A 40-gram (1/4 cup) serving provides:

• 3 grams of fiber, 293 mg of potassium, and 16 mg of magnesium, all for less than 100 calories.

 

This 40-gram serving of Prunes provides nearly 26 grams of carbohydrate in the form of naturally occurring glucose and fructose.

 

Prunes have a consistent, satisfying sweet taste with no added sugar, containing fructose and glucose but almost no sucrose. All these sugars are naturally occurring. Prunes also contain sorbitol – a sugar alcohol – which is non-cariogenic.

 

Prunes can help manage weight. Prunes as a snack suppressed appetite relative to low fat cookies, perhaps by producing lower glucose and/or appetite-regulating hormone concentrations. Prunes consumption, as little as 1/8 cup a day, is associated with reduced overweight or obesity, specifically abdominal obesity, in adults.

 

Prunes promote heart health. Prunes reduce LDL cholesterol in both animals and humans. The equivalent of eating 10-12 per day reduced atherosclerotic lesions in a strain of mice that develop atherosclerosis quickly.

 

Prunes promote bone health. Prunes are rich in phenolic compounds, which may inhibit bone resorption and stimulate bone formation as well as function as antioxidants. Prunes are also a good source of nutrients reported to influence bone health, including boron, potassium and vitamin K.

 

Prunes promote digestive health. Research determined that dried plums are safe, palatable and more effective than psyllium for the treatment of mild to moderate constipation, and should be considered as first line therapy.

 

More about California Prunes at www.californiaprunes.org