Prunes successfully replace sugar, improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and make the skin beautiful and elastic. Find out 4 ways to use prunes to shed extra pounds, as well as delicious recipes using this dried fruit!
Author: Kristina Lobanovskaya, doctor, practicing nutritionist Article updated: 11/10/2020
The most aromatic and sweetest of dried fruits deserves attention not only because of its culinary qualities, but also for its health benefits, which people have long discovered and actively use for weight loss at home. This remedy for fighting extra pounds has many fans and their ranks are constantly being replenished by those who have tried this tasty diet at least once.
Paradoxically, with a fairly high calorie content (230 kcal), this dried fruit helps to effectively lose weight. Many diets point to prunes as the best snack food. This is due to the fact that the portion required to feel like a satisfying snack is negligible - only 4-5 pieces (about 40 kcal). With such an amount it is impossible to go through calories, but to feel full it is quite enough. This is because 63% of its composition is fiber, which swells in the gastrointestinal tract and gives a feeling of long-term satiety.
Dietary sweets substitute
For those who suffer from the inaccessibility of candies and sweets on a diet, these dried fruits are a great help. They can replace sugar, since they contain fruit sugars, glucose, and sucrose that are less harmful to the figure. If you chop them and add them to baked fruits, the taste of the dessert turns out to be sweet, delicate and pronounced, without any damage to harmony. Regular consumption of dried plum fruits can become a habit and completely replace the need for high-calorie snacks.
Dried plums are so beneficial that they are often recommended to be used not only for dietary nutrition, but also for children’s diets. Adding this component to compotes makes them tastier and healthier.
Not just dinner
The recipe for kefir with prunes for dinner is given above. But it can be used not only as an evening meal. There is an express diet for those who urgently need to lose two or three kilograms. We warn you that you cannot resort to it often, because there is a sharp decrease in calories consumed, and the body is not always able to withstand this.
The essence of the diet is that the person losing weight eats 100 grams of prunes and drinks 1 liter of kefir. And he doesn’t allow himself anything else for all three days. Meals are divided into 6-7 times. Finely chopped dried fruit is added to kefir, and the resulting mixture is eaten with a teaspoon for half an hour.
How prunes are made
Not all varieties of plums are suitable for this process, but only those that meet the requirements for dry matter content (19%), sugars (14%) and acids (1%). For production, the best fruits are selected, peeled and sometimes pitted. Next, natural drying or accelerated drying occurs under the influence of high temperature. The healthiest dried fruits are dried with pits, at normal temperatures (they retain maximum vitamins), but these days they are rare, since preparation technology has been accelerated for commercial purposes. When choosing between dried and smoked, for the purpose of losing weight, you need to give preference to dried, since smoked is often prepared using sugar, and the substances formed during smoking are not beneficial to health.
You can make it at home from dark blue plums by drying them in a vegetable dehydrator. It is better to store in paper bags in ventilated wooden boxes - this way there will be no doubt about the quality of the product.
Benefits and harms
It is very important that dried plums retain all the beneficial substances found in fresh fruits. But in dried fruit their concentration becomes higher due to the loss of moisture during drying, which makes it even more useful, and the content of pectin and fructose in dry fruits is much higher than in fresh ones. The presence of dried plums in the diet is indicated for anemia and spring vitamin deficiency.
Vitamins, minerals, substances of plant origin necessary for health - the list of components is extremely diverse:
- Potassium contained in dry plums affects the stable functioning of the nervous system and heart muscle, ensures the operation of the potassium-sodium pump, thereby relieving convulsive readiness, and equalizes blood pressure.
- The presence of vitamin E and beta-carotene protects cell membranes from attacks by free radicals and preserves them, protects the skin from the formation of wrinkles.
- Boron is a rare representative of the composition of plant products and is important in the process of bone tissue formation. As a result of the joint work of boron, vitamin D and calcium, you can become the owner of strong bones and teeth, and also not have problems with blood clotting.
- The iron content is impressive: 2.1 mg per 100 grams of product. This parameter allows you to maintain blood hemoglobin at the proper level and ensure the transport of oxygen to all cells of the body.
- Zinc and selenium from dry plums make hair voluminous and prevent baldness, and strengthen the nail plate and allow nails to grow faster.
- Copper coming from dried fruits gives the skin and hair normal pigmentation and serves for the absorption of iron.
- The organic acids present in the composition are necessary in order to maintain the acid-base balance, provide an antiseptic effect and activate peristalsis of the intestinal mucosa.
Despite all the above advantages, you need to remember that uncontrolled consumption of prunes can provoke excessive gas formation in the intestines, diarrhea and dehydration. Therefore, you need to adhere to reasonable measures in consuming even such a useful product.
What are the benefits of prunes for weight loss?
In order to understand whether it is useful for weight loss, you need to familiarize yourself with its basic properties and characteristics. Due to its balanced composition, this dried fruit exhibits a wide range of positive effects on the human body.
- The glycemic index of prunes is only 29 (for comparison: the glycemic index of sugar is 70). This important characteristic should be of interest not only to people with diabetes. This parameter is directly responsible for stabilizing sugar levels and insulin secretion, and insulin is a catalyst for the body’s metabolism. The smoother your blood sugar level, the less fat your body stores.
- Dried fruit, due to its pectin content, can reduce cholesterol levels. The more active you are in getting rid of cholesterol, the faster the weight loss process occurs.
- Prunes contain sufficient fiber to ensure a large volume of food entering the stomach, free from fats, which are enemies of the figure. It helps you avoid unnecessary snacking and consuming large amounts of calories.
- This dried fruit exhibits the properties of a natural antidepressant. The importance of this factor is difficult to overestimate for those who have ever followed a diet. With this component, the possibility of sudden mood swings, depressed emotional state and sleep disturbances is excluded. Moreover, it has a positive effect on brain function and improves mental activity.
- The high content of antioxidants helps neutralize the effects of free radicals on the body's cells, preserving the integrity of DNA molecules and thereby prolonging youth.
- The fiber contained in dried fruit helps maintain efficient bowel function, relieves constipation and other digestive problems. Prune fiber contains 7.1 g of soluble and insoluble fiber per 100 g of product. Soluble fibers actively absorb blood cholesterol, while insoluble fibers are involved in the process of glucose control. In addition, soluble fiber stores water from the large intestine, thereby softening stool and facilitating easy bowel movements. The presence of insoluble fibers in fiber is considered one of the preventive factors in the fight against benign and malignant intestinal tumors. Dried fruit fiber stimulates another important process: fats that enter the gastrointestinal tract do not have time to be completely absorbed, but are disposed of along with excrement due to the enhancement of motor function by soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.
- It was found that this dried fruit contains sorbitol and diphenysatine. Both of these substances exhibit the ability to have a mild laxative effect, which everyone who ate prunes experienced. Together with this effect, toxins are removed and other toxic substances are eliminated from the body, so systematic consumption of dry plums improves digestion and helps get rid of extra pounds.
- Anthocyanin contained in dietary fiber helps restore skin elasticity and smoothness after significant weight loss, preventing the appearance of cellulite.
What's in prunes?
Dried or dried prunes retain all the beneficial properties of fresh fruits, and due to the evaporation of moisture, the concentration of these substances increases. In terms of its chemical composition and beneficial components necessary for the functioning of the body, it is superior to other dried fruits and has a fairly high calorie content. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (BJU) is: 1:0.3:25.
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Any diet implies some dietary restrictions, so the body receives not only fewer calories, but also fewer vitamins and elements. Eating dried fruit in your diet can solve this problem.
Important! The iron in prunes (2.4 mg) makes it an indispensable product for health, especially for women. And copper (385 mcg) ensures the delivery of iron from reserves, promotes its absorption and the production of red cells. Copper also ensures the movement of oxygen to the muscles.
Prune diet rules
There are several methods of consuming dry plums for weight loss:
- As a basic or additional product for organizing fasting days.
- For snacks between main meals.
- Used as a main component of the diet.
- As a natural laxative of average effectiveness.
If you decide to use a prune diet, you need to know the basic requirements, which will be the key to quick success and guarantee visible results without harm to the body.
- Salty, smoked, sweet and baked goods in the diet should be kept to a minimum or eliminated.
- Water consumption should be at least 2 liters per day.
- Do not eat less than 3 hours before bedtime.
- Ensuring normal physical activity: lying down around the clock and at the same time losing weight is not realistic on any diet.
How to choose the right prunes
Appearance is an indicator of the quality of this product. It is important to remember a few points for choosing the right fruits so as not to purchase low-quality dried fruits.
- Pay attention to the color: blue or brown color is not suitable, this is a sign of treatment with harmful chemicals that prolong shelf life and prevent the appearance of insects, but have a harmful effect on health. In this case, the fruits should be thoroughly washed under running water, although this measure does not completely eradicate the problem. Properly prepared dried fruits should be black and slightly shiny. Excessively shiny fruits are treated with a special reagent before drying - sulfur bisulfate, which does not make them any healthier.
- The fruits should be soft, not dry, but quite elastic.
- The presence of a pronounced white coating is evidence of the onset of mold. Eating such a product can result in food poisoning, so you need to avoid it.
- To taste, prunes should be sweet, with a slight sourness. The presence of a bitter taste is a bad indicator; such dried fruits are rejected.
Californian prunes have the richest nutritional composition, however, it does not differ much between different varieties.
Drink recipe
Reviews and results from people who use kefir with plums for weight loss confirm the effectiveness of the drink. By submitting an application for a month, replacing one of your meals, you can lose weight from 3 to 5 kg.
- 250 ml kefir;
- 5 plums;
- 5g. honey
Rinse dried fruits under running water, add boiling water, leave for 10 minutes. After draining, dry on a paper towel. Cut into small pieces and mix with kefir and honey. To get a delicate airy structure, beat it in a shaker.
Diet menu
Dried plum fruits are used both as part of mono-diets for weight loss, and as one of the main components of the diet, working together with a number of other products. People who care about safe weight loss are recommended to eat 6-8 fruits daily, and in the evening drink a drink prepared according to the recipes given below. This approach not only helps get rid of excess deposits, but also improves the condition of the immune system. This occurs due to the presence of vitamin C, a building material for the formed components of the immune system.
Fasting days on prunes
For those who practice fasting days, it will come in handy. You must first steam the dried fruits in warm water and eat 100 g of them at a time. There should be 5–6 such approaches per day, at intervals of 2–3.5 hours. The infusion in which the prunes were steamed should not be poured out. Some of the nutrients are transferred into it, so you can drink it between meals. Mineral still water and herbal infusions without sugar will help maintain water balance.
Diet for 3 days
This express diet is used if you need rapid weight loss and a reduction in body volume in the hips and abdomen. In 3 days, weight loss is 2–3 kg. This diet is low-calorie and activates the processes of urination and bowel movements, so in the case of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or urinary system, the body may react with exacerbations.
During this course, the main ingredients are prunes and kefir. It is better to use kefir with low fat content. The daily norm will be the consumption of 1.2 liters of kefir and 100 g of dried fruit (about 100 kcal). The entire volume must be divided into 6-7 meals. If desired, you can prepare cocktails from the components: beat the dried fruit with kefir in a blender. You can pre-infuse the fruits in kefir, then they will become softer. It is advisable to drink or eat a portion of food slowly, with a spoon, so the laxative effect will appear faster.
For 7 days
This diet shows excellent results: you can lose 4 kg in a week. Weight loss will happen easily, the feeling of hunger will not attack. In addition, the process will occur physiologically and will even help saturate the body with vitamins and nutrients, which will affect overall well-being and appearance.
This course is often prescribed during therapy for people suffering from obesity, as one of the most harmless. The sweet dried fruit affects the composition of a person’s blood for 7 days, significantly reducing the content of triglycerides (fat derivatives), which causes gradual healthy weight loss.
The method is based on the fact that the daily menu contains no more than 1200 kcal for the entire week. At the same time, the diet is represented by various food groups in a wide range of products. It contains fresh and prepared vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, meat, dairy products and whole grains (except for rice).
The approximate menu for one day looks like this:
- Breakfast: 100 g of any porridge with 1 prune, a cup of green tea.
- Lunch: a glass of kefir and prunes.
- Lunch: vegetable soup, vegetable stew with meat, a piece of fish or seafood - 100 g, prune compote.
- Afternoon snack: a glass of kefir and prunes.
- Dinner: fruit salad with dried plums, seasoned with kefir. (Sometimes, instead of salad, eat 100 g of lean meat, fish or seafood).
- Late dinner: cocktail of dried fruit and kefir.
If you want to get a more pronounced result, then the kefir used should be low-fat, and the portions should be minimal.
On kefir and prunes
Both products are often used in various types of diets, and using them together gives even better results. In a blender you need to beat a glass of low-fat kefir and 8 pcs. dried fruit The cocktail turns out delicious and very healthy. Every evening, instead of dinner, you need to drink a glass of such a cocktail, while breakfast and lunch cannot be strictly adjusted. The only requirement: completely eliminate sweets from your diet.
This cocktail has a very pronounced diuretic and laxative effect, so drinking it during breakfast and dinner is not recommended: this will cause inconvenience associated with frequent visits to the toilet throughout the day.
Cottage cheese with prunes
If kefir is not on the list of favorite foods, then an alternative to the previous diet can be a type of diet in which kefir is replaced with cottage cheese. For daily dinner you need to mix 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese and 8 dried fruits. Otherwise, you should adhere to the general rules of losing weight: reduce portions, do not eat before bed, exercise and drink plenty of water.
This diet is not designed for a long period, the optimal time is up to two weeks.
Dried apricots and prunes
Basic products of this type of nutrition successfully remove toxins and waste accumulations from the body. This will allow you to lose weight steadily if your diet is subsequently adjusted and becomes consistent with the principle of excess energy expenditure (which is achieved by high physical activity). This method will not result in rapid weight loss, but it can speed up metabolism and regulate metabolic processes.
The product prepared for this diet is called “sweet candy,” which indicates its pleasant sweet taste. The dish that provides the effect in this case consists of the following ingredients:
- 100 g prunes;
- 100 g dried apricots;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of senna herb;
- 50 g flax seeds.
All components must be minced twice and placed in the refrigerator in a closed glass container. Eat 1 dessert spoon of the mixture half an hour before breakfast and after dinner.
The product has a strong laxative, diuretic and choleretic effect, so this method is not suitable for people with liver or gallbladder dysfunction.
Oatmeal with prunes
Oatmeal dishes cooked in water are consumed for 7–10 days. Adding sugar to dietary oatmeal is prohibited, but adding sweet dried fruit not only does not slow down weight loss, but, on the contrary, accelerates it. This happens because during oatmeal diets, the main problem is constipation. Adding prunes to porridge makes this moment easier, since its dietary fiber makes the intestines empty more often. In a week, this dish eliminates 5 kg of excess weight.
Throughout all days, it is important to maintain a drinking regime and consume at least 2 liters of liquid in the form of water or tea without sugar.
Multi-component diet with prunes
The duration of such a diet is not limited to a certain number of days, since such a diet is not stressful, supplies all the nutritional components necessary for excellent well-being and fully saturates the body.
An approximate menu for 2 days is developed according to the following scheme.
Day 1
- Breakfast: 100 g of oatmeal, rice or buckwheat porridge with prunes, coffee without sugar.
- Lunch: 2 dried fruits softened in water.
- Lunch: vegetable soup (cabbage soup or borscht) with rye croutons, 100 g of chicken or turkey.
- Afternoon snack: 2 dried fruits.
- Dinner: 150 g low-fat cottage cheese and 3 dried fruits.
Day 2
- Breakfast: 2 chicken eggs (boiled or raw), 1 apple, two dry plums, black coffee without sugar.
- Lunch: 2 dried fruits.
- Lunch: vegetable salad, 150 g of boiled fish fillet.
- Afternoon snack: 2 dried fruits.
- Dinner: vegetable salad dressed with olive oil, 200 g of lean meat, 3 dried fruits.
The menu of these 2 days needs to be alternated, you can subject it to changes, adhering to the general rules of a healthy diet. Only the main component will remain unchanged - prunes and dishes based on them.
Cocktail of kefir and prunes for weight loss
The method for preparing such a cocktail is extremely simple - use a blender to mix dried fruits with low-fat kefir and drink a glass of this mixture every evening instead of dinner. A glass of kefir will require about eight berries.
Eat as usual throughout the day. The only recommendation: abstain or limit sweets in your diet as much as possible.
This recipe gives a good diuretic and laxative effect, so nutritionists do not recommend drinking this cocktail for breakfast or lunch.
