Gastrointestinal Health Improvement Eating a serving or two of prunes can help you maintain gastrointestinal health through promoting regular bowel movements.
It's important to only stick with one serving, or six dried plums, per day. If you experience chronic constipation, or if eating prunes and drinking prune juice doesn't solve your problems, contact your doctor for professional advice.
Prunes are a good source of fiber, and a digestive superfood that contains sorbitol, which provides a mild laxative effect. By eating prunes daily, you can maintain regularity in your digestive system and avoid constipation.
The nutrients in dried plums — vitamin B6, calcium, and magnesium, to name a few — help make melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Use prunes as a whole-grain toast topping, mix them into trail mix, or eat them on their own about 30 minutes before bedtime.
Feren says prune lovers are advised to eat around 30 grams, or three to four prunes, a day. That is equal to one serve of fruit – adults are encouraged to have two daily serves of fruit.
A 2014 study in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics found that participants who ate 100 grams of prunes a day for three weeks saw improvement in both the frequency and consistency of their #2.
Prunes have fiber as well as fructans and sorbitol, fermentable sugars that can have a laxative effect.
The insoluble fiber in prunes can cause or worsen diarrhea.
This is why you need to avoid them when you have diarrhea (2). There have also been certain cases of people who had experienced diarrhea post the ingestion of prunes and prune juice (3). This can be attributed to the laxative property of prunes.
Drinking water after eating fruits can slow down the overall digestion process, as it dilutes the gastric acids, leaving food undigested in the stomach. Sometimes, the undigested food can become toxic instead of giving nutrients, and thus result in stomach-issues.
They concluded that prunes are superior in providing safe, effective relief of mild to moderate chronic constipation. Chronic constipation is a frustrating condition, affecting up to 20% of the world's population.
Ten prunes daily can strengthen bones
Eating prunes led to two positive benefits: less oxidative stress/inflammation and stronger bones. Specifically, clinical trials found that eating about ten prunes (100 grams) daily for an entire year improved bone mineral density within the forearms and lower spine.
Prunes are loaded with soluble fibre called pectin, which is known to keep your gut health intact. It helps to clear out the intestinal tract, which helps in better bowel movements. It is also considered as a natural laxative.
Your grandparents were right. Eating prunes daily is good for your digestive and bone health. In 2 recent studies, researchers found that eating prunes preserved bone density in postmenopausal patients and may prevent osteoporosis.
Prunes are also rich in potassium, a mineral that helps your muscles, nerves, and heart function properly. Eating four to five prunes gives you about 280 mg of potassium or around 12% of your daily recommended intake.
It is important to keep in mind that eating too many prunes at once may lead to undesirable effects, such as diarrhea. To prevent this from occurring, it is best to stick with a serving of 1/4–1/2 cup (44–87 grams) per day. If you are using prune juice, make sure it is 100% juice without added sugars.
Prunes contain sorbitol, a sugar that can cause gas and bloating. Fiber, also contained in prunes, can also cause gas and bloating. Diarrhea. Prunes contain insoluble fiber, which can cause or worsen diarrhea.
One study, for example, found that subjects who had already experienced substantial bone loss were able to completely reverse these losses by eating prunes every day! Others show that eating prunes can help prevent the bone loss from occurring in the first place.
Photo Alto. "Dried fruit often gets a bad rap for people with diabetes, but prunes contain no added sugars, are lower on the glycemic index scale than most dried fruit, and provide three grams of fiber per serving," says Palinski-Wade.
Fruits such as dried apricots, prunes, and raisins will keep at top quality in the pantry for six months. After opening, you may wish to store them tightly sealed in the refrigerator to preserve the quality for up to six additional months or freeze them for one month.
They have added blood pressure lowering effects. Prunes reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure that is not different from placebo. One common factor, water, with or without prunes taken early in the morning on empty stomach might be responsible for lowering blood pressure.
Increasing evidence from 10 studies suggests that, in addition to antiresorptive effects, prunes exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
How Many Prunes a Day Should You Eat? To get the best results, Dr. Hooshmand (and other researchers) recommend that you consume 100 grams (between 9 and 10 prunes) a day. If you are concerned about weight gain or you are on a low carbohydrate diet, then you can reduce your daily dose to 50 grams.
Like many fruits, prunes are high in insoluble fiber, which adds bulk to food in the process of digestion while also helping it pass through the system faster.
The high-fiber, low-water content of dried fruit can cause digestive issues, including gas and cramping during the night. The culprit is sorbitol, a sweetener found in dried fruits, including raisins and prunes, which can cause stomach bloating and flatulence, especially when eaten in larger quantities. Steer clear!