Prunes: composition, calories, benefits and harm to the body

Prunes
Hello, dear readers! Prunes are a delicacy that almost all adults and children love. It can safely be classified as one of those products that are not only tasty, but also very healthy.

Not many people know that prunes can be made from ordinary plums. Most often this variety is Hungarian, Kroman, Stanley.

For drying, only ripe, beautiful, undamaged fruits are selected, and drying with or without pits is allowed.

Good quality dried fruit generally has an almost black or dark blue hue.

Compound

Prunes have a pleasant taste and contain substances valuable for the body. Among them are Vitamins B, PP, A, D and C and beta-carotene. There is enough pectin, plant fiber, oxalic, malic and citric acid in prunes.

In addition, prunes contain potassium, phosphorus, iodine, iron, sucrose, fructose and glucose. The fruit contains polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.

Plums are also a good source of carbohydrates and sugars, which provide energy. A serving of 5 plums supplies about 25 grams of carbohydrates and 15 grams of glucose and fructose sugars.

Composition and calorie content

Prunes have high energy value and calorie content.
It will help you get rid of the feeling of hunger in a short time and provide a feeling of fullness for a long time. 100 grams of prunes contain:

• proteins 2.3 g;
• fat 0.7 g;
• carbohydrates 57.5 g;
• fiber (dietary fiber) 9 g;
• water 25 g;
• ash 1.9 g.

Dried plums contain the following organic acids:

• ascorbic acid,
• apple,
• folic,
• salicylic,
• lemon,
• sorrel

Prunes contain a large number of vitamins, among which vitamin C is the leader. This may explain the sourness in taste.

Also, prunes contain other vitamins: E, PP, B2, beta-carotene, B1, A.

Prunes contain the following essential minerals for humans:

• potassium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• sodium;
• iron;
• zinc;
• copper;
• selenium.

This dried fruit also contains a large amount of pectin, tannins and nitrogenous substances.

100 grams of prunes contain about 250 kcal.

Benefit

1. Prunes act as a diuretic and choleretic agent. The healthy fruit eliminates bacteria and prevents the development of staphylococcus, E. coli and salmonella.

2. The sweet fruit stabilizes the functioning of the stomach and intestines and enhances metabolism.

3. Prunes have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, lowering blood pressure in hypertension. Charges with energy and eliminates vitamin deficiency.

4. Eating the fruit helps in the treatment of oncology.

5. Due to the presence of a large amount of antioxidants, eating prunes cleanses blood vessels of cholesterol accumulations. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from damaging body cells and activate blood circulation.

6. Prunes are good to eat for anemia. In addition, prunes rejuvenate the body.

7. The fruits contain special phytonutrients that have powerful antioxidant properties. These phytonutrients can boost the body's immunity. They help bind free radicals and protect body cells from damage by carcinogens.

8. A quarter cup of the fruit provides about 17 percent of the daily value of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. This is a powerful antioxidant that helps get rid of free radicals.

9. A quarter cup of dried plums provides about 10 percent of the recommended daily value of potassium. Potassium helps maintain stable blood pressure and relieves blockages in blood vessels. This improves heart health and reduces the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease.

10. Potassium has also been found to be an essential mineral for bone health. And helps prevent calcium loss, bone density and prevent the development of osteoporosis.

11. A quarter cup of dried plums will provide about 15 percent of your daily fiber intake. Soluble fiber from prunes helps regulate insulin levels in the blood.

12. Research has shown that soluble fiber can help reverse the development of diabetes. These fibers help prevent weight gain, they promote a feeling of fullness after meals and help curb the urge to eat more.

13. These fibers accelerate bowel cleansing, i.e. they have laxative properties. Additionally, insoluble fiber has been found to produce acid, which lowers cholesterol levels. Propionic acid helps inhibit the activity of an enzyme that plays a role in the production of cholesterol produced in the liver.

How to use in folk medicine

Prunes are good for the intestines and stomach. With regular inclusion of five berries a day in the diet, the acidity of gastric juice returns to normal. Dried plum helps to treat gastritis and ulcers. To activate the processes of cleansing from slag deposits, prepare a decoction of prunes, which has a mild laxative effect:

1. Pour half a liter of water into the pan.
2. Add 100 gr. washed prunes without removing the seeds.
3. Boil for 20 minutes.
4. Leave under a towel for 30 minutes.

Drink a glass before breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Prunes for constipation cope with the problem quickly and effectively:

1. Remove seeds from 15 berries.
2. Place in boiling water for a minute.
3. Rinse.
4. Chop into small pieces with a knife.
5. Place in a bowl.
6. Fill to the top with any fermented milk product, maintaining a 1:1 ratio.
7. Divide the mixture into three servings and consume at half-hour intervals.

Benefits of prunes for men

Eating prunes restores potency in a man.

Recipe for restoring potency

You will have to mix 200 grams. crushed walnuts and chopped prunes. Mix nuts and fruits in 1 glass of liquid honey. You will have to take a tablespoon 2 times throughout the day. The product is useful to take when the immune system is weakened.

1. The drug should not be taken if you are hypersensitive.

2. Patients with diabetes do not need to use the product.

3. People with increased body weight should avoid eating prunes.

Prunes for women

Prunes in cooking

In cooking, prunes are used not only for preparing various desserts, but are also often added to meat and poultry dishes. Duck stuffed with apples and prunes turns out very tasty.

Prunes are also used to decorate holiday dishes and cakes. Various compotes are prepared from it and added to uzvar for Christmas.

Prunes are used in the preparation of confectionery, they are mixed with various ingredients, and they are also used to make fillings for pies, buns and cookies. Prunes are also stuffed with cottage cheese and nuts.

A few prunes can be added to oatmeal for breakfast to provide essential vitamins and fiber.

Vitamin mixture with prunes for immunity

To increase the protective functions of the body, it is worth consuming the following vitamin mixture:

Ingredients:

• prunes, dried apricots, raisins, walnuts - take 200 grams each;
• two lemons;
• a glass of honey.

How to cook:

1. Wash and dry prunes, dried apricots and raisins.
2. Fry the walnuts a little in a frying pan.
3. Grind dried fruits and lemon.
4. Add honey and stir.
5. Place in a glass container and close with a lid.
6. Store in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks.

Use the mixture in the morning, 1 tbsp. l. half an hour before meals.

Read more about the beneficial properties of walnuts

Healthy drinks with prunes

Prunes are used to prepare various healthy drinks.

Infusion

Ingredients:

• 100 g prunes;
• 500 ml water.

How to cook:

1. Wash the prunes well and pour boiling water over them.
2. Infuse for twelve hours, wrapped well in a towel or poured into a thermos.

This infusion is consumed in the morning half an hour before meals. You need to drink one glass of infusion and eat 2-3 prunes.

Decoction

Ingredients:

• 100 g prunes;
• 500 ml water;
• 2 tbsp. l. Sahara.

How to cook:

1. Rinse the prunes and place in an enamel pan.
2. Pour 500 ml of water and place on the stove.
3. Bring to a boil and add sugar.
4. Boil for one minute, turn off the heat and cover with a lid.
5. Leave for 30 minutes.

Tea

Ingredients:

• 500 ml water;
• 5 pieces. prunes;
• 2 teaspoons of tea leaves (you can use any tea).

How to cook:

1. Rinse the prunes and pour boiling water over them, leave for 10 minutes.
2. Drain the water and cut the prunes into small pieces.
3. Pour tea into a teapot and add prunes.
4. Pour some boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the boiling water and you are ready to drink.

What are the benefits of prunes for women?

1. According to the Americans, it is useful for women to eat prunes during menopause.

2. It prevents osteoporosis. This disease occurs in women when the production of the hormone estrogen decreases. Then, increased leaching of calcium occurs from the body. A woman will have to eat 100 grams daily. healthy fruit to prevent osteoporosis.

3. It is especially useful for any person, but especially for women, to cleanse the intestines. This procedure not only heals the body, but also improves complexion.

To prepare the product, you will have to soak 10 prunes in warm water after dinner and leave them in the room until the morning. Then before breakfast, take 5 pieces and drink liquid. In the evening, eat the rest of the fruits. The intestines will work perfectly, without problems. The product also serves to prevent constipation.

How to store prunes

The product can be stored for up to 18 months if stored in a cool, dry place.

Signs of harmful prune processing

The glossy, grayish color of the product (the fruits look oily) means that glycerin was used for processing, it is aimed at improving the appearance of the product. Also, shine can occur after treatment with unknown fats. Often, sellers rub dried fruits until they shine; this processing method can cause the development of pathogenic microorganisms.

Can pregnant women eat prunes?

During pregnancy, a woman will have to follow a diet; some foods are contraindicated for her.

1. She needs to take prunes, but not much. Prunes saturate a woman’s body with valuable vitamins and essential microelements. She especially needs them.

2. B vitamins will help cope with the nervous tension that is present during pregnancy. The woman will be less afraid of the approaching birth.

3. The antibacterial abilities of the fetus will reduce the risk of colds. They can harm not only the health of the woman, but also her developing fetus.

4. Thanks to its rich chemical composition, eating prunes strengthens the immune system, improves digestion, improves blood quality, and eliminates anemia.

5. Prunes prevent stool retention, which often occurs in women, especially in the last months of pregnancy. The growing fetus puts pressure on the rectum, preventing the passage of feces.

6. The healthy fruit helps remove excess fluid from the body, thereby improving skin color. Instead of laxative medications, it is healthier to eat prunes, which will not cause additional stress on the liver.

7. Prunes remove excess fluid, thereby eliminating swelling, which often occurs in a pregnant woman.

8. It is useful for pregnant women to consume vitamin mixtures consisting of equal amounts of crushed prunes, walnuts and liquid honey. You should eat a tablespoon before breakfast and dinner every day.

9. To relieve fatigue, you will have to put a piece of prunes in a mug of black tea.

10. Instead of breakfast, it is good to eat yogurt with a piece of prunes. Then there will be no problems with the intestines. However, it is necessary to take high quality prunes. This fruit is kilo-sweet, completely without heat, and black in color.

Fruits with brown spots are best left in the store. You can buy shiny prunes, but you will have to wash the fruit in warm water before eating. Then the lubricant used to treat prunes will be washed off. Next, the fruits need to be immersed in hot water for half an hour. If the fruits turn a little white after hot water, it means they are of high quality.

Prunes should not be taken if a woman has high blood or urine sugar levels. If you are overweight or have skin rashes, you will have to refuse the delicious fruit.

Prunes for weight loss

Contraindications and side effects

1. A strict contraindication for eating prunes is an allergy to plums, which is rare.
2. Side effects from consuming dried plums in volumes exceeding 10-12 pieces per day include unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms: pain in the abdominal area, flatulence, diarrhea.
3. Prunes weaken, not strengthen. Still, it can lead to constipation. It has been established that with its regular use by people who have long suffered from chronic constipation, dependence on the product may occur, similar to dependence on stable medications. That is, without taking dried fruit, there will be no urge to defecate.
4. Prunes for gastritis are prohibited during the acute phase of the disease. During the period of remission, you can eat it, but also carefully. Since it is quite difficult to digest and has high acidity. The same rules apply to diseases of the pancreas, for example, pancreatitis.

Is it allowed to eat if you have diabetes?

The glycemic index of prunes is 29. Therefore, they can be eaten if you have type 2 diabetes.

But you should remember the high content of fructose - a substance that does not immediately raise blood sugar, but when massively included in the diet, aggravates the course of diabetes. Remember and limit the amount of dried plums to 5-6 pieces per day.

Can it be used during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, prunes help cope with constipation, strengthen the immune system and bone tissue, and help prevent anemia.

However, it is especially important for pregnant women to follow the dosage.

It is advisable to consume not 10-12, but 5-6 pieces per day.

Such a restriction will help avoid the development of diarrhea, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as it leads to dehydration. It will also protect against excess weight gain.

Is it possible to eat prunes while losing weight?

Prunes will help a woman get rid of extra pounds, although they contain a large amount of calories.

1. The carbohydrates contained in prunes are digested slowly, so a person, after eating prunes, feels full for a long time.

2. The fruits contain a lot of fiber, which fills the stomach, and the person also does not feel hungry.

3. A snack with prunes can replace a sandwich with butter or sausage. It will bring more benefits to the body and fewer calories.

5. Prunes do not contain saturated fats, which cause heart disease and are deposited in folds on the stomach.

6. A piece of sweet prune will help you endure a strict diet, when eating sweets is strictly prohibited. It is enough to add 3 fruits to tasteless food, and its taste improves significantly.

7. In addition, the antioxidants contained in the fruit improve mood, which often deteriorates in women when following a strict diet.

8. Eating prunes saturates the body with useful substances, which are not enough when following a strict diet.

9. Vitamin E and beta-carotene will prevent sagging and aging of the skin that occurs during weight loss. Potassium will strengthen muscles.

10. Prunes speed up metabolic processes, prevent stool retention, which promotes weight loss.

11. To lose weight, you should replace lunch with unsweetened yogurt with 4-5 pcs. prunes Yogurt can be replaced with low-calorie kefir. Fruits can be crushed in a blender, or eaten whole.

Impact on weight loss

The effect of prunes on weight loss coincides with the harmful and beneficial effects of dried apricots on the process of weight loss.

The therapeutic effects of the product include:

• its ability to saturate the body with plant fiber, which is absolutely necessary for normalizing weight;
• a positive effect on the composition of the intestinal microflora (overweight people always have a “sick” intestinal biocenosis, and disturbances in its composition stimulate further weight gain);
• antioxidant properties (according to current scientific information, obesity is directly related to low-grade inflammatory processes present in the body, which often go unnoticed).

Still, prunes for weight loss are not as useful as they might seem. And all because it has properties that encourage excess weight gain, rather than helping to get rid of it.

1. High fructose content. Just one medium-sized piece contains 1.2 grams of this carbohydrate. Fructose makes you fat. Fast and significant. Since the metabolism of this sugar is such that it all goes to the liver, where it turns into fat.
2. Stimulating the desire to eat sweets. Despite the fact that prunes are high in fiber, which usually suppresses appetite, this dried fruit can increase the desire to eat sweets. This feature is associated with the intensely sweet taste of the product, which affects the brain in such a way that a person wants to eat all the time. And not just eat, but taste sweet foods. Giving up sugar in such a situation is usually unattainable.
3. Prunes provide the body with a huge boost of energy. If a person moves actively and eats little, then such an influence is certainly useful. But if he leads a sedentary lifestyle with constant snacking, the energy charge of dried fruit leads to weight gain. After all, a person takes in significantly more energy than he burns. And it remains inside him in reserve, that is, it is transformed into fat.

Since dried fruit has both beneficial and harmful properties for weight loss, you can eat prunes for weight loss, but only a little. Moreover, dried plums have many of their beneficial properties, for example, the ability to destroy free radicals, only when they are eaten a little. Since the abundant inclusion of the product in the diet loads the body not only with antioxidants, it also contains sugars, which negate all the positive effects of the medicinal components of the meal.

There is no medically correct diet based on prunes. Just as there are no other strict dietary approaches that suggest losing weight by including one product in your diet to the detriment of all others. That is, you can lose weight this way. You may even start to starve. But you won’t be able to achieve any health benefits or sustainable weight loss this way.

However, dried plums are still more suitable for weight loss than other dried fruits, such as dried apricots or dried figs. This is due to the presence of the substance sorbitol in them, which suppresses appetite.

Prunes: contraindications

1. Prunes contain oxalates, which can cause health problems. If you have kidney or gall bladder problems, you should avoid eating dried prunes. This reduces the risk of oxalate-related kidney stones.

2. If you have an individual intolerance, you should avoid prunes.

3. Those suffering from diabetes will have to forget about eating prunes. Because prunes contain a lot of sugar.

4. Chronic diseases of the stomach or liver are a reason to eat prunes no more than 2-3 fruits. Otherwise he will have diarrhea.

This is interesting:

How to dry plums at home for the winter - in the oven, electric dryer, in the sun

What are prunes made from?

On an industrial scale, prunes are dried in ovens. The process takes 20 hours at a temperature of 75 degrees and constant humidity. The water content in such a product should be 21 - 23%. From 3 kg of fresh plums, about 1 kg of dried fruit is produced.

Plums can be dried at home. This process is not difficult, and does not require much time, except for patience. The best plums are those that fall from the trees themselves. Their skin is much softer. Make sure the fruits you select are not diseased or underripe.

1. Plums (preferably mature Hungarian ones) should be washed in hot water and then pitted. Let the fruit dry, cut them in half.
2. Fruit halves are placed on baking paper and dried in a heated oven at 85 degrees for 5-6 hours.
3. Next, the temperature is reduced to 45 degrees, for two days in a row the drying process lasts for 5 hours.
4. Drying time can be adjusted according to taste preferences. Well-dried plums should be fleshy, sweet and sour, with black shiny skin.

After cooling, prunes should be stored in a linen or paper bag in a dry and warm place.

Dishes

We have previously prepared recipes with prunes for you:

• Turtle salad;
• Tiffany salad;
• salads with veal.

They added it to compotes to enhance the aroma. For example, I really like the combination of the sweetish taste and aroma of smoking with meat dishes: beef, veal, lamb. Dried fruits add a kind of sourness and piquancy to the pilaf. Chocolate lovers can try making prunes in chocolate. This will be a very high-calorie and healthy dessert for the body.

For many years now, my family has preferred oatmeal for breakfast. In addition to prunes, we often add dried apricots, raisins, and walnuts to our porridge. The dish turns out to be light and at the same time nutritious.

Calorie content of prunes

Do not lose sight of the fact that prunes are a high-calorie dried fruit. Since the moisture from the plum is lost during the drying process, a concentrated amount of both valuable substances and calories remains in the product. Simply put, the nutritional value of the product increases many times over. Per 100 g of dried plums there are 264 kcal, and the glycemic index is 25-30, which is quite high for any product. That is why doctors consider 6 prunes per day to be the optimal dose. Provided that it is eaten in its pure form.