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 modern adverse environmental and psychological conditions, you should eat a glass of prunes daily.
What kind of fruit is this - prunes and how is it useful for humans?
Prunes - This is a dried plum. Once the Creator Himself took care of us to have this wonderful fruit by crossing cherry plum with thorns in the wild nature. However, not every plum is suitable for prunes. Choose certain varieties, such as Hungarian. The highest quality product, with the best properties, is obtained from fruits with small stones, which contain a sufficient amount of sugar. For drying choose ripe, juicy fruits, and even those that fell from a tree or dried up on the branches. Pre blanched (immersed in boiling water for a short time), cooled in running water and dried in the sun or in steam dryers.
Among the huge amount of dried fruit that we see on the market or in stores, prunes attracts a pleasant smell, unpretentious storage and does not need special methods of preparation. They make jam from it and make compotes. It is added to meat dishes, pilaf, salads and various pastries. It is rich in nutrients that beneficially affect 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 variety of useful substances: sugar, pectic substances (increasing drought tolerance during storage), protein, fiber, malic acid. There are a lot of plums of vitaminstherefore, it is rightly called the natural "vitamin pharmacy."
However, prunes are the most saturated with the necessary substances for the body, without which it is impossible to imagine its normal functioning. It has a lot of organic acids and fiber. It is literally saturated with various minerals, high content fructose, sucrose, citric, sorrel and salicylic acid.
Him calorie content on average is 230-260 (!) Kcal. I never would have thought that among many other overseas dried fruits, prunes have such high calorific properties.
High calorie prunes due to the high content of carbohydrates in it. Therefore, for those who wish to lose weight, do not eat a lot of dried plums. Recommended 5-6 dried berries per day, which helps replenish your vitamin reserve with a small amount of calories.
Enough dried plums fiber, to quench your hunger. Several eaten fruits give the body a feeling of fullness. This is better than eating a sandwich with butter, calorie is almost the same as that of 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 recipes for losing weight with the use of dried plums was tried by a friend of mine, taking it for several months in a row. Now, looking at the slender figure of this woman of balzak age and her active lifestyle, you are personally convinced of the special properties of prunes, its miraculous power.
The healing properties of prunes
Prunes are a unique product containing a large number of micro and macro elements. Phosphorus, potassium and calcium potassium in it is more than enough. And if we add to this starch, carbohydrates and proteins, 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 by content. antioxidants. These elements are known to clear blood vessels from cholesterol plaques. Prevent harmful deposits on the walls of blood vessels, remove cholesterol from the body. A reduction in cholesterol helps a person to get rid of extra centimeters at the waist.
2. In addition, antioxidants fight free radicals (hyper-active compounds that are destructive in the body), causing many diseases. This is an 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 semi-phenol, and he increases the elasticity of the vessel walls, which in turn normalizes the work of the heart.
5. Vitamins strengthen the nervous system, increase the body's resistance to stressful situations.
6. Prune helps lowering blood pressure. Often, hypertensive doctors prescribe a diet from this dried fruit.
7. Potassium, which prunes are rich in, helps with urolithiasis, contributes to the good work of the liver and kidneys. Therefore, to replenish potassium, it is simply necessary to eat dried plums.
8. Prunes are not replaceable for some bowel diseases.with constipation, gout, liver, kidney and heart damage. It is advised to use to increase the appetite and secretion of the stomach. No wonder people say: "Constipation has two enemies - prunes and dried apricots."
Prunes - anti-aging agent
In practice, it has been proved that if people suffering from various pathologies of the stomach eat 4-5 fruits of prunes every day, it is possible to normalize the acidity of the stomach, get rid of gastritis and restore bowel function.
* In addition, prunes improves immunity and overall body resistance. It acts as a rejuvenating agent and is very useful for the prevention of cancer.
* Has an antibacterial, destructive effect on various pathogens. Restores the normal functioning of the stomach and promotes proper metabolism.
* In addition, this "land" is a remedy for depression. Many people know that any diet is a kind of stress for the body, which immediately begins to react to the restriction in food. And this leads to sleep disturbance, irritability and mood swings. It is best during the diet to eat prunes with good nutritional properties to get rid of negative phenomena.
Prunes: dietary and culinary properties
Prunes - a diet product, it is included in the diet of a wide variety of dishes. Buying prunes on the market, first of all, pay attention to its appearance. High-quality prunes should be black with a slight sheen, slightly soft and elastic. But the brown tint indicates technological disruption 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 a special taste. Even in winter, jam is made from it, in which cinnamon and vanilla sugar are added. This jam has a special prunes flavor. In addition, it can be eaten immediately, without closing the lid and not shelving it.
Make a compote of prunes, fragrant brew or medicinal broth - easier steamed turnips. It is worth pouring boiled water over dried berries, cover and let stand for an hour.
Due to the antioxidants it contains, prunes add a spicy flavor to meat dishes and help to ensure that this dish can be stored for a long time without losing its taste.
Once I was treated to an oven roasted stuffed duck with prunes. With pleasure, tasting this wonderful dish, with all its nature felt its exquisite, savory taste and matchless aroma of spices.
Is there any harm from prunes?
I will say right away, with all its merits, not everyone and not with all diseases, this wonderful fruit can have a beneficial effect. In moderation, this product is very useful. But in case of abuse, it can harm your body.
* Overeating can cause diarrhea that is difficult to stop.
* People suffering from urolithiasis, from the use of prunes should refrain. It contains oxalic acid, which increases stone formation and can cause aggravation.
* In addition, due to the high sugar content of prunes can not get carried away with diabetes and obese patients.
* Do not recommend prunes and nursing mothers. Substances prunes can get into breast milk, and then cause colic in an infant. And also - can cause allergic reactions.
* However, pregnant women prunes in small quantities is not harmful. Due to the special properties of this fruit, eating it is not only possible but necessary. Fresh decoction of prunes well cleanse your body and increase its resistance.
Eat, children, prunes - you will be healthy!
Is it possible to prune a child? Can! It's all about quantity.
Prunes are allowed to enter into the diet. children of the first year of life as a food in the form of mashed potatoes. It is especially useful for babies prone to constipation. Usually the baby needs 1-2 teaspoons of mashed prune per day to normalize the stool.
Over time, porridge (for example, buckwheat) is introduced into the child’s diet, and then prunes puree is added to buckwheat.
Buy prunes for children need only black, without much shine with a bone. In the East, they say: "Stone - the soul of prunes. Take away the stone, and what will happen?". Therefore, it is better to buy prunes with a stone, and to separate it at home by yourself. But before you do not forget to thoroughly wash the fruit in running water. In prunes with a stone, nutrients are better preserved and less likely to catch an infection when it is consumed.
If prunes look fresh, moist, bright in color, then it is clear that it has been treated with sulphites to preserve freshness. Why does your child need this chemistry? Choose dried fruits shriveled and more dry looking. They have more beneficial properties than those that have been processed.
And older children instead of candy, chips and crackers of dubious quality, I recommend a wonderful, natural delicacy, which is a prune. It is much tastier and healthier.
