ruit is an important part of a balanced diet. When you’re on the go, however, it can be difficult to eat it every day. Dried cranberries provide a convenient, portable option that allows you to easily incorporate fruit into your diet. There are many health benefits of eating dried cranberries.

Source of Fruit

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends consuming 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruit every day. Sometimes it is not always convenient to eat whole pieces of fruit. In these instances, dried fruit is an appropriate choice to ensure that you reach your daily recommended servings of fruit. The recommended serving size for dried cranberries is 1/3 cup, which counts as slightly less than 1 serving of fruit. Although the manufacturer’s recommended serving size is 1/3 cup, the USDA counts 1/2 cup of dried fruit as the equivalent of 1 cup of fruit.

Low in Calories

Adults consume an average of 2,000 calories per day. Some people may consume more or less calories based on their age, gender and physical activity level. Each food item you eat contributes to the total amount of calories you eat each day. Therefore, it is more advantageous for you to choose low-calorie, healthy foods that you can eat in smaller portions throughout the day. Instead of eating larger-portioned meals packed with calories, which can increase your risk of exceeding your caloric limit. Dried cranberries are a nice addition to salads, cereal or alone as a snack. One serving of dried cranberries only contains 130 calories.