What are the properties of prunes. Are prunes always good for you? Such dried fruits are valued for their multiple positive qualities.

Prunes are one of the most common, cheap and healthy dried fruits, widely known in many countries, so let's consider how prunes are useful for the human body, what useful vitamins and minerals are contained in these dried fruits.

Prunes- This is the usual dried fruit of a ripe plum (dark varieties). The scope of its application is quite large, from desserts to various meat dishes, as well as for the preparation of drinks (decoctions, compotes, tinctures). At the same time, prunes are a ready-to-eat product that is widely used to replenish the body. useful vitamins and trace elements, besides, it has a delicious and unusual taste, which is known and loved by many.

An interesting fact about prunes: in terms of the presence of nutrients, prunes practically do not differ from plums, which is why it is so useful, especially in winter and spring, when the human body needs many vitamins and nutrients.

Prunes are high in sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), fiber, organic acids(citric, apple, oxalic), vitamins (A, B1, B6, C), as well as vital important trace elements(potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium).

The calorie content of 100 grams of prunes is 240 calories (the average weight of one prune fruit is 10 grams, respectively, the calorie content of 1 prune fruit is 24 calories).

The benefits and harms of prunes for human health

The unique composition, combination and high content of many vitamins make dried prunes one of the most useful dried fruits, which has a mass useful properties for the body of adults and children, so let's take a closer look at what useful and healing properties of prunes everyone needs to know in order to use it in their diet, as well as what contraindications for use should be paid attention to before using this dried plum fruit.

Medicinal and beneficial properties of prunes

The benefits of prunes for the intestines. Prunes help normalize digestive processes, while it has good antibacterial properties, helps to fight against coli and staphylococcus. Prunes help protect the intestines (including against bowel cancer).
Prunes for constipation. Prunes are a good laxative that can be used instead of pills (special chemical laxatives).
Prunes for hypertension contributes to the normalization blood pressure.
Prunes are high in potassium, which is important elements in the activities of the human body.
Eating prunes helps to increase efficiency (high calorie content and the presence of many useful substances "charge" the human body) and increase tone.
Among the useful properties of prunes, one can single out the ability to cleanse the body of harmful substances and toxins, in particular, it cleans blood vessels well ( good remedy to prevent the development of atherosclerosis).
It has a urinary and choleretic effect on the human body.
Useful trace elements that make up prunes help strengthen bones, prevent bone fragility (important for older people).
The high content of vitamin A in prunes is good for eyesight.
The strengthening and antibacterial properties of prunes have a positive effect on dental health.

The benefits of prunes for men

First of all, prunes are useful for men as a source of energy and nutrients. Dried plum fruits help to increase efficiency, keep the body in good shape with constant physical (and not only) stress.

Prunes are no less useful for dieting athletes, as they help to replenish the body with vitamins and microelements, as well as calories and add strength during exhausting workouts.

The benefits of prunes for women

The benefits of prunes for women are to increase immunity, rejuvenate the body, and this product is also useful for diets. The use of prunes helps to improve the condition of the skin (makes it healthy and beautiful in appearance).

The use of prunes in a diet helps to remove cholesterol from the body, normalize digestion, improve mood (helps fight stress during a diet), helps fight hunger (has low glycemic index).

The benefits of prunes during pregnancy and for children

During pregnancy, the expectant mother is not forbidden to eat prunes, as it useful components help strengthen the immune system and health of mother and unborn child. Also, don't forget about it. laxative effect, and useful properties for the normalization of digestion, which will be relevant during pregnancy.

For older children, prunes will be useful, the main thing is to know the measure when using it. Quite often, prunes are given to children mixed with other dried fruits and nuts to strengthen immunity.

Contraindications to the use of prunes

Among the many useful and medicinal properties, prunes also have contraindications for use.

You are definitely familiar with such dried fruit as prunes and even ate it, perhaps more than once. But what does he represent?

Prunes are the fruit of dried domestic black plums. Fleshy, soft, moderately elastic, with a slight sour note, black in color with tints, so loved by many. Gourmets prefer the dried Hungarian plum variety, choosing them for their special taste and for the enzyme-free drying method.

Useful properties of prunes are very high. These black dried fruits are just a storehouse of benefits:

vitamins (A, C, E, K, B vitamins)
minerals (Ca, Fe, Mg, P, K, Na, Zn)
organic acids (oxalic, malic, citric)
pectins, fiber, sugars, starch, proteins and carbohydrates

What is the difference between prunes and plums

Many people think that there is no difference between plums and prunes, except that plums are fresh fruits and prunes are dried fruits. This is not true.

What is the difference between plum and prunes? Plum is useful for people with heart disease, vascular disorders, work gastrointestinal tract. Prunes have a positive effect on these systems, but due to the cooking process, when it loses moisture, and therefore mass, everything positive traits plums are concentrated in a smaller volume. This is the feature. The same mass of these two products accounts for different amount useful substances. As a result, to achieve the same effect, prunes will need less than fresh plums. There is also a difference between prunes and plums in taste. Plums are very juicy, sweet and sour, and prunes are more saturated in taste, sweet, less sour.

Chemical composition and calorie content

This dried fruit high-calorie product nutrition. Calorie content is 240 kcal per 100 gr. product. People suffering overweight body or those who wish to lose weight should not be overly addicted to the use of this natural sweetness. It has a high glycemic index, prunes can be attributed to the ideal snack, replacing sweets, chocolates or pastries. By eating a few things, you will cope with hunger and improve metabolism.

Many products can only envy the vitamin composition of dried plums. Natural antioxidants - vitamins E, ascorbic acid - fighters for beauty and youth. By neutralizing free radicals, they fight cancer. B vitamins are fighting for a well-coordinated metabolism in the body. They are great helpers immune and nervous systems of the body. It is necessary to constantly replenish their stocks, they are water-soluble, so they are quickly excreted. Vitamin A (retinol) in the composition will help people suffering from rheumatism and gout. Organic acids contained in dried plums are serious helpers in the fight against cholesterol, breaking down and removing it from the body, cleansing blood vessels from cholesterol plaques.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of prunes are extensive. It has been scientifically proven that using it in moderation is a wonderful prevention of many diseases, diseases of the heart, blood vessels:

Prunes prevent development hypertension, will help lower blood pressure, increase vascular tone.
Improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines, helps in the fight against constipation.
The product helps to tone up, improves brain performance, stimulating mental activity, resists anxiety, reduces stress levels.
Due chemical composition, dried plum can be attributed to antiseptics, kills bacteria (streptococci, staphylococci) in oral cavity protects teeth from caries.
A large amount of vitamin is an indication for use in beriberi.

It is contraindicated in people suffering from overweight, diabetes and people with individual intolerance (allergy). It is not recommended to use dried plums for nursing mothers, because of the ability to cause colic or allergic reaction at the baby. Excessive consumption will cause malfunctions digestive tract, flatulence, bloating, diarrhea may occur.

What is useful prunes for a woman's body?

What woman does not want to remain beautiful, young, slim. Adding dried prunes to the diet is undeniably positive for female body. Antioxidants help keep you young and fresh look beautiful half of humanity, they noticeably improve the condition of the skin. Prunes snack - very good alternative harmful "snacks". Satisfies hunger, helps to keep good shape. Women suffering from anemia, for prevention, can use dried plums, rich in iron. And women who are in menopause, you can eat it in order to prevent and treat osteoporosis.

Use during pregnancy

Pregnancy for a woman is an important and responsible period of life, but often expectant mothers are accompanied by swelling. Prunes stimulate the kidneys, removing excess fluid from the body. One of common problems, disturbing pregnant women are digestive disorders, most often they manifest themselves in the form of constipation. the best way to alleviate these symptoms, is the use of this black dried fruit. He possible replacement medical assistants.

Benefits of Dried Plums for Children

WHO recommends that dried plums be introduced to babies at the age of six months. This should be done carefully and it is not advisable to start feeding the baby with this dry fruit, since indigestion of a fragile organism is possible.

Useful properties of prunes for children:

due to vitamins and microelements, it is necessary for a young growing organism that constantly needs them;
due to the content of pectin, it has a detoxifying effect, removing toxins from the child's body and harmful substances;
antibacterial action;
speeds up metabolism;
moderate use, will have a mild laxative effect;
normalizes blood circulation and helps lower cholesterol

Children are very active, so dried plums will serve as a good source of energy for a little fidget. But what if children refuse to eat this dried fruit? For them, you can cook delicious compotes, make decoctions, add to cereals or smoothies. Remember, any New Product it is gradually introduced into the child's diet, although prunes are low allergens, but they can still show an immune system reaction in the form of an allergy.

How to take prunes for constipation

We have already said that prunes have a laxative effect, this is undoubtedly the most important natural assistant that copes with constipation. How best to eat it to cope with the problem. Eat it in its original form, for example, a few things before bed or during the day to activate and cleanse the intestines, or make a decoction from it. For a decoction, you need 200 gr. dried fruits. We fill them with 1 liter. boiling water and keep in a warm place for about 12 hours. It is recommended to drink 0.5-1 glass of decoction 30 minutes before meals 1-2 times a day. For the greatest effect in addition, it is recommended to eat a couple of dried plums per day.

How to choose and store prunes

Unscrupulous manufacturers abuse chemicals in production to speed up preparation and extend shelf life. When buying dried plums, pay attention to appearance. The plum fruit will be saturated black, brown - indicates boiling water treatment, and Blue colour indicates the action of chemicals. In structure, it should be elastic and soft. Prunes for shine can be treated with glycerin, so it is better to choose matte fruits. not allowed foreign odors, the aroma is pleasant, and the taste is sweet with sourness. Spoiled prunes will be bitter. The assortment of stores offers us fruits with and without a stone. Plums, in which the bone was preserved, remained intact, therefore they are less susceptible to bacteria and rotting. Store prunes, preferably in a cool place after washing it and drying it well.

Dried plum with pit, pleasant astringent taste- this is . It is often confused with prunel, a more valuable product that is dried without a stone. However, among people who use these two types of dried plums, there is no difference in names, so we will operate with one common name. Different varieties of prunes are produced in the Balkans, in France and in Bukovina. This is very useful product, which has a wide range of medicinal and nutritional properties.

Composition of prunes

Concerning chemical substances, then in prunes there are pectin substances, malic acid, sugar, vitamins of groups B, PP, C, as well as provitamin A and minerals: iron, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium. High the energy value prunes allows you to perceive it as a complete product - 100 g of the substance contains 264 kcal. At the same time, dried plums completely retain all useful material that were in fresh fruit.

Properties and benefits of prunes

The content of minerals and vitamins determines the range of diseases that can be treated with prunes. For example, iron will serve as a good help in the fight against anemia. And ballast substances will help solve the problems of the gastrointestinal tract. in many pharmaceuticals against constipation is an extract from prunes. Therefore, you can use these fruits yourself to adjust the chair. It is enough to eat 5-6 fruits a day, and the problem will be solved.

Pectins contained in prunes will help remove toxins and excess fluid from the body., because they have absorbent properties. Pectin draws in itself the harmful substances which are in intestines, up to salts heavy metals. And ballast properties of prunes make this process faster. Therefore, dried plums are actively used for weight loss diets.

The advantages of prunes can also be considered good antibacterial properties.: it is not inferior in this regard to medical preparations. Dried plums slow down growth and destroy bacteria, disease-causing oral mucosa and the entire oral cavity.

More efficient than others natural remedies prunes help prevent cardiovascular diseases . It helps to normalize blood pressure and strengthens blood vessels. This is due to the high content of potassium in the fruit.

Tonic properties of prunes make it a valuable product for those who have had an illness or surgery, and simply when general weakness organism. With the help of dried fruits, you can restore reduced performance, improve general state organism.

Thanks to the many minerals prunes help to improve the appearance of the skin, so it can be classified as cosmetics. After regular use prunes the skin becomes healthier and more elastic. This contributes a lot to the fact that prunes helps bowel function.

Rich in potassium, which helps the body with urolithiasis, takes part in the transmission and reception nerve impulses that lead to muscle contraction. Potassium is also involved in maintaining the activity of the heart and balancing the acid-base balance in the body. With the participation of potassium, bile secretion is ordered and urine excretion from the body is enhanced. It also helps to remove excess fluid and slag, which means it allows you to fight excess weight.

With the help of prunes, you can increase immunity and overall body resistance adverse external influences, because it has antioxidant properties. promotes the absorption of free radicals that destroy cell membranes. This also explains its anti-aging properties and the ability to be used as a means for prevention. oncological diseases.

Contraindications for the use of prunes

Do not eat in large quantities people with chronic diseases liver and stomach. Be wary of pregnant women. And for everyone else, remember about the strong laxative properties of prunes and do not abuse them to avoid misunderstandings.

How to eat prunes

For everything valuable properties prunes absorbed in the body completely, it is better to use it as follows: in the evening, rinse the fruits, pour boiling water and leave to infuse until morning. In the morning, drink the resulting infusion, and eat the berries.

You can make a compote cocktail from various dried fruits, with the addition prunes. It turns out healthy drink nice deep color. It is especially useful to give to children after infectious diseases to restore strength.

If you want something tasty, you can make any fruit salad with addition prunes, or do vitamin mixture from honey, cottage cheese and prunes.

There is also a recipe for a kind of biological tonic with prunes, which is very useful during periods of beriberi: take 100 g of prunes, raisins, dried apricots, walnuts and by eye fill it all with honey. Then mix and eat in the morning and evening, one tablespoon before meals. The stock of vitamins, minerals in the body with the help of such a tonic will be constantly replenished.

Eat well in the morning oatmeal porridge with the addition of prunes.

For lovers of baking, here is the following recipe: take two packs fat cottage cheese, four spoons of hercules, two eggs, a handful of prunes and two spoons of sugar. You can add candied fruits and raisins, if any. Sugar can be more for those who are not afraid to get better. Mix everything thoroughly, transfer to a baking dish and put in a heated oven to bake. As soon as it turns red, the dish is ready.

Of course, any product is better to eat in its natural, natural form. But everyone reserves the choice of recipe.

No wonder the result of crossing cherry plum and blackthorn has become popular among a number of other products. Raw materials for obtaining healthy dried prunes are grown in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, and the Caucasus. Variety "Hungarian" contains more sugar, when compared with other varieties, and has a firm fruit pulp. Thanks to these natural properties, it is possible to dry plums without the use of additional additives, obtaining high-quality and nutritional product- prunes.

Prunes can safely be called natural medicine, which retains all the benefits even after drying. One prune fruit can weigh ten to twenty grams, and optimal rate for an adult - sixty grams. Therefore, six or seven pieces of prunes for breakfast is amazing. easy way keep the body in good shape. A three-month-old baby can already be offered prunes compote, and after a year, feel free to treat the child with fleshy, pitted fruits.

The production of prunes is with stones and without stones, and the production can be carried out manually or mechanically. Harvesting prunes for the winter manually more useful, as dried fruits retain their shape perfectly.

Useful properties of prunes

Dried plum fruits are a product that we recommend adding to the menu for everyone who carefully monitors their health and dreams of weight stabilization. Healing prunes are rich in minerals and vitamins. Great content vitamins in beneficial fruits helps optimize normal work body, normalize acid-base balance. Prunes activate the work of the stomach, intestines, pancreas.

Pectin, which is quite a lot in prunes, helps to strengthen the immune system, improve hematopoietic functions. Fiber helps to get rid of drowsiness, depression and weakness. Prunes are a real "fighter" with free radicals. When the number of oxidants in the body exceeds the norm, they begin to actively attack healthy cells.

The benefits of substances in the composition of prunes

The content of potassium in prunes creates a weak diuretic effect. This is a great opportunity to “flush out” harmful toxins from the body.
vision improvement, cerebral activity, metabolism, digestion.
Restoration of water-salt balance.
Strengthening immunity, of cardio-vascular system.
There is an improvement in the condition of the skin, nails, hair. Significant effect of the use of prunes for external beauty will interest the representatives of the beautiful half of the population. Natural vitamin worth eating in small quantities everyday: not only for harmonious well-being, but also for a radiant healthy skin.
muscle strengthening, skeletal systems, teeth.

How is prunes used in medicine?

With the help of healthy prunes, diseases of the cardiovascular system can be prevented by regularly eating elastic fruits. The fruit tends to improve the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, so this "medicine" will become indispensable in your diet.

The introduction of blue-black fruits into the menu helps to fight insomnia, cope with stress, and eliminate obsessive anxiety. If during the working day your strength has dried up, eat two or three prunes - and your strength will be restored in no time! In addition, such a dietary snack can help people who are overweight.

Urolithiasis is a serious illness. Dried fruits, and especially prunes, will help increase the excretion of urine and bile secretion completely painlessly. Unfortunately, due to poor ecology and climate change, many often suffer from “jumps” in blood pressure. By taking prune "tablets" orally, you can normalize high blood pressure.

AT traditional medicine prunes are used as a remedy for the treatment of corns. Cosmetologists use prunes as a source of nutrients in the preparation of creams, masks and face tonics. The benefits of prunes are noted in the treatment of gout, kidney and liver diseases. Dried plum absorbs free radicals, and they destroy the body from the inside. Thus, an introduction to daily diet prunes is the prevention of cancer.

In addition, prunes are amazing affordable way Rejuvenation: It turns out that this miracle fruit increases the body's resistance to the aging process. So that homemade prunes can be safely added to the list of "rejuvenating products", along with apples and lemons.

With beriberi, doctors recommend the use of prunes. Many weight gain diets include dried plums. Prunes, the calorie content of which is approximately 240 kC / 100g, tend to increase appetite. However, prunes are also used for weight loss due to the diuretic and laxative properties of the fruit.

Prunes and weight loss

Prunes can hardly be called a fat burner, so you do not need to replace them with your main diet. Combining the regular use of prunes with sports activities, you can achieve significant results pretty soon.

If prunes do not have a place on your list of favorite foods, drink a decoction without sugar. You can reduce the glycemic index of prunes by eating them along with white meat or fat-free cottage cheese. A diet that includes prunes can last depending on your desire. The highlight of the diet: prunes can be eaten during snacks, but no more than two fruits.

Also add prunes to chicken fillets, salads, oatmeal. Healthy cocktail on the basis of prunes with kefir, you can drink before bedtime. It is undesirable to drink such a laxative drink in the morning, so as not to feel discomfort during the day.

Prunes for constipation

Lack of fluid in the body, a small amount of fiber leads to constipation. It is not necessary to rush to the pharmacy for laxatives if you can use healing prunes. Even medical specialists prunes are called the best healer for constipation. The product easily eliminates abdominal pain, "softens" the stool. Laxative prune medicine cleanses the body, saturates it with essential trace elements.

Those who do not like prunes should make juice out of it, add it to a fruit salad. The use of prunes as a laxative should not exceed allowable rate the use of dried fruit. Too much prunes can be harmful by causing diarrhea.

Prunes are eaten little by little three to four times a day. You will have to taste "medicine" from prunes. Skip the fruit through a meat grinder, and then mix with honey. Take a treat during dinner: a teaspoon is enough. Then constipation will definitely not bother you!

A decoction of prunes - effective remedy with constipation. Prunes are washed and poured with boiling water overnight. You can drink the infusion in the morning and eat the fruits. Also, with constipation, a mixture of lemon juice and prunes infusion helps, which is drunk on an empty stomach for half an hour. By adding prunes to various dishes during cooking, you can be sure that the fiber content is normal.

The use of prunes

When choosing prunes, buy only those fruits that are dried. natural way– without glycerine treatment and blanching. Factories often treat dried plums with glycerin to make them black. The brownish shade of plums characterizes fruits scalded with boiling water. This disinfects the fruits and, at the same time, increases the shelf life of products. Since blanching fruits results in the loss of many useful substances, it is better to give preference to homemade prunes.

Prunes for babies

In infants, the work of the stomach is just being established, so disorders are frequent, and especially constipation. Often the baby cries for a long time, and the parents cannot understand that he is simply "puffed up". Medicinal prunes can be introduced into the child's diet in the form of compote, puree, decoction or infusion.

One hundred grams of prunes must be rinsed in warm water and pour two glasses of water. The broth is brought to a boil and infused for an hour. This decoction of prunes should be given to the baby in the morning, giving him one teaspoon of a delicious “medicine”.

Prunes are soaked overnight in water. In the morning, the liquid is drained and the prunes are boiled until tender. The fruit mass is scrolled through a meat grinder. The result is fresh prunes in the form of puree! First, give your baby a teaspoon of sweets to check the body's reaction to the product. If your child is constipated, take this way on a note.

Prunes lactating

Thanks to the many vitamins, a delicious dried fruit should be present in the diet of a nursing mother. Any food that enters the body of a woman will be in breast milk. Is prunes harmful] for the baby and can it be used by nursing women?

rich mineral and vitamin composition prunes are simply necessary for a nursing mother. After childbirth, women have digestive problems, and the use of dried fruits effectively helps with this problem. Before use, prunes are poured with boiling water for five minutes.

During lactation, you can drink an infusion or compote of prunes so as not to harm the health of the baby. Prunes rarely become an allergen, but the benefits of dried fruit for the stability of the baby's digestion are invaluable.

Prunes during pregnancy

The onset of pregnancy becomes turning point for food future mother. After all, whatever you eat, the baby will get. Chocolate, alcohol and coffee are not recommended during this period. But it is even necessary to feast on prunes during pregnancy!

because of hormonal adjustment in pregnant women, there is a weakening of the connective tissues, bleeding gums. Prunes are an excellent prevention of caries and gum strengthening. The potassium content in the product regulates water-salt balance, facilitating the work of the kidneys, which work for two. high calorie content dried fruit can threaten weight gain, so daily allowance prunes - no more than 150 grams.

A life-saving remedy for constipation during pregnancy - [prune decoction]. The body will work stably, like clockwork. During the nine months that precede the start of a new life, your body will be protected from beriberi and anemia, thanks to the significant content of iron in the product. If a future mommy lives in an ecologically harmful area, immunity should be strengthened with the help of prunes.

The external changes that a pregnant woman observes in the mirror every day make her happy and sad at the same time. The former harmony disappears, but the feeling of self-worth is strengthened. Prunes are a simple remedy for improving skin condition: you can add crushed fruits to tea or salads.

Prunes for children

Despite the fact that children like to eat exclusively sweets, it is necessary to control their daily diet. Children's growing body should receive enough vitamins for full development. Replace sweets healthy prunes! Dried plums will perfectly satisfy your hunger: after all, prunes contain a lot of carbohydrates.

Organic acids help digestion and destroy harmful microorganisms. Before one year old babies are fed mashed potatoes with prunes or other fruits. FROM two years of age can be strengthened children's immunity dried fruit compote. Take advantage of the fact that children simply cannot live without sweets. Prepare them super healthy "sweets" with dried apricots and prunes.

Watching TV regularly, playing games on the tablet, social networks may affect the visual impairment of the child. High concentration vitamin A in prunes will improve eyesight. For healthy sweets, you will need the following ingredients: dried apricots, raisins, prunes, cashews. All products should be cleaned, washed, chopped. Balls are made from a homogeneous mass, which are rolled in coconut flakes. You can store such sweets - vitamins in a plastic container.

Contraindications and harm of prunes

Any product can be beneficial and harmful, even prunes. Uncontrolled consumption of dried fruits can lead to indigestion and even cause allergic reactions.

You can not abuse prunes:

pregnant women;
nursing mothers in large quantities, because of the danger of flatulence and diarrhea;
people who are obese or have persistent diarrhea;
diabetics to avoid high sugar levels;
small children;

Prunes can harm the body if they are not properly handled and cooked. The lacquer gloss of the product should not attract you, but warn you that the fruit is covered with fat or glycerin to give it a “presentation”.

If the fruit has been dried using chemicals to remove pests or extend its shelf life, then prunes can be a dangerous treat. Before using prunes, it must be soaked and rinsed with water.

When buying prunes, choose fruits in a sealed container or transparent packaging. Prunes must have spicy pleasant aroma. Fleshy fruits should be resilient: when squeezed, the dents on the prunes “straighten out”. A solid product should not have any taste bitterness. The taste of high-quality fresh prunes is sweet and sour.

You should not buy prunes in spontaneous markets in order to avoid food poisoning. Home-made prunes are not always carried out in appropriate conditions, so it is better to protect the body from such “experiments”. Try to use only fresh prunes, and eat the soaked "blanks" during the day.

I recently found one unique information from a reliable source. It turns out, according to the US Department of Medicine, for the full functioning of the human body in today's adverse environmental and psychological conditions a glass of prunes should be eaten daily.

What kind of fruit is this - prunes and how is it useful for humans?

Prunes is a dried plum. Once upon a time, the Creator Himself made sure that we had this wonderful fruit, crossing into wild nature cherry plum with thorns. However, not every plum is suitable for obtaining prunes. Choose certain varieties, such as Hungarian. Most quality product, with the best properties, is obtained from fruits with a small stone, which contain enough Sahara. Ripe, juicy fruits are chosen for drying, even those that have fallen from a tree or withered on branches. Pre-blanch (dipped in boiling water for a short time), cooled in running water and dried in the sun or in steam dryers.

Among the huge number of dried fruits that we see on the market or in stores, prunes attract pleasant smell, unpretentiousness in storage and does not need special ways cooking. Jam is made from it and compotes are made. It is added to meat dishes, in pilaf, in salads and in various confectionery products. It is rich in useful substances that have a beneficial effect on our health. Apparently, therefore, well-ripened plums are selected for drying, because only they have healing properties.

Useful properties of prunes

It contains a large number of a wide variety of useful substances: sugar, pectin substances (which increase drought resistance during storage), protein, fiber, malic acid. There are a lot in the plum vitamins Therefore, it is rightly called the natural "vitamin pharmacy".

However, prunes are most saturated with the substances necessary for the body, without which it is impossible to imagine its normal functioning. It contains a lot of organic acids and fiber. It is literally full of various minerals, great content fructose, sucrose, citric, oxalic and salicylic acid .

His calories averages 230-260 (!) kcal. I would never have thought that among many other overseas dried fruits, prunes have such high-calorie properties.

The high calorie content of prunes is due to the high content of carbohydrates in it. Therefore, for those who want to lose weight, you should not eat a lot of dried plums. Recommended 5-6 dried berries per day, which helps to replenish your vitamin reserve with few calories.

Enough in dried plums fiber, to satisfy the feeling of hunger. A few fruits eaten give the body a feeling of satiety. It's better than eating a butter sandwich, almost the same calorie content as prunes. However, the advantage of dried fruit is that it does not contain saturated fats, which are the cause of obesity and heart disease.

By the way, one of my friends tried one of the recipes for weight loss using dried plums, taking it for several months in a row. Now, looking at the slender figure of this woman of Balzac age and her active lifestyle, you are convinced with your own eyes of the special properties of prunes, its miraculous power.

Healing properties of prunes

Prunes are unique product with content a large number micro and macro elements. Phosphorus, potassium and calcium potassium in it more than enough. And if we add starch, carbohydrates and proteins to this, we get a rather long list of the most necessary and useful substances for the human body.

1. Prunes are considered the absolute leader among dried fruits in terms of content antioxidants. These elements are known to cleanse the vessels of cholesterol plaques. They prevent harmful deposits on the walls of blood vessels, remove cholesterol from the body. And lowering cholesterol helps a person get rid of extra centimeters at the waist.

2. In addition, antioxidants fight free radicals(hyperactive compounds that lead destructive actions in the body), causing many diseases. This amazing property of prunes contributes to the prevention of cancer.

3. Adding prunes to the diet, improves blood circulation, rejuvenates the body, helps with anemia.

4. Prunes have a lot of semiphenol, and he increases the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels which in turn normalizes the work of the heart.

5. Vitamins strengthen nervous system increase the body's resistance to stressful situations.

6. Prunes promote lowering blood pressure. Doctors often prescribe a diet of this dried fruit for hypertensive patients.

7. Potassium, which is rich in prunes, helps with urolithiasis contributes to the good functioning of the liver and kidneys. Therefore, to replenish potassium, it is simply necessary to eat dried plums.

8. Prunes are not a substitute for some bowel diseases , with constipation, gout, liver, kidney and heart damage. It is advised to use it to increase appetite and gastric secretion. No wonder people say: "Constipation has two enemies - prunes and dried apricots."

Prunes - anti-aging agent

It has been proven in practice that if people suffering from various pathologies stomach, eat 4-5 prunes every day, then you can normalize the acidity of the stomach, get rid of gastritis and restore bowel function.

* In addition, prunes increase immunity and overall body resistance. It acts as an anti-aging agent and is very useful for the prevention of cancer.

* It has an antibacterial, destructive effect on various pathogens. Restores the normal functioning of the stomach and promotes correct exchange substances.

* In addition, this "dry land" is a remedy for depression. Many people know that any diet is a kind of stress for the body, which immediately begins to respond to food restrictions. And this leads to sleep disturbance, irritability and mood swings. It is best to eat prunes during a diet, which have good nutritional properties, in order to get rid of negative phenomena.

Prunes: dietary and culinary properties

Prunes are a dietary product, it is included in the diet of a wide variety of dishes. When buying prunes on the market, first of all, pay attention to its appearance. Quality prunes should be black with slight shine, a little soft and elastic. But the brown tint indicates technological violations during processing. For this reason, the fruit loses its beneficial properties. Bitter taste - indicates improper drying.

Prunes are widely used in cooking, giving the dish special flavors. taste qualities. Even in winter, jam is made from it, to which cinnamon and vanilla sugar are added. This jam has a special plum flavor. In addition, it can be eaten immediately, without closing the lid and without putting it aside. long box.

Make prunes compote, fragrant infusion or decoction- easier than a steamed turnip. Worth pouring dried berries boiling water, cover and let stand for an hour.

Once I was treated to a stuffed duck baked in the oven, with prunes. With pleasure, tasting this wonderful dish, with all my being I felt its exquisite, spicy taste and incomparable aroma of spices.

Is there any harm from prunes?

I will say right away that with all its merits, this wonderful fruit can not have a beneficial effect on everyone and not in all diseases. In moderation, this product is very useful. But if abused, it can harm your body.

* Due to overeating, diarrhea may begin, which will be difficult to stop.

*People suffering urolithiasis, from the use of prunes should refrain. It contains oxalic acid, which enhances stone formation and can provoke an exacerbation.

* In addition, due to high content Sugar prunes should not be carried away by patients with diabetes and obese.

* However, prunes in small quantities are not harmful to pregnant women. Due to the special properties of this fruit, it is not only possible to eat it, but also necessary. fresh decoction from prunes will cleanse your body well and increase its resistance.

Eat, children, prunes - you will be healthy!

Is it possible for a child to have prunes? Can! It's all about quantity.

Prunes are allowed to be introduced into the diet children of the first year of life as complementary food in the form of puree. It is especially useful for babies prone to constipation. Usually a baby needs 1-2 teaspoons of prune puree per day to normalize the stool.

Over time, porridge (for example, buckwheat) is introduced into the child's diet, and then prune puree is added to the buckwheat.

You need to buy prunes for children only black, without much shine with a stone. In the East they say: “The stone is the soul of the prunes. Take away the bone, and what will happen? Therefore, it is better to buy prunes with a stone, and separate it at home yourself. But first, do not forget to thoroughly wash the fetus in running water. In prunes with a stone, useful substances are better preserved and less likely catch an infection while using it

If the prunes look fresh, moist, bright color, it is clear that it is treated with sulfites to preserve freshness. Why does your child need this chemistry? Choose dried fruits that are shriveled and dryer in appearance. They have more useful properties than those that have been processed.

And for older children, instead of sweets, chips and crackers of dubious quality, I recommend a wonderful, natural delicacy, which is prunes. It's much tastier and healthier.