For me, one of the consequences of the Christmas holiday season seems to be a serious case of recurring annual nostalgia. It’s a little crazy, but something as simple as a bag of Craisins can do it to me. This is my most recent experience: I had raisins, but I was just realizing that I had purchased dried cranberries, aka Craisins, for the grandchildren to sprinkle on their Christmas Eve salad. I had thought that they’re so bright and beautiful, like little red jewels to add interest to green salad. But then I also had gnawing thoughts jangling my nerves that I was adding sugar to the salad. Sure, I know this is just one meal and Christmas Eve, at that. So I will go ahead and serve the little red jewels – sugared cranberries as sprinkles along with their all-time favorite – canned mandarin oranges.

Craisins and raisins seem to be pretty much the same. But the fact is that there is a difference between raisins and Craisins. Raisins are dried grapes – That’s it! Nothing but grapes without the water! Dried cranberries don’t naturally have much sugar, so to be edible, the sugar is added – five ingredients in total are added to my package of Ocean Spray Craisins. Personally, I like the idea of the sugar coming from inside the wrinkled grape, rather than a refined additive. But that’s just my bias. There are a few other differences; one is potassium (good for your blood pressure). Grapes provide 310 mg and the Craisins don’t have a significant amount. In addition, the grapes have 2% of the daily value (DV) of calcium; 6% of the DV of iron and a tiny gram of protein – Craisins don’t have any of these.

You know I’m a dietitian/nutritionist; I couldn’t resist telling about the nutritional differences. I was, however, writing about nostalgia. The raisin box brought me back to 2010. We were at an amazing place on earth – Turpan along the Silk Road in China. Turpan, if you ever have the chance, is definitely worth visiting. Many of the people there are Uyghurs; it was our great privilege to meet and speak (through translators) to Uyghurs while we were in China. Turpan is in the Gobi Dessert; holy mackerel! hours of flying over that vast dessert; then more hours in a big bus just the right size for our tour group.

At the time of our visit, China was trying to make wine. Our fellow travelers told us they were not vey successful at that point. But by now, they may be making fabulous wine. They also were making dried grapes – yes, raisins – said to be among the sweetest on the planet. I’m a native of California, but frankly never actually saw the sights that I traveled halfway around the world to see - huge piles of raisins. It was a remarkable sight! Since I’ve got such a bad case of nostalgia, I should share that Turpan was absolutely fascinating. It had an amazing irrigation system. The Turpan area is one of the deepest inland depressions on earth. Approximately, 800 years before Christ, the people needed to provide for the caravan traders passing along what would become the Silk Road. They dug deep tunnels under the earth to provide water from the Bogda Mountains; protected from the dessert heat/evaporation, and transported the water hundreds of miles under the ground. It was a great oasis and still is.

I guess that when I looked at the raisin box, I not only thought of the Craisins that I had purchased, but of simpler times when raisins were the only choice. Actually, it wasn’t until 1997 when Craisins were introduced that there was initially even a choice between raisins and Craisins. People have eaten raisins as early as 2000 BC; so that’s way out of range of a personal nostalgia problem. My feelings were just based upon thoughts of ways that I had consumed raisins, including nut bread; raisin bread from the store; in oatmeal; bread and rice pudding; carrot salad with raisins. Some of these foods are somewhat old-fashioned now days. But that little bit of sweet in a recipe is really quite nice. It’s not overly sweet like sweetened processed foods; plus, it’s nourishing. Did I forget Oatmeal-raisin cookies? Couscous with raisins or quinoa? Raisin mixed with peanuts or other nuts for a snack? They’re not overly processed like cheese puffs, for example. Two tablespoons is a nice serving size. You may not need the ¼ cup serving size on the package. To see how far a few raisins go, think about how many grapes it took to make those raisins.

One thing that may surprise you is that raisins have some plant nutrients that actually possess antimicrobial properties that suppress oral bacteria associated with dental cavities and gum disease. I’d guess that their sweet, naturally sticky properties would cause cavities, but it seems that the nutrients (several different phytochemicals) in the raisins inhibit cavity-causing bacteria.

Another surprise result is that naturally sweet raisins have been shown to be an excellent food choice for those with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. I’d say the key is; don’t eat the entire box; a couple of tablespoons is a nice addition to your snack, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Raisins are frequently ingredients in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. When I think of sunny, deserty places, I think raisins have probably been there for millennia. There is no shortage of recipes using raisins. If you’re feeling nostalgic this holiday season, you may want to add a handful of raisins to a recipe and it will bring feelings of old-fashioned and nutritious meals in the midst of many new traditions.

Some old-fashioned things are just plain good (like raisins).

I’m wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years.