Late August through to the end of September is the ideal time for eating plums. As with many stone fruit, they are a satisfying way of giving us some much needed nutrition. Dried plums are generally called prunes and have health benefits in their own right. They contain various vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre (fiber) and antioxidants. Dried prunes in particular are ideal for relieving constipation and osteoporosis by improving bone strength.

If you are trying to eat prunes, it is best to consume them relatively soft or with other foods.

Soak a few handfuls of prunes in freshly boiled water, cool and store in a covered jar in the fridge to retain their shelf-life. Prepare softened prunes according the suppliers instructions if available and store chilled. Eat them with granola and yogurt – yum !

The top five benefits from eating plums are:-

Improvements In Bone Strength And Minimising Risk Of Osteoporosis

A study by two US universities, Florida State and Oklahoma State assessed the bone density of two groups of postmenopausal women over 12 months. One group ate 100 grams of prunes per day which is roughly 10 prunes whilst the other ate 100 grams of dried apples. Both groups took calcium and vitamin D supplements as part of the supplementation. The group consuming prunes had a significantly higher bone mineral density in their forearms and backbone.

General Brain And Body Health

Our local nutritionist recommends consuming three or four prunes a day. The antioxidants including the red-purple pigments called anthocyanins help by mopping up and neutralizing free radicals which are associated with general cell death and one of the causes of cancer.

Heart Protection

Potassium is a mineral that in sufficient quantities will help with managing and minimising high blood pressure. One medium-sized fresh plum contains 113 mg of potassium. The add on benefit is reducing risk of death from strokes.

Lowering Blood Sugar

Plums have a low glycaemic (glycemic) index – we’ll mention fructose later. Any foods which support a relatively modest rise in blood sugar levels rather than a savage spike as part of a healthy nutritious diet will reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes.

Keep bowels regular & Reduce Constipation (Bae, 2014)

Last but not least, prunes are one of the traditional ways of relieving constipation. Whilst this might seem a squeamish subject for some, the old ways are tried and tested – and work ! Prunes contain high levels of fibre (6.1 g/100 g), fructose or fructan, and sorbitol (14.7 g/100 g). Psyllium and prunes are highly effective for this issue. A laxative effects may be due to various phenolic compounds (14.7g). The phenolics are mainly neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids.

One prune roughly contains 1 gram of fibre.

References

Attaluri, A., Donahoe, R., Valestin, J., Brown, K., Rao, S.S. (2011) Randomised clinical trial: dried plums (prunes) vs. psyllium for constipation. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. Apr; 33(7) pp. 822-8

Bae, S.H. (2014) Diets for Constipation. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition. 17(4) pp. 203-208. doi:10.5223/pghn.2014.17.4.203.