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Plum: useful and healing properties. Video
The homeland of plums is hot, vibrant Asia. From there, the juicy, sweet fruit with a great aroma spread throughout the world. Today there are thousands of varieties of plums – red blue, yellow, black, purple, green, amber. They make plum wine, jam, pickle and dry them, squeeze juice from them. Any kind of plum is not only tasty, but also healthy fruit.
Plum: useful and healing properties
Plum is a low-calorie fruit
plums are useful for those who are on a diet, because they contain relatively few calories, but they are high in vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds. One small plum, about 5 centimeters in diameter, contains no more than 30 calories, which is about 1,5% of the daily value recommended for a young girl with an inactive lifestyle. This amount of calories can be burned just by going up a few flights of stairs or pedaling the simulator for 3-4 minutes.
Another advantage of plums for losing weight is their low fat and carbohydrate content. One fruit contains about 0,2 grams of unsaturated fat and 7,5 grams of carbohydrates. Their low carbohydrate content makes plums one of the best foods for low-carb diets.
The low glycemic index of plums – 24 GI – not only promotes weight loss, these foods are recommended for diabetics as they do not raise blood sugar levels
Plums are an excellent source of vitamin C. Even a small fruit contains about 7% of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from free radical damage, and it also promotes the production of the vitamin-like substance carnitine, the hormone norepinephrine and collagen, an important structural protein found in almost all tissues of the human body. Plums also contain about 8% of the recommended daily value of vitamin A, which plays an important role in the health of bones, skin, hair, necessary for eye health, strong immunity and the generation of new cells. Vitamin K – also found in plums – prevents blood clotting, maintains blood pressure and regulates heart rate. This vitamin protects bone tissue from diseases caused by aging and is involved in bone metabolism. It is credited with reducing the manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease.
Minerals in plums such as potassium, fluoride, and iron are essential for the formation of red blood cells, they also contribute to normal blood pressure and healthy heart function.
One cup of diced plums will contain the following amounts of various vitamins and minerals: – 569 IU of vitamin A; – 0,046 mg vitamin B1 (thiamine); – 0,043 mg vitamin B2 (riboflavin); – 0,048 mg vitamin B6; – 15,7 mg of vitamin C; – 0,43 mg vitamin E; – 10,6 mcg vitamin K; – 0,688 mg of niacin; – 8 mcg of folic acid; – 0,223 mg of pantothenic acid; – 259 mg of potassium; – 26 mg phosphorus; – 12 mg magnesium; – 10 mg calcium; – 0,28 mg iron; – 0,086 mg manganese; – 0,094 mg copper; – 0,17 mg zinc.
The presence of niacin, vitamin B6 and phenolic acids in plums contributes to the normalization of metabolism
Antioxidant properties of plums
The antioxidant properties of plums are provided not only by vitamin C. Anthocyanins are present in plums, it is they who give the fruits their bright color, lutein, crepto- and zea-xanthines, neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids All these compounds are able to absorb free radicals and products of reactive oxygen processes that play an important a role in the aging process and in various diseases such as cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. Phytonutrients in plums are capable of inhibiting breast cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.
The laxative properties of plums, both fresh and dried, are perhaps the most widely recognized. Fresh plums – black, yellow, purple – are one of the best remedies for preventing constipation, these properties are due to the fruit’s rich fiber content, as well as pectins, fructose and sulfur. The large amount of fiber contained in plums leads to an increase in intestinal motility, causing abundant and regular, as the people say, general stool, and fructose and sulfur have laxative properties. Unlike other similar remedies, plums do not cause “lazy bowel syndrome” (the intestines only work when you take a laxative).
Other beneficial properties of plums
Regular consumption of plums promotes the production and absorption of iron by the body, which leads to improved blood circulation and the growth of healthy tissue. That is why plums are recommended for people with anemia. A daily serving of plums will save you from macular degeneration and other eye infections. Plum fruits have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system, they can fight coughs, promote expectoration and are useful for bronchitis.
Plums contain a natural substance such as oxalic acid. In the urinary tract, it can crystallize into stones – oxalates. That is why plums are not recommended for people with stones in the gall or bladder, kidneys. To avoid similar problems in the future, it is recommended to drink plenty of water while maintaining a normal urine output – a sufficient volume of urine for the removal of harmful substances.