I can't stop eating these dried snacks made from fruit skins, which contain more vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants than plain dried fruit

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Rind Snacks

• A new food company called Rind Snacks is discouraging food and nutrient waste by making dried fruit snacks out of rind.
• Its non GMO-certified variety blends ($34.99/six pack) include dried kiwi, pineapple, apple, orange, peach, and persimmon rinds that contain no added sugar or sulfites.
• They're a little tougher to chew but that doesn't change the fact that they're delicious. They're also very nutritious, with more fiber and vitamins than the fruit itself.

I like dried fruit. Whenever my brain calls for the sweet release of sugar and I want a healthier alternative (when in small quantities) to candy, I usually go for dried mango and apricot. I'll dabble in apples and raisins from time to time, maybe sour cherries for a tart kick. Never before, however, have I considered eating the dried rinds of a fruit.

Inspired by the founder's great grandmother's penchant for juicing fruits and veggies whole and never letting anything go to waste, a company called Rind Snacks is opening snackers' eyes to the untapped possibilities of fruit by packaging up the dried rinds of kiwi, pineapple, and more - and I've become a complete convert.

Rind Snacks

Rind Snacks takes advantage of the part of the fruit you'd normally throw out, which is incidentally also where a lot of the nutritional benefits lie. According to founder Matt Weiss, "Fruit rinds are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with more fiber and vitamins to fill you up and give you that extra boost."

Citrus peels, for example, contain twice the amount of vitamins A and C as citrus flesh alone, and apple skins are high in pectin, which can help to lower cholesterol levels and maintain blood sugar.

The company sources its fruit from small family farms in California's Central Valley. After being triple-washed and sliced, they're either sun-dried or dehydrated using a proprietary method that gives the final product the perfect amount of chewiness and flavor. There is no added sugar or sulfites, and organic fruit is used whenever possible.

Rind Snacks

They come in two variety blends, Orchard (peaches, apples, persimmons) and Tropical (kiwi, pineapple, orange). The Kiwi, my personal favorite, is also available as its own flavor pack.

Probably the biggest obstacle to enjoying these snacks is the awareness that you're eating a rind. Once you've removed yourself from your preconceptions about the taste and texture of a fruit rind, you'll realize the snacks are really delicious and fun to eat. They're not overly sweet (the kiwi is quite tart, which is why I love it) and they're a little tougher to chew through, but overall they're just as good as traditional dried fruit.

They're not too bad for you either, with each 1.5 oz serving containing 120 to 140 calories. Depending on which pack you get, each serving contains 18% to 25% of your daily value of fiber and each serving of the Tropical pack delivers an impressive 35% of your daily vitamin C. The only ingredient is the actual fruit, and while that means there is still a good amount of sugar, it is at least natural sugar. Because they tasted so great, I had to portion out the snacks so I wouldn't eat the entire bag in one sitting and ruin all its health benefits.

Right now Rind Snacks are available on Amazon, where it was the best-selling new fruit snack release in 2018, for $34.99/six-pack. Insider Picks readers can get 15% off their order with code "BIZINSIDER15," which reminds me, I'm off to re-order some for myself right now.

Use code "BIZINSIDER15" to receive 15% off your order of Rind Snacks at Amazon

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