I have a reader! With questions! Here goes....
To find out how much sugar raisins have, I consulted the USDA's National Nutrient Database, which is a great source for finding out nutrition facts, especially for unlabeled goods like fresh produce. They also have nutrient facts for packaged goods.
Raisins wind up being approximately 60% sugar by weight. As a comparison, apples are 10.39% sugar by weight, bananas are 12.23%, and oranges are roughly 9.14%. So, they do look like concentrated blobs of sugar.
They also have less fiber than the fruits listed above (listed here in typical serving sizes):
small box raisins: 1.6g dietary fiber
medium apple w/ skin: 4.4g dietary fiber
medium peeled banana: 3.1g dietary fiber
medium peeled orange: 3.4g dietary fiber
However, I'm torn about telling anyone that feeding their child a whole food is a bad idea. Are there far worse things out there? Yes, of course. Do little kids love raisins because they are so sweet? Probably. Am I going to food police raisin eating? HECK, NO. I'll beat the moderation drum. Raisins as a snack or treat, and as part of a well balanced diet, are great. Personally, I believe that a child who thinks of fruit as a snack (and not chips, cakes or other highly processed snack foods) is being set on a path that encourages healthy eating for life.
Basically, I am Team Raisin. And Team Apple and Team Banana and Team Orange. Anytime your child eats a fruit or a vegetable, I am cheering for you.
Finally, I am happy to answer questions to the best of my knowledge, so please feel free to email me (changethewayweeat@gmail.com).
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