Dried vegetables

Many types of dried and dehydrated vegetables exist, such as potatoes, beans, snap beans, lima beans, leafy vegetables, carrot, corn and onion

Carrots and Mushrooms. Because of their higher density, dried vegetables contain more calories per ounce than fresh vegetables. For example, 1 ounce of fresh carrots contains 11 calories. In comparison, 1 ounce of dehydrated carrots, which is equivalent to slightly more than 1/3 cup, contains 96 calories.

Calorie Content

Dehydrated vegetables retain 100 percent of the calorie content of fresh vegetables while only taking up half of the space. Current dehydration technology can remove almost all of the moisture content in vegetables, leaving only 2 percent to 3 percent in the finished product. The removal of moisture also increases the storage life of the vegetables.

Heat and Nutrients

The dehydration process exposes the vegetables to some heat. Although the temperatures are kept fairly low, some heat-sensitive vitamins, primarily vitamin C, are lost. Vitamin A is fairly well-preserved despite the heat exposure, so long as the temperature is kept controlled. Conventional cooking processes, however, will also cause a loss or destruction in these two vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins, such as B vitamins, may be lost during the rehydration process of dried vegetables, but they can be preserved if you use the soaking liquid during cooking.

Dietary Fiber Content

Dehydration preserves the full dietary fiber content of the vegetables, ensuring they remain a high-fiber food choice. Dietary fiber provides bulk to your diet and can help reduce the effects of constipation. Vegetables are naturally high in fiber, both soluble and insoluble; the former helps create soft bulk, while the latter helps speed up the passage of waste through your bowels.

Texture and Consumption

In order to use dehydrated vegetables, you need to reconstitute them, which typically requires soaking in water. But you can add dehydrated vegetables directly into high-liquid foods, such as soups, stews and sauces. Reconstituted vegetables often have a softer texture than fresh vegetables, so they are more commonly eaten as part of a finished dish, rather than on their own. Some Asian dishes, however, make use of the unusual texture of dehydrated vegetables to provide textural contrast.