The benefits and harms of prunes for the body. Why are prunes useful?
One of the healthiest and most delicious dried fruits available in almost all regions is prunes. Drying, as a way of harvesting fruit for future use, has been used for several centuries, but this has not lost its relevance. When plum fruits are dried, they do not lose their beneficial properties, as when pickling and boiling, preserving all vitamins and microelements.
Prunes are obtained from the sweet, fleshy and dense fruits of the "Hungarian" variety, or Hungarian plum, which has a small pit.
Content:
- Composition and calorie content
- What are the benefits of prunes for the body?
- The benefits of prunes for women
- The use of prunes in dietetics
- The use of prunes in cooking
- Harm of prunes and contraindications to use
- How to choose prunes?
- Cooking beetroot salad with prunes:
Composition and calorie content
- Fats: 0.4 g
- Proteins: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.9 g
-
Water:
23.8 g
- Ash: 2.2 g
- Cellulose: 7.1 g
| Vitamins (per 100 g): | amount | % RDA |
| Vitamin K | 59.5 mcg | 49.6% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 1.5-3.0 mg | 15.1% |
| Beta carotene | 10 mg | 10.2% |
| Vitamin B3 (PP, nicotinic acid) | 1.9-2.0 mg | 9.6% |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | 0.46 mg | 9.2% |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.06-0.09 mg | 9.1% |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 2-5 mg | five% |
Minerals (in 100 g): |
amount |
% RDA |
| Boron | 57.2 mcg | 81% |
| Silicon | 19.5 mg | 65% |
| Rubidium | 44 μg |
44% |
| Nickel | 62 μg | 41% |
| Cobalt | 4.0 μg | 40% |
| Copper | 370-390 mcg | 38% |
| Chromium | 11.3 mcg | 22% |
| Manganese | 360-390 mcg | 18% |
| Vanadium | 6.1 μg | fifteen% |
| Molybdenum | 9.6 mcg | fourteen% |
| Potassium | 55-609 mg | 13% |
| Phosphorus | 72.9-84.7 mg | ten% |
| Magnesium | 19.5-48.5 mg | nine% |
| Iron | 0.4-2.1 mg | eight% |
Other important connections:
- Phytosterols - 8.5 mg (15.5% of the RDI)
- Purines - 8.0 mg (6.7% of the RDI)
Complete chemical composition ➤
What are the benefits of prunes for the body?
The extremely rich composition of the fruit allows you to saturate the body with vitamins and microelements. It is useful in that it exhibits properties of a strong antioxidant, ridding cells of free radicals, positively affecting well-being.
The benefits of prunes:
- Prevention of constipation - plum fiber is a mild laxative, improves the passage of the food bolus through the gastrointestinal tract;
- Antiseptic properties in infectious diseases, suppression of the growth of salmonella, E. coli, sanitation of the oral cavity, prevention of caries;
- Regulation of high blood pressure;
- Prevention of vitamin deficiency and iron deficiency anemia;
- The high content of B vitamins and glucose helps to improve memory and stimulate the work of brain cells;
- Vitamins of groups A, C, E help to improve vision, prevent ophthalmic pathologies;
- B vitamins help to strengthen the nervous system, fight depression;
- An increase in gastric acid secretion and the associated increase in appetite helps to gain weight in case of its deficiency;
- Antioxidants of prunes prevent the appearance of malignant transformation of body cells;
- The calcium contained in dried fruit is used to prevent osteoporosis.
In addition to valuable medicinal properties, prunes bring pleasant taste sensations when consumed. Despite their calorie content and high sugar content, small amounts of prunes can be used in diets to correct excess weight for short-term "snacks" when you want something sweet.
The benefits of prunes for women
It is extremely useful, according to American scientists, to consume prunes for women during menopause for the prevention of osteoporosis. This disease overtakes women when a sharp decrease in the hormone estrogen in their body becomes a provoking factor for the accelerated leaching of calcium from the bones.
Only 100 g consumed daily becomes a means of preventing osteoporosis. The combination of boron, calcium and vitamin D in this fruit makes up for the lack of them in the female body.
During pregnancy, prunes are not contraindicated in a woman expecting a baby. It is a source of valuable vitamins and minerals and is an excellent remedy for the prevention of constipation. The normalization of the stool, which so often bothers a pregnant woman with constipation, occurs gently, without side effects for the development of the fetus.
The use of prunes in dietetics
When dried, prunes retain all the beneficial properties of the original product - black plum. This is one of the most useful dried fruits known to the human body today.
Prunes are used on the recommendation of nutritionists for weight correction, treatment and health maintenance. Removing toxins from the body, optimizing metabolism are only part of the beneficial properties of prunes. In addition to being used in dietary nutrition, prunes are an excellent alternative to sweets, so they can be replaced in the diet.
For prunes to become a full-fledged component of various dishes, they need to be soaked for 1.5-2.5 hours. If you try 1-2 prunes, most likely, your appetite will build up, and you will have a craving for delicious dishes. If you eat 5-7 pieces, the feeling of hunger will not be so bright, and it is quite possible that you will not want to have lunch or dinner at all.
If you use prunes in your diet for weight correction, the best combination would be to use them with raw grated carrots, boiled beets. You can add lemon juice or kefir to a salad made from these ingredients, which enhance the beneficial properties of prunes for our body.
For those who have a history of diabetes mellitus or an allergy to plums, it is better to refrain from consuming this dried fruit, as it contains a lot of glucose.
The use of prunes in cooking
The beneficial properties of prunes and their harmonious taste are most fully revealed when used in various dishes and drinks. It is a part of medicinal broths and infusions, is an irreplaceable component of meat dishes from beef, duck, goose, pork. In salads with mushrooms, the use of prunes gives the appetizer a sweetish flavor.
Pastry baked goods will be decorated with a filling of prunes, both from a single ingredient and in combination with various fruits and berries. The food industry uses prunes as an ingredient in cakes, rolls and pastries. Chopped into small pieces, it perfectly complements and in some cases replaces raisins.
Connoisseurs of cooking and ordinary people are sure that in addition to taste and nutritional value, dishes should also be healthy for the body. Such a healthy dish, which compensates for the lack of vitamins in winter, as well as increases immunity, is a vitamin salad made from grated walnuts, chopped prunes and honey as a dressing.
Harm of prunes and contraindications to use
It is hard to believe that such a useful product can have contraindications or harm the body.
- High carbohydrate content is dangerous for diabetics.
- Those who are obese should limit their intake of this dried fruit.
- Prunes should be limited to women who are breastfeeding. Its laxative properties can cause baby's diarrhea, bowel cramps, or allergies.
- In case of kidney stones, prunes are also contraindicated, since they provoke renal colic.
- Allergies and individual intolerance in adults are absolute contraindications to the use of dried fruit.
How to choose prunes?
In everyday life, when buying prunes, the consumer pays attention to their appearance.
Properties of quality prunes:
- Fruits are dark blue, almost black;
- Good prunes are firm and soft to the touch, not overdried;
- The lack of shine indicates that the berries were not treated with fat or glycerin to give them a presentation.
- The taste of high-quality dried fruit is sweet and sour, without bitterness.
Purchased prunes should not be stored in a plastic bag or plastic container. It is placed in paper bags or glass containers with a lid, stored in a dry and dark place. Before use, dried fruit is thoroughly washed with hot water.
Cooking beetroot salad with prunes:
The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist
Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).
