Dehydration allows you to save all the beneficial properties of plums and increase them three times in the finished product - prunes. The article will introduce the composition, benefits and use of such dried fruits in the diet of diet food for weight loss.

What is prune

Prunes are called dried plums of special varieties. Most often, these are dark varieties of plums with fleshy and juicy pulp, with a small bone easily detachable. The best prunes are obtained from varieties with a natural sugar level of not less than 12%, with a solids content of more than 17%, and an acid level of 1%. Suitable varieties are varieties of Hungarian and greengage, Sylvia, Adygea prune, Kuban dwarf, Bluebird, etc.

Fruits are dried with seeds and without them, but a product with a bone has more benefits than a peeled one, due to the preservation of juice and pulp, which are invariably lost during peeling. In this case, several methods of preparing a useful product are used - drying, smoking, drying.

Important! Ripe, fallen and withered fruits are suitable for preparing prunes, but unripe fruits cannot be used, since the taste and healing properties will be lost.

What does prune contain?

Dried or dried prunes retain all the beneficial properties of fresh fruits, and due to evaporation of moisture, the concentration of these substances increases. In terms of chemical composition and useful components necessary for the vital functions of the body, it surpasses other dried fruits and has a fairly high calorie content. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (BJU) is: 1: 0.3: 25.

Energy (nutritional) value per 100 g	Vitamins
calorie content - 256 kcal (17.98%); proteins - 2.3 g (2.8%); fats - 0.7 g (1.08%); carbohydrates - 57.5 g (44.92%); dietary fiber - 9 g (45%); organic acids - 3.5 g; water - 25 g (0.98%); unsaturated fatty acids - 0.1 g; mono- and disaccharides - 56.9 g; starch - 0.6 g; ash - 2.0 g; saturated fatty acids - 0.1 g.	A - 10 μg (1.1%); E - 1.8 mg (4.7%); C - 3 mg (1.3%); H (Biotin) - 0.8 mg (0.6%); K (phylloquinone) - 59.5 mcg (19.4%); B1 (thiamine) 0.2 mg (1.3%); B2 (riboflavin) - 0.1 mg (5.6%); B4 (choline) - 10.1 mg (0.6%); B5 (pantothenic acid) - 0.422 mg (8.4%); B6 (pyridoxine) - 0.205 mg (10.3%); B9 (folic acid) - 4 mcg (0.4%); PP (niacin equivalent) - 1.5 mg (3.3%); carotene - 60 mg (1.2%).

Macronutrients	Trace elements
potassium K - 864 mg (13.5%); calcium Ca - 80 mg (3.1%); magnesium Mg - 102 mg (10%); sodium Na - 10 mg (0.3%); sulfur S - 21.8 mg (0.9%); phosphorus P - 83 mg (4.1%); chlorine Cl - 3 mg.	vanadium V - 6.0 mcg; silicon Si - 19.5 mg (25.4%); Al aluminum - 336.0 μg; boron B - 57.0 mcg; Fe iron - 2.4-3.0 mg (6.5%); cobalt Co - 3.8 μg (15.6%); iodine I - 0.75–1.00 mcg (0.2%); Molybdenum Mo - 9.5 μg (5.4%); copper Cu - 385.0 μg (11%); Mn Mn - 0.299 mg (5.9%); Selenium Se - 0.3 μg (0.2%); nickel Ni - 60.0 μg; rubidium Rb - 42.0 mcg; Zn Zn - 0.44 mg (3.7%).

Any diet implies some restrictions on nutrition, so not only fewer calories enter the body, but also fewer vitamins and elements. The use of dried fruit in diet allows us to solve this problem.

Important! Iron in prunes (2.4 mg) makes it an indispensable product for health, especially women. And copper (385 mcg) ensures the delivery of iron from reserves, contributes to its absorption and production of red bodies. Copper also provides oxygen movement to the muscles.

The benefits of prunes

The benefits of prunes are due to a set of necessary and various vitamins, micro and macro elements, amino acids, which together determine the unique healing value of the product.

• For the functioning of the body as a whole and for the intestine in particular, it is useful:
• low glycemic index (GI = 40) ensures the normalization of blood glucose levels, that is, in moderate quantities prunes can be consumed even by diabetics, while metabolism improves, fat deposits do not accumulate;
• polyphenols in the composition of the product contribute to the conclusion of "bad" cholesterol - the causes of obesity, improve the condition of blood vessels and thereby have a beneficial effect on heart function;
• potassium in the composition of the product normalizes the water-salt and electrolyte balance, and together with sodium it enhances the metabolism, preventing the appearance of excess weight;
• the large number and variety of B vitamins and 9% of the daily norm of tryptophan amino acids have a calming effect on the nervous system, eliminating the anxiety and stresses that are often present in dieters;
• the ability of prunes to lower blood pressure makes it possible to use it in diets for hypertension;
• mild laxative effect due to the presence of sorbitol and diphenylisatin substances cleanses the body of toxins and is used in some gastrointestinal diseases accompanied by constipation;
• the presence of plant fiber (dietary fiber) helps to saturate and replenish the body’s energy, maintains a feeling of satiety for a long time and avoids unwanted snacks when dieting;
• In addition to cleansing the body from the inside, prunes help to improve the appearance due to the beneficial effect on the skin, hair and nails.

Features of the use for weight loss

A specific feature of the use of prunes in the diet is that having a fairly high calorie content, it is successfully used in dietary nutrition to reduce weight. This is a proven and well-proven tool for bringing the body into perfect shape without strict prohibitions on nutrition and grueling workouts in the gym. The main requirement is the correct and normalized use. To obtain the maximum possible effect, it is better to use the product in steamed form, pouring boiling water. It is advisable not to cook, so as not to lose some of the valuable properties.

Did you know? To connect to the process of losing weight exercise, remember that 20 jump rope will replace 1 hour jogging. The work of many muscles during jumping increases the load by 4 times.

It should be remembered that prunes have diuretic and laxative effects, but unlike pharmaceuticals, they are not addictive and do not harm the body even with prolonged use. It is included in the recipe of some diets developed by nutritionists to reduce weight, and goes well with cereals and dairy products. The sweetness of dried plums avoids the use of sugar to sweeten dishes. With a constant craving for sweets during the day, it is enough to eat a couple of steamed berries or use them as a snack between meals.

But you should follow some rules of admission and know how much prunes you can eat per day:

• the daily norm is not more than 100 g (6-10 fruits per day are enough);
• use most of the norm in the morning;
• do not combine with other laxatives and dried fruits.

For people on a diet and counting calories in the diet, information about the calorie content of dried fruit can be useful: the calorie content of one fruit weighing 9-10 g is about 24 kcal.

Find out how prunes are good for women.

Kefir with prunes

Sour-milk products with prunes, namely kefir, are useful for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, suffer from constipation and want to get rid of extra pounds. A mixture of these two ingredients serves as a delicious and healthy dessert and can replace such coveted cakes and pastries without harming the figure. To make such a healing drink, steam 6–9 berries (depending on size), chop with a knife and mix with a glass of low-fat kefir (200–250 ml). Beat with a blender, do not add sugar.

A drink will be more beneficial if you drink it in the evening 2-3 hours before bedtime, but no later than 19 hours, instead of dinner. Replacing an evening meal for several days with such a drink will lead to a loss of kilograms with a constant daily diet. To get faster and tangible achievements in weight loss, do not use sweets and flour products, so as not to nullify the effort and not get better.

Important! When using kefir, it should be borne in mind that only fresh kefir has laxative properties. After 2-3 days from the date of issue, it becomes fixing.

Prunes for the night

Many people care about whether prunes help with daily bowel cleansing. To gently cleanse the intestines in the fight against constipation, eat 6–9 fruits of steamed dried fruit at night and drink kefir, yogurt, or pure mineral water. Such use instead of dinner will add a feeling of satiety and relieve problems. Strengthen the cleansing effect can infusion on dried apricots and prunes. To do this, pour over 5-6 dried fruit berries in boiling water (0.5 l) at night, and drink an infusion on an empty stomach in the morning.

Oatmeal with Prunes

In dietary nutrition, oatmeal takes one of the first places and has practically no contraindications. You can cook porridge in water, milk or in a mixture of water and milk. Prunes (5-6 pcs.) Need to be washed, chopped and add to the porridge removed from the fire. Despite the fact that porridge is used in the diet, you can season it with a small amount of honey and butter.

Video: oatmeal with prunes

The calorific value of such a product is 320-340 kcal. After 3-5 days of such a diet, you should take a break and repeat it after a month. The developers of the oat diet guarantee a weight loss of 5 kg. On sale there is a large selection of ready-made mixtures for the preparation of such porridge.

Cottage cheese with prunes

Another diet food dish is cottage cheese with prunes. To assess whether such a product is useful for those who are losing weight, you can on its calorie content. To prepare the dish, the cottage cheese should be ground with a small amount of kefir or yogurt (50 g) and add 5-6 pieces of steamed and chopped prunes.

Did you know? Skim milk products do not give the body a saturation signal due to the lack of fat in the composition, so the portions eaten may be larger. And this leads to a gain in body weight.

To find out whether such a product is caloric, when calculating calories, one should take into account the fat content of the cottage cheese used, on which the calorie content of the finished dish depends:

• 0% fat - 89.5 kcal;
• 4% fat - 156.7 kcal;
• 8% fat content - 183.6 kcal;
• 23% fat content - 339.2 kcal.

Possible contraindications

The main contraindication for taking prunes is an individual intolerance to the product or allergic reactions.

• In addition, you should not use it in the following cases:
• patients with diabetes (limited to up to 2-3 pcs. per day);
• in severe forms of obesity due to the high content of carbohydrates;
• nursing mothers due to possible digestive disorders in infants;
• in the presence of kidney stones and gall bladder.

We recommend that you learn about the features of using prunes during pregnancy.

Being a source of vitamins and nutrients, prunes are successfully included in the diets of dietary nutrition, allowing you to achieve an ideal figure without grueling workouts and dubious diets.