INCREDIBLE HEALTH BENEFITS OF PRUNES AND PRUNE JUICE

///

Staying hydrated is very important for the health of your organs and making your skinradiant. One way of increasing your fluid intake is by adding prunes to water and sipping it at your comfort. This may benefit your health in several ways.

Prunes are highly nutritious and they can help benefit your health in many ways. Drinking the recommended eight glasses of water per day may be practically difficult for some of us. Adding prune juice to your diet is a perfect way of adding nutrients alongside hydration. Prunes are an excellent source of energy and can benefit your digestive health since they are high in healthy fiber. What’s more prunes don’t cause rapid spikes in blood sugars. This article will discuss how consuming prunes and prune juice may benefit your health. It will also cover the potential side effects of prunes.

May Improve Digestion

Prunes are a great source of healthy fiber. The fruit’s fiber escapes digestion in the upper digestive tract and gets to the large intestines untouched. This may help prevent digestive complications such as hemorrhoids caused by constipation. Chronic constipation tends to be more common in older adults than in the other cohort. It can also occur in infants and cause severe pain. Eating prunes or drinking its juice may help relieve this problem since it contains sorbitol, which has laxative properties. However, you may need to consult your doctor before using it on you or your child.

Eating at least six prunes provides 4 g of fiber, and a half cup of prune juice packs 6.2 g. Many don’t get enough fiber from their diet to meet their daily needs as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: 2020-2025. It is recommended that women aged 30 years and below should consume 28 g of fiber per day, and men in this age bracket to receive 34 g. A fiber intake of 25 g and 30 g per day should be the target of women and men, respectively, of age between 31 and 50 years. Women over 51 years should aim for 22 g of fiber per day, while men of this age should get 28 g.

May Help Control Urge

Urine incontinence, loose and overreactive bladder can be humiliating. Dealing with such a problem can be uncomfortable. Eating prunes add fiber to your diet, which may help control the urge. So many things can lead to an overreactive bladder. And constipation can precipitate the urge of urination. The Cleveland Clinic recommends you take the following mixture every day in the morning to help put in check your bowels: one cup of applesauce, a three-quarter cup of prune juice, and one cup of unprocessed wheat bran.

Loaded with Potassium

Potassium is one of the major minerals in your body essential for a variety of critical body functions. It may help with the contraction of your heart, break down of food particles, transfer of nerve impulses, contraction of muscles, and regulation of blood pressure. It is worth mentioning that your body does not have the ability to naturally produce potassium. It will be best to get enough of it from the foods you eat, including prune and prune juice. Keep in mind that potassium may alter with normal body functioning if consumed in high amounts, so be careful not to get too much of it. Prunes provide good amounts of potassium, with half a cup of prune juice providing 637 mg of potassium. This is equivalent to 14% of your daily recommended value. The recommended daily intake of potassium for adults is 4,700 mg.

Rich In Vitamins

Besides providing potassium, prunes are also high in beneficial vitamins. A half-cup of prunes provides 52 mcg of vitamin K, accounting for 65% of the recommended daily value (RDV); 679 IU of vitamin A, accounting for 14% of the RDV, 0.16 mg of riboflavin, accounting for 9% of the RDV, 0.18 mg of vitamin B6, accounting for 9% of the RDI, and 1.6 mg of niacin, accounting for 8% of the RDV. Vitamin A plays an active role in improving vision, while vitamin K is needed for clot formation which prevents bleeding. Prunes are also an excellent source of key minerals, such as magnesium, manganese, and copper.

Provides High Amounts of Iron

Iron helps your body to make healthy red blood cells. With inadequate iron supply, what is termed as iron deficiency, anemia can easily set in because red blood cells are no longer produced adequately. This condition can present with symptoms like paleness, fatigue, irritability, and shortness of breath, among others. Consuming prune and prune juice helps restore iron levels and treat and prevent iron deficiency. As per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) database, a half cup of prune contains 0.81 g of iron. This accounts for nearly4.5% of the recommended daily intake. Half a cup of prune juice, on the other hand, provides 3 mg of iron, which accounts for 17% of the recommended daily intake.

May Strengthen Bones and Muscles

For healthy and strong bones, you need to consume some minerals, including boron. Dried prunes are an excellent source of this key mineral, which, apart from strengthening your bones, may help build your muscles. Boron is also believed to help improve mental acuity and coordination of muscles. Studies indicate that boron may especially help combat loss of bone density that usually occurs with radiation therapy. Osteoporosis, which is a common bone condition that occurs in postmenopausal women, can also be treated with the consumption of prunes.

Potential Side Effects

Drinking prune juice has been associated with a few side effects. This may include digestive discomfort like diarrhea, gas, bloating, and constipation. These are all due to high fiber and sorbitol content in prunes. You may need to start on prunes slowly, to avoid these problems. Other common side effects include weight gain and allergic reactions.

Conclusion

Prune and prune juice are highly nutritious. Consuming them may help improve digestion, control urges, and strengthen bones – all courtesy of the beneficial nutrients in prunes like boron and fiber. It is best to introduce these fruits into your diet slowly to avoid side effects like diarrhea and constipation.

Credits

We would like to thank the below contributors who have helped us to write this article:

Fitness Motivation Hellas

Elena Ognivtseva
Latest posts by Elena Ognivtseva (see all)

Nutritionist, Cornell University, MS

I believe that nutrition science is a wonderful helper both for the preventive improvement of health and adjunctive therapy in treatment. My goal is to help people improve their health and well-being without torturing themselves with unnecessary dietary restrictions. I am a supporter of a healthy lifestyle – I play sports, cycle, and swim in the lake all year round. With my work, I have been featured in Vice, Country Living, Harrods magazine, Daily Telegraph, Grazia, Women's Health, and other media outlets.

Latest from Health