The benefits and harms of prunes for the body. What is useful prunes?

One of the healthiest and tastiest dried fruits available in almost all regions is prunes. Drying, as a way of harvesting fruits for future use, has been used for several centuries, but this has not lost its relevance. When drying plum fruits, they do not lose their useful properties, as in pickling and cooking, retaining all vitamins and microelements.

Prunes are obtained from sweet, fleshy and dense fruits of the Hungarian variety, or Hungarian plum, which have a small stone.

Composition and calorie content

Other important connections:

• Phytosterols — 8,5 mg (15,5% of RDI)

• Purine — 8,0 mg (6,7% of RDI)

What is useful prunes for the body?

The exceptionally rich composition of the fruit allows you to saturate the body with vitamins and microelements. It is useful in that it exhibits the 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, Escherichia coli, sanitation of the oral cavity, prevention of caries;

• Regulation of high blood pressure;

• Prevention of avitaminosis and iron deficiency anemia;

• The high content of B vitamins and glucose improves memory and stimulates the work of brain cells;

• Vitamins of groups A, C, E help improve vision, prevent ophthalmic pathologies;

• B vitamins help strengthen the nervous system, fight depression;

• An increase in the secretion of gastric juice and the associated increase in appetite helps to gain weight when it is deficient;

• Prunes antioxidants prevent the occurrence of malignant transformation of body cells;

• The calcium contained in the dried fruit serves to prevent osteoporosis.

In addition to valuable medicinal properties, prunes bring a pleasant taste sensation 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 sweets.

[Video] 7 iron reasons to eat prunes every day (here is the effect):

The benefits of prunes for women

It is extremely useful, according to American scientists, to use prunes for women during menopause to prevent 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 for a woman who is expecting a child. It is a source of valuable vitamins and minerals and an excellent remedy for the prevention of constipation. The normalization of the stool, which so often disturbs pregnant women 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 useful properties of the original product – black plums. This is one of the most beneficial dried fruits for the human body known today.

Prunes are used on the recommendation of nutritionists for weight correction, treatment and maintaining health. Removal of toxins from the body, optimization of metabolism – 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.

In order 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 pieces of prunes, most likely, your appetite will play out, and you will have a craving for delicious dishes. If you eat 5-7 pieces, the feeling of hunger will not be so vivid, and it is quite possible that you will not want to have lunch or dinner at all.

If you use prunes in a diet for weight correction, the best combination would be to use it with raw grated carrots, boiled beets. Lemon juice or kefir can be added to a salad of these ingredients, which enhance the beneficial properties of prunes for our body.

Those who have a history of diabetes mellitus or an allergy to plums should refrain from eating this dried fruit, as it contains a lot of glucose.

The use of prunes in cooking

The beneficial properties of prunes and its harmonious taste are most fully revealed when used as part of various dishes and drinks. It is part of the healing decoctions and infusions, is an indispensable component of meat dishes from beef, duck, goose, pork. In salads with mushrooms, the use of prunes gives the appetizer a sweetish tint.

Sweet pastries will be decorated with prunes filling, both from the only ingredient, and in combination with various fruits and berries. The food industry uses prunes as a component of cakes, buns and pastries. Cut into small pieces, it perfectly complements, and in some cases replaces raisins.

Culinary connoisseurs and ordinary people are sure that in addition to taste and nutritional value, dishes should also be beneficial to the body. Such a healthy dish that makes up for the lack of vitamins in winter, as well as boosting immunity, is a vitamin salad made from grated walnuts, chopped prunes and honey as a dressing.

Harm of prunes and contraindications for 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 suffer from obesity should limit their consumption of this dried fruit.

• Women who are breastfeeding a child should consume prunes to a limited extent. Its laxative properties can cause diarrhea in a baby, cause intestinal spasms or allergies.

• With urolithiasis of the kidneys, prunes are also contraindicated, as it provokes renal colic.

• Allergy 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 its appearance.

Properties of quality prunes:

• The fruits are dark blue, almost black;

• To the touch, good prunes are elastic and soft, not overdried;

• The lack of gloss indicates that the berries were not treated with fat or glycerin to give 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 in plastic containers. It is placed in paper bags or in glass containers with a lid, stored in a dry and dark place. Before use, dried fruit is thoroughly washed with hot water.

Two of the best salads with prunes:

[Video] Beet salad with prunes and walnuts: