Dried prunes with their excellent taste, colour and texture are a naturally sweet snack with great health benefits. They can be used to flavour porridges, granolas, gluten-free cereals, in plant-based milkshakes, in stews, or stuffed into soya steaks, saitan or tofu.
They have a higher concentration of valuable nutrients than fresh fruit, but that’s not all. Here are the reasons why you should include more of them in your diet.
Health benefits of prunes
The vitamin C in plums helps your body to heal, build muscle and blood vessels, and also looks after the health of your eyes.
Protects against heart disease: the phytochemicals and nutrients in plums reduce inflammation that leads to heart disease.
Helps regulate blood pressure: The potassium in plums is useful for controlling blood pressure in two ways. It helps your body get rid of sodium and relieves tension in the blood vessel walls.
Rich in antioxidants: these substances protect the body against cell and tissue damage that can lead to diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. Antioxidants also help reduce anxiety.
Helps regulate blood sugar: plums are rich in fibre, which helps to slow the rise in blood sugar after eating carbohydrates.
For healthy bones: plums also help fight osteoporosis. Prunes help fight osteoporosis, thanks in part to the boron in this fruit, which helps to optimise oestrogen levels while facilitating calcium absorption, and also helps to convert vitamin D into its active form, which is also important for the absorption of calcium in the bone.