep the body warm.

People living in cold regions often use it to cope with the severity of the weather, while thaose dwelling in areas with moderate temperatures are also increasing their intake of walnuts.

Owing to their high demand, walnut trees are abundantly grown in Balochistan, Swat, Murree and Azad Kashmir. The reason for their high prices is because a walnut tree usually bears fruit after thirty to forty years.

Walnuts vendor Siddiq Ullah from Rawalpindi told The Express Tribune that every year, the demand for dried fruit increases with a drop in temperature. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2019.