By Valerie Lull MH
Dried Plums
Dried plums have been used for decades for various disorders. Our grandparents called them prunes. I remember my grandfather drinking a glass of prune juice every night before going to bed.The folks in the prune industry found that people responded much more favorably to the name “Dried Plums”, than the name prunes, so in the United States they changed the name.
Prunes are best known for promoting regularity. But did you know they have a host of other health benefits? They are used for weight loss, diabetes, cancer prevention and even osteoporosis.
Prunes are full of beneficial nutrients. They contain good things like vitamins A, B complex, C and K, copper, fiber, iron, boron and potassium. They contain prebiotics which means they feed the healthy bacteria in your gut. Prunes also have antioxidants that help to fight free radicals. This is important for slowing down chronic diseases that are part of the ageing process.
Can prunes help with weight loss? A study was done at the University of Liverpool. A group of 100 overweight people were given prunes as part of a weight loss study for twelve weeks. The folks in the study were divided into 2 groups. The group that got prunes experienced greater weight loss than the group that did not receive prunes.
Can prunes help high blood pressure? A study was done to see if prunes had an effect on hypertension. The results showed a significant reduction in blood pressure and the conclusion of the study was that the data showed positive effects of prunes on the cardiovascular system.
In 2011 a study was done on prunes and osteoporosis. The researchers compared dried apples and dried prunes on a group of 160 women who were not on hormone therapy. They were assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups. one group got dried plums and the other group got dried apples. The results of the study were that the dried plum group had significant increased bone density in the spine.
I like prunes because they taste good and make a delicious sweet snack. Perhaps we should pay more attention to the lowly prune because it can do more than just have a laxative effect.
Check out my website at www.valerielull.com
References
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/plums.htmlhttp:// http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=35
University of Liverpool. “Eating prunes can help weight loss, study shows.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 May 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140530124331.htm>.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21409897 http://
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