Dried fruit concentrates the acids and sugars that make fruit kind of an accessory food and not a staple food for Paleos. According to Wikipedia where I just learned about how freeze-drying works all of 15 seconds ago, freeze-drying gets rid of the water in fruits just like any other method. Seems like there's nothing special about it that would make those foods better to eat than ones dried by any other method.

That said, it's definitely not a no-no food, but drink plenty of water with it since that's what the natural fruit lost. This will help you reach satiety at about the point you would have with natural fruit. It's easy to eat a ton of dried fruit in one sitting because the loss of water volume makes it so much less filling. Overeating fruit is never a good situation if you're trying to lean out. Just do it in moderation. Or not. As Oscar Wilde said... do everything in moderation, including moderation.

Very topical! I just talked to someone yesterday who is doing their thesis on a inflammation-related trial employing freeze dried strawberries and blueberries. Here's what he said:

-Freeze dried is typically equivalent to frozen when it comes to nutrients/phytochemicals. That is, if the process does not involve heating components, which are sometimes employed (to make things cheaper, I think).

-He said that you can not tell what the freeze-drying process was like based on packaging. You would have to call the company.

-This is not from him, but my opinion: I like freeze dried fruit a lot, but overconsume it more than frozen fruit because of ease of eating and transport. It's the closest thing to candy I can find without actually being candy.

-I just picked up some freeze dried jackfruit at Whole Foods and it is delicious! The label says that jackfruit is the biggest tree-grown fruit in the entire world.

Only semi- on topic, Freeze dried fruit makes a great toddler snack replacement for crackers. The ones that are sliced like fruit would be, not the little cubes, better. Trader Joe's is a good source of these. The cubes they tend to swallow whole and not digest, wasting money and tummy space.

somewhat new to Paleo i have always tried to eat cleanly but have recently adopted paleo "rules", i picked up a bag of freeze dried fruit by a company called "Just Tomatoes Etc.!" www.justtomatoes.com. The fruit is good and satisfies the need for sweet/tart/crunchy without additives or preservatives.
Of course anyone who has recommendations on how to do this well, i am all ears! Laurie

I have greatly reduced my dried fruit consumption and try to soak it in water when I do eat it. Loren Cordain has a chart that shows raisins are on par with M&Ms as far as sugar content. I'm also trying to reduce fruit consumption overall and increase vegetable consumption, working toward a reduction of fructose after viewing Robert Lustig's presentations. (e.g., Sugar: The Bitter Truth)

I can certainly relate to the convenience of packing dried fruit, but then the pursuit of convenience can lead to a whole heap of non-Paleo at the grocery store.