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With their honey-like flavor and chewy texture, dried figs offer a naturally sweet treat brimming with impressive nutritional value. Often overlooked, these dried gems contain unique antioxidants, vitamins and minerals providing tremendous health benefits. This definitive guide explores dried figs’ nutrient profile, how their nutrients and compounds support wellness, creative ways to eat more and how to incorporate them into balanced eating.

3 Dried Figs Nutrition

Don’t let their petite size fool you. Ounce for ounce, dried figs provide more fiber, calcium, magnesium, vitamin K and vitamin A than other dried fruits. Thirty grams or around 3 medium figs supply about 240 calories alongside beneficial nutrients.

1. Fiber: Dried figs offer 5 grams dietary fiber per serving—20% daily value. This insoluble fiber benefits digestion.
2. Potassium: With 270mg potassium, figs provide 8% DV. Potassium lowers blood pressure and reduces stroke risk.
3. Vitamin K: A 30 gram serving provides 15% of vitamin K needs. Vitamin K supports bone and heart health and aids proper blood clotting.
4. Antioxidants: Figs contain health-protective antioxidant polyphenols including syringic acid, protocatechuic acid and vanillic acid. These combat inflammation and disease.
5. Plant-Based Iron: Dried figs offer around 5% of your daily iron requirements, assisting with healthy blood cell and hemoglobin formation.
6. Magnesium, Calcium and Phosphorus: Figs provide some bone-supportive magnesium, calcium and phosphorus—about 5-8% of recommended daily needs per serving.

Dried Figs Nutrition Facts 100g

Here are the key nutrition facts for 100g of dried figs:

1. Calories: 249
2. Carbohydrates: 63g
3. Sugars: 47g
4. Fiber: 10g
5. Fat: 1g
6. Protein: 3g

Vitamin A: 7% of Daily Value

1. Vitamin B6: 5% of DV 
2. Vitamin K: 16% of DV
3. Calcium: 6.5% of DV
4. Iron: 7% of DV  
5. Magnesium: 9% of DV
6. Manganese: 13% of DV
7. Potassium: 12% of DV

Key Points:

• High in natural sugars and carbohydrate calories, mostly from glucose and fructose
• Excellent source of fiber at 10g per 100g 
• Provides vitamins A, K, B6 and decent amounts of minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese
• High antioxidant content from polyphenols and flavonoids
• Source of prebiotic fiber to support digestive health

While high in sugars and calories, the fiber, antioxidants and prebiotics in dried figs provide significant health benefits. Still portion sizes should be monitored due to their sweet calorie density.

Dried Figs Calories

Here are some key points about the calories in dried figs:

1. High Calorie Density: Dried figs are very high in calories for their small size. A single medium fig contains about 47 calories, while 1 cup of dried figs contains a whopping 371 calories. Their sweet taste and chewy texture make them easy to overeat.
2. High in Natural Sugars:The high calorie count in dried figs comes primarily from their high natural sugar content. About 47% of their weight comes from natural sugars like glucose and fructose. These sugars contribute to their sweet flavor and act as an efficient fuel source.
3. Source of Carbs and Fiber: A 1-cup serving of dried figs provides almost 100 grams of carbohydrate, making up the majority of their caloric density. But they also supply over 10 grams of fiber, which slows digestion of their sugars, preventing blood sugar spikes.
4. Moderate Portion Sizes: While dried figs are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, their high calorie and sugar content means portion control is important, especially for weight loss goals or diabetes management. Stick to 1-2 figs as a snack rather than overindulging.
5. Account for Calories: Be mindful of counting calories from dried figs into your daily calorie allotment if aiming to lose or maintain weight. Their sweet taste makes it easy to overlook how much you’ve consumed. Track your intake to balance their nutrients with calorie needs.

So while dried figs offer proven health benefits, keep their sugar and calorie content in check by practicing mindful snacking and tracking portions.

Dried Fig Health Benefits

From fighting disease to powering performance, an expanding body of research continues uncovering dried figs’ health superpowers.

1. Reduce Heart Disease Risk: Studies confirm fig polyphenols inhibit LDL cholesterol oxidation while improving HDL levels-both crucial for reducing cardiovascular disease. Their antioxidants also protect blood vessel health.
2. Lower Blood Pressure: Data demonstrates figs’ high potassium and antioxidant content provides blood pressure-lowering effects in hypertensive and diabetic animal subjects, which often extrapolates to humans.
3. Improve Digestive Health: Dried figs’ high fiber content increases bulk in the intestines assuaging constipation and improving digestion. Their prebiotics may also enhance good gut bacteria levels to support bowel regularity.
4. Aid Weight Control: Thanks to their fiber and ability to increase feelings of fullness hormones, figs can curb cravings and decrease hunger. Adding them to your diet helps moderate body weight over time.
5. Manage Diabetes: Human trials indicate consuming dried fig fruit skin extract for one month notably decreases insulin requirements in type 1 diabetics, sparking further research.
6. Prevent Cancer: Test tube research reveals fig extracts potently suppressed growth and spread of certain cancers like prostate, lung and cervical cancer cells, reinforcing their anti-cancer potential.
7. Boost Fertility Health: Animal studies show fig extracts enhanced sperm count, motility and testosterone status in lab rodents. Furthermore, they reduced harmful reproductive organ oxidation and improved hormonal balance.

Simple Ways to Eat More Figs

From sweetening savory dishes to baking nutritious goodies, you can easily incorporate more figgy goodness through:

• Whipping up scrumptious fig jam, compote or fruit spread
• Blending into smoothies, oatmeal and yogurt
• Topping salads with sweet caramelized sautéed figs
• Mixing into nut butter sandwiches and snacks
• Crafting tasty fig bars, cookies and pies
• Adding figs and balsamic to crusty bread, crackers and cheese boards
• Using as pizza topping or chopping over pasta and risottos
• Steeping dried figs to make a nourishing herbal tea
• Snacking on whole dried figs for instant energy and nutrients

Are Dried Figs Good For You

With their stellar nutrition and hormone-balancing, cholesterol-lowering and blood sugar-stabilizing benefits, enjoying antioxidant and fiber-packed dried figs more abundantly offers sweet perks for overall wellbeing and protecting your health.