Dried apricots? Yes, the golden yellow type may look more attractive and familiar. That’s because they have been treated with sulphur dioxide to prevent oxidation.

These apricots may look good, but they always give that stinging, sourish taste. Yes, that’s the sulphur dioxide doing its work on your throat. Some people even get asthmatic attacks from eating dried apricots, not because of the fruit itself, but the preservative. The solution? Organic dried apricots.

Here’s a packet of organic dried apricots bought from the Shop N Save outlet at Tampines (near the library). The non-organic, attractive type costs $4.30. The organic variety is $5.80. Seriously, it’s worth the difference. The organic variety is sweeter and has a rich caramel taste. It’s also lacking in that stinging taste of sulphur dioxide.

Here are some health benefits of dried apricots.

Treat Constipation — Apricots can act as gentle laxative due to its cellulose and pectin content. Hence, if you suffer from chronic constipation, consume 6 to 8 apricots per day should help improve your condition.

Ease Indigestion — As they produce an alkaline reaction on the body system, they can help you to digest better if you take some before meal. Just make sure you don’t take too much so as not to disturb your proper meal consumption.

Good for Anemia — Anemia is a condition whereby the blood has a lower-than-normal concentration of red blood cells (RBCs) or the RBCs have a below average amount of hemoglobin. This condition is most commonly caused by iron deficiency. Since dried apricots contain high content of iron, they’re usually included in the treatment of Anemia.

Fight Fevers — Apricot juice with glucose or honey can help cool your body during fever. It can also quench your thirst, eliminate the waste products from your body, tone up your eyes, stomach, liver, heart and nerves by supplying vitamins and minerals.

Treat Skin Diseases — You can use apricot leaves to treat scabies, eczema, sunburn and itching of your skin due to cold exposure.