Content
- 1 What are the benefits of prunes?
- 2 What are the benefits of prunes for the body?
- 3 Prunes: benefits and harms for a woman’s body
- 4 Benefits of prunes for men
- 5 The benefits of prunes for children
- 6 Prunes in folk medicine
- 7 The benefits of prunes for weight loss
- 8 Restrictions and contraindications for taking prunes
- 9 Conclusion
The benefits and harms of prunes approximately balance each other. Dried fruit helps the cardiovascular system and promotes weight gain, which leads to cardiovascular diseases. Helps with constipation and is dangerous for patients with diabetes, who often suffer from constipation.
Dried fruits are produced from plums of the “Hungarian” variety. The drupe itself has all the same properties as dried fruit, but “diluted with water.” Drying fruits and vegetables has been known since ancient times. This is the easiest and cheapest way to stock up for the winter.
It turned out that this is the method that allows you to preserve the maximum of nutrients in plant products. If heat treatment for canning destroys many vitamins, drying allows them to be preserved. Prunes from which water has been removed are valuable for their concentrated complex of minerals and vitamins.
What are the benefits of prunes?
The chemical composition of drupes of this variety is one of the richest among fruits. This is the real benefit of prunes. It works even on those 20% of the population who are not susceptible to self-hypnosis. Dried fruit contains:
- organic acids: malic, citric, oxalic;
- pectins;
- cellulose;
- macroelements: potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium;
- trace elements: zinc, iron;
- healthy sugars, of which 57% are glucose. The remaining 43% is divided between fructose and sucrose;
- complex of vitamins.
The beneficial properties of prunes are determined by a unique set of macroelements.
But fruits also contain sugar, which is harmful. Moreover, the amount of sugar exceeds the amount of glucose.
Vitamin content in prunes
Drupes contain vitamins of four groups:
- retinol;
- beta-carotene;
- B₁;
- В₂;
- В₃ (РР);
- В₅;
- В₆;
- B₉;
- WITH;
- E;
- TO.
Due to the amount of vitamins in one type of fruit, prunes are considered one of the most useful and have a wide spectrum of action.
Group A
Responsible for vision and antioxidant protection of the body. Deficiency leads to blindness. Blindness can be cured by introducing vitamin A into the diet. Prunes can be of considerable benefit in this regard.
But excess does even more harm than its deficiency.A single dose of 25,000 IU/kg leads to acute poisoning, and daily consumption of 4,000 IU/kg for six months leads to chronic poisoning.
Group B
B₁ or thiamine is responsible for the activity of the central nervous system. Harm from deficiency: severe disorders develop, including beriberi disease. Harm in excess: causes deficiency of copper, vitamins B₂ and B₃.
В₂, aka riboflavin, is responsible for the health of the skin, reproductive function, growth regulation, formation of red blood cells, and thyroid function. In fact, riboflavin is responsible for the health of the entire body. Harm due to deficiency: the functioning of the entire body is disrupted.
В₃, aka PP or nicotinic acid is responsible for the activity of the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, protects the cardiovascular system, and prevents the occurrence of blood clots. Nicotinic acid is also involved in the formation of hormones. Due to the high content of nicotinic acid, prunes are especially beneficial for women.
B₅ or pantothenic acid is responsible for metabolism in the body. Increased fatigue, depression, fatigue, insomnia are a consequence of a lack of this pantothenic acid.
В₆, he's an adermin. The main source is animal meat. Prunes are one of the few plant products from which adermin can be obtained. In this regard, its benefits for vegetarians are difficult to overestimate.
B₉ or folic acid. Harm due to deficiency: growth retardation and impaired hematopoiesis. In humans, folic acid is produced by intestinal microflora and its deficiency can only occur in cases of serious disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract. The fruit can be of great benefit in restoring intestinal function.
Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid is a multi-tasking substance.Scurvy is the most well-known consequence of harm caused by its deficiency. In general, hypovitaminosis C causes a weakening of the immune system. Prunes provide benefits by increasing the amount of ascorbic acid in the body.
Vitamin E
The main role is to protect cell membranes from oxidation. The harm from a lack of vitamin E manifests itself in a wide variety of ways: from infertility and muscular dystrophy to liver necrosis and softening of the brain.
Vitamin K
Deficiency leads to serious changes in the body:
- ossification of cartilage;
- deformations of developing bones;
- internal bleeding;
- salt deposits on the walls of blood vessels.
Considering the consequences of a lack of vitamins, the benefit of prunes is that they help replenish a whole complex of missing vitamins.
Calorie content of prunes
This item goes under the “harm” column. Due to the removal of water during drying, the calorie content of all dried fruits increases greatly and cannot be used for weight loss. But you can gain weight due to large amounts of sugar and carbohydrates without even noticing. The calorie content of prunes per 100 g may vary even among dried ones. Depending on the degree and method of drying, the number of calories in prunes will differ.
Some manufacturers prefer to under-dry plums so that, with the same package weight, the consumption of fresh plums is less. This dried fruit is characterized by high humidity and sticks to your hands, as if boiled in sugar syrup. When determining calorie content, you will have to look at the packaging, but there is no guarantee that the data is correct.
Calorie content of fresh prunes
The calorie content of fresh plums is significantly lower than that of dried fruits. 100 g of fresh prunes contain only 249 kJ of calories, that is, 60 kcal.Considering that plums of this variety weigh 50–100 g, the calorie content of 1 piece of fresh prunes can range from 30 to 60 kcal.
Just 100 g of fresh plums contains:
- proteins 0.6 g;
- fat 1.75 g;
- carbohydrates 15.44 g.
The amount of energy and carbohydrates in fresh fruit is small and can be misleading. When dried, the picture changes. The benefit of fresh fruit is that you cannot eat too much of it.
Calorie content of dried prunes without seeds
The calorie content of dried prunes increases 4 times. 100 g of dried plums contain 240 kcal. The carbohydrate content increases from 15.5% to 96%. The amount of fat decreases, as it is partially rendered during drying, and as a result, instead of 1.75%, the fat content in prunes is less than 1%. The protein content, like carbohydrates, also increases almost 6 times: from 0.6% to 3.2%.
What are the benefits of prunes for the body?
Prunes are one of the few products of natural origin that are recommended by official medicine. The benefits of prunes for the human body are not only the well-known laxative effect. In addition to this, he still has a lot of “responsibilities”:
- prevention of caries;
- disinfection of the body during intestinal infectious diseases;
- blood pressure regulation;
- prevention of vitamin deficiency;
- stimulation of brain function;
- improved vision;
- strengthening the immune system;
- strengthening the central nervous system;
- improved secretion of gastric juice;
- prevention of osteoporosis.
From the point of view of overweight people, this type of dried fruit causes only harm. But for people who are underweight, dried plums are beneficial. High-calorie dried fruits are used if you need to gain weight.
The large amount of calcium in prunes helps slow down the development of osteoporosis.Women benefit especially greatly in this regard, since they experience accelerated leaching of calcium from their bones during menstruation.
Prunes: benefits and harms for a woman’s body
Prunes bring significant benefits to a woman’s body during menopause. At this time, a sharp decrease in estrogen provokes increased leaching of calcium from the bones.
To prevent harm from osteoporosis, just 100 g of dried plums per day is enough. They contain all the elements necessary to inhibit progressive osteoporosis.
During pregnancy, plums also do not cause harm, but their benefits are enormous. They are a source of a whole range of useful substances and help normalize stool. Since during pregnancy women are often bothered by constipation, the help of dried fruits will be very helpful.
How to take prunes during pregnancy
During pregnancy, the main benefit of plums is the prevention of constipation. It is also the main harm, since careless use of this natural laxative can lead to gastrointestinal upset. But in general, there are no contraindications to consuming dried plums during pregnancy and they do not cause harm.
In order not to suffer from the disorder, you just need to follow the measure: no more than 5 pieces of drupes per day, preferably no more than 2 times a week. The latter is adjusted depending on the state of the body.
Take prunes in pure form, in decoction or in a mixture with other products.
Is it possible to eat prunes while breastfeeding?
When breastfeeding, prunes will only cause harm to children.Even the consumption of dried fruit by the mother can cause intestinal upset in the baby, since the child will receive the substances that make up prunes through mother’s milk.
Benefits of prunes for men
For a man’s body, the benefits of prunes are almost the same as for a woman. But in addition to the prevention of high blood pressure, from which many overweight men suffer, the prevention of problems with potency is also added.
The harm is also mainly associated with the high calorie content of dried fruit. Overweight men should not abuse this delicacy.
The benefits of prunes for children
Benefits for children can suddenly turn into harm. Although dried plums contain a lot of useful substances, when dried they form a large amount of acrylamide, which is a carcinogen and neurotoxin. The reasons for the appearance of this substance are unclear, since it is usually formed at temperatures above 100°C. The technology for manufacturing dried fruits does not provide for such temperatures, but, nevertheless, acrylamide is formed on prunes and peaches.
The benefits of eating fruit are also significant. Children receive many of the elements they lack.
Prunes in folk medicine
The main and almost the only use of plums in folk medicine is as a laxative. Although in fact, prunes bring much more benefits in regulating the cardiovascular system and blood pressure.
Prunes for constipation
A very effective remedy if you do not want to use laxative medications. It is superior in action to dried apricots. But it will certainly give way to the storm. For constipation, you can use it in its “pure” form or make a decoction.
It is of great benefit for hemorrhoids, softening the stool.There are benefits from fruits in preventing exacerbations.
How to eat prunes for constipation
You can use prunes for constipation:
- straight from the package without prior preparation;
- with kefir;
- in the form of a decoction;
- mixed with other products.
Taking it out of the package and eating it is the easiest way, but the body tends to get used to food. After a few days, you will need the entire package to receive the benefits. Therefore, the consumption of dried fruits needs to be diversified somehow.
Several recipes:
- Rinse the plums in hot water and soak in kefir for 2-3 hours. You can eat up to 20 prunes per day.
- Grind prunes and mix with honey. Take 1 tsp. in the morning.
- Brew 15 drupes with boiling water in the evening and let it brew until morning. Use during the day in three equal portions.
- Grind equal parts of dried apricots and prunes. Mix the resulting mass with honey. Take 1 tsp. in the morning on an empty stomach. Children after 1 year: ½ tsp.
- Soak equal parts of dried apricots, prunes and figs for 2-3 hours. Mix with cinnamon and grind. Make small balls. For constipation, take 4-6 pcs. in a day.
- Boil 200 g prunes for 20 minutes. with 75 g sugar over low heat. Cool and strain. Dosage for adults – 1 tbsp. spoon. If a child who is breastfed has constipation, the mother should take the infusion.
The benefits of using these recipes are easy stool softening.
Prunes during pregnancy for constipation
Dried fruits do not cause any harm during pregnancy. In case of constipation in a pregnant woman, she can use the above recipes. It is only important not to overdo it and not cause diarrhea, otherwise there will be more harm than good.
Prune decoction for constipation for babies
The digestive system of an infant under 4 months is not yet ready to absorb the entire complex of substances contained in prunes. Drinking prune decoction as a remedy for constipation when breastfeeding a newborn can cause serious harm to the baby. In this case, the mother's diet is reviewed.
How to give prunes for constipation to children
If prunes are only harmful to an infant, then children over one year old can be slowly given prunes in case of constipation. But if for adults the norm is 3-4 plums a day, then children need to start giving prunes with a decoction and starting with 1 teaspoon.
How to brew prunes for constipation for adults
Instead of brewing prunes for constipation, it would be easier to eat them like this, but if you have a problem with weight or these fruits are not your favorite, then it is easier to use a decoction. The decoction recipe is simple: 4-5 dried fruits per glass of water. Pour hot water over the plums and boil over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for about 5 hours.
With less fruit or more water, you get a compote of dried fruits, which was often served in canteens before. This drink did not bring any harm in those days. The benefit, however, is also in doubt.
The benefits of prunes for weight loss
Dried prunes are harmful not because of their properties, but because they destroy hopes of losing weight with food and without exercise. Dried plums are too high in calories to help you lose weight. Provided that we are talking about real weight loss, and not about dehydration as a result of diarrhea, which harms the body.
There is almost no harm to the psyche and body from fresh prunes, but there are much more benefits. You can eat significantly less fresh plums.But all recipes list dried fruit as an ingredient. Below are several recipes for “weight loss”, or more precisely, dehydration.
№1
Ingredients:
- rose hips 100 g;
- prunes 300 g;
- buckthorn bark 50 g;
- water 1.6 l.
Pour water over dried fruits and buckthorn and cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Add rose hips and boil for another 45 minutes. Leave overnight in a warm place. Strain, put in the refrigerator. Take half a glass at 21-00.
Especially buckthorn bark, which is more effective than dried plums. For this reason, this decoction may do more harm than good.
№2
Grind in a meat grinder:
- 100 g each of raisins, rose hips and dried apricots;
- 400 g dried plums;
- 50 g senna;
- 200 g figs.
Mix everything with honey, transfer to a glass container, and store in the refrigerator. It is suggested to eat the mixture instead of sweets or eat 1 teaspoon in the morning and evening.
We must again remember that all the ingredients have a laxative effect, and for weight loss you cannot eat all this instead of sweets and you need to replace breakfast and dinner with a mixture. Dehydration if you overuse the mixture will do nothing but harm.
№3
Grind in a meat grinder:
- 400 g of dried apricots and plums;
- 1 pack of senna.
Mix with honey and store in the refrigerator. Take 1 tsp. in the evening every day. In this recipe, the harm is minimal, but you can’t expect much benefit either.
From the above recipes it is clear that when losing weight, at best, they will not be of any benefit, since they will only eliminate possible constipation. In the worst case, trying to lose weight in this way will cause harm and stained sheets due to diarrhea resulting from the action of the laxative.
Restrictions and contraindications for taking prunes
Dried fruits can cause fatal harm in cases of diabetes, allergies, urolithiasis and a tendency to be overweight. In the latter case, plums must be consumed very carefully, controlling their quantity.
Conclusion
The benefits and harms of prunes are of interest to many of those who do not want to use pharmaceuticals. The benefits of dried fruits have been proven for a long time. Some mixtures are recommended for those recovering from diseases of the cardiovascular system. The drupe can cause serious harm with a very limited list of diseases. Excessive consumption of this fruit will cause psychological harm.
