 Dried fruits are calorically dense. Should we be concerned that eating dried fruit may make us fat? Remember that fig study I covered that added 14 figs to people's daily diets? Surprisingly, that did not lead to significant weight gain. Wait a second, that's 300 calories of figs a day. Over five weeks, that's 10,000 calories. Did they disappear into thin air? No, figs are just so packed with fiber and satiating that even without trying, people just ended up eating less of other foods throughout the day. I get full just thinking about eating 14 figs a day. Was this just a fluke, though? Let's look at those other new studies. What about adding 3 quarters of a cup of dried apples to your diet every day for a year? 200 extra calories a day, but no significant change in weight. 200 extra calories of prunes a day for a year? No significant change in weight. And the same thing with a month of a daily 300 calorie load of dates. In general, the 5 to 10% of Americans that average a tablespoon or more of dried fruit a day tend to be less overweight. Less obese, have a slimmer waist, and less abdominal obesity. They tended to eat more, but yet weighed less. Similar findings were found for those that eat nuts or nut butters, lower body mass index, and a slimmer waist. In past videos I've explored the potential mechanisms, right? Nuts are filling, may boost metabolism, and may end up flushing some of their fat down the toilet. What if you put them both together? What would be the effect of adding daily fruit and nut bars on top of one's regular diet for two months? It took about 100 folks who were overweight, randomized into two groups, half ate their regular diet, and the other half ate their regular diet, plus two fruit and nut bars a day, totaling an extra 340 calories. Now, but these weren't candy calories, these were largely whole plant food calories, dried fruits and nuts. Two daily fruit and nut bars for two months did not cause weight gain, and they had extra sugar in them. Maybe that's why cholesterol didn't get better, despite the nuts, which should have helped. Recipes with less sugar might be expected to improve lipid profiles. So that's brands like this, or even cheaper, just eat some trail mix.