Prunes - Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Prunes are actually plums that are dried naturally in the sun without going through a fermentation process. They are one of the healthiest foods and known for their laxative properties.

What are prunes?

Prunes are plums that have been dried out to keep them fresh longer. Prunes are deep red-brown in colour and have a chewy texture and savory-sweet taste. They are sometimes called dried plums.

Unlike fresh plums, prunes will last about six months in your pantry. When kept in a sealed container in the fridge, they can be eaten for up to a year.

The Japanese plum and the European plum are the two main types from which all other plums come. Fresh Japanese plums are bigger and have more juice. They can be yellow to medium red in colour. The fresh plums in Europe are smaller, denser, and dark blue or purple-red in colour.

Nutritional value of prunes: 

Prunes are full of healthy nutrients, and adding them to your daily diet can help you in many ways. The US Department of Agriculture says that 100 grams of prunes have 240 calories, 2.18 grams of protein, 7.1 grams of fibre, and 63.88 grams of carbohydrates.

Ways to include prunes in your diet: 

Chop prunes into small pieces and add them to hot or cold cereal to get the health benefits. You can add prune to brownies,  bread, and homemade trail mix. You can use prune pieces instead of raisins in cookie dough and muffin batter. Use prune pieces instead of raisins on pizza or in a chicken salad. Plum bits are a delicious substitute for raisins.

Is prune just winter food? 

You can eat it any time of year, not just in the winter. You can eat it as a snack. It's good for you and will help you feel full and stop binge eating. You can have it every day if you don't eat too much.

Health benefits of prunes:

1. Keeps your stomach healthy

Prunes are full of pectin, a type of soluble fibre that is known to keep your gut healthy. It helps clean out the intestines, which makes it easier to go to the bathroom. People also use it to help them go to the bathroom.

2. Anti-ageing

Antioxidants are the only thing that can help slow down the early signs of getting old. The antioxidants in prunes help fix the cells that are broken. This keeps the cells working well and stops any early signs of ageing.

3. Helps with osteoporosis

Eating dried plums can help people with osteoporosis in a big way. In general, prunes help improve bone density, especially in women who have gone through menopause.

4. Prevents anaemia

Women often don't get enough iron, which makes them tired, short of breath, irritable, and less healthy. But eating prunes every day will help you get this very important mineral back into your body.

5. Maintains sugar levels

Because the soluble fibre slows down digestion, you don't feel like eating sugar. That's why prunes help to keep a person's blood sugar level steady.

6. Helps you fall asleep

Magnesium is the mineral that helps people sleep, and prunes are a natural source of it. So, if you've been taking pills to help you sleep, try adding prunes to your diet. They will definitely help.

7. Good for your heart.

Prunes are known to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check, which is good for your heart. This is because it has fibre that dissolves in water.

8. Helps in muscles recovery

Boron is a mineral that you need to keep your muscles under control. If you hurt your muscles all the time, that's a clear sign that your body doesn't have enough boron. So, women, get lots of dried prunes.

9. Stops hair fall

Iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of hair problems like dandruff, hair loss, and greying. But the vitamin B and C in prunes makes it easier to deal with these issues.

10. Helps weight loss

Prunes that have been dried are a great snack. Also, it is a superfood that helps you keep your appetite and resist the urge to eat sweet and fatty foods. All of that is due to pectin.