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Plum Satisfying This summer, good old-fashioned prunes (aka dried plums) are an easy, affordable and delicious way to fill up, feel good and get fit 
Want a cheap, portable and healthy treat for the busy days of summer? Nutrition experts say to stock up on dried plums. Sweet, earthy and luscious on the inside and slightly chewy on the outside, these half-dollar-sized dark, wrinkly nibbles are like organic raisins on steroids or little concentrated bites of an expensive ruby port. For those thinking that this description is awfully reminiscent of that other oft maligned dried fruit, the prune, that’s because they’re one and the same. To clarify, in order to make a prune, a plum is dried. But after the old-people-trying-to-stay-regular stigma that came to attach itself to prunes led to a decade of falling sales, in 2000 the FDA let the California Prune Board (now the California Dried Plum Board) make the fresh-faced name change official. That said, this image overhaul was only necessary in the U.S. In other countries, plump prunes have long been prized for their vibrant flavor and year-round availability– they frequently appear in Asian and Middle Eastern snacks, side dishes and entrées, for example, and in France they’re commonly featured in desserts, such as a custardy Far Breton pastry, scoops of Agenais ice cream or a bowl of simple poached fruit with spices. According to Lalita Kaul, a professor in the College of Medicine at Howard University, Washington D.C., and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, dried plums are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, and potassium, an essential mineral that helps prevent high blood pressure and promotes bone health. In addition, recent studies have found that, thanks largely to the phytochemicals that produce their deep purple/blue/black pigment, dried plums have the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit, gram-for-gram, including blueberries, notes Katherine Tallmadge, registered dietitian and author of “Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations” (Lifeline Press, 2011). These antioxidants help protect against cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses by mopping up harmful free radicals. Dried plums are also a great, natural way to promote digestive health and help relieve constipation, Kaul says. About 60 percent of their dietary fiber is a soluble variety called pectin, which mixes with water in the stomach to become a viscous gel. The result is that the stomach empties more slowly, providing a feeling of satiety, helping to regulate blood-sugar levels, contributing to lower LDL cholesterol levels and aiding in the absorption of important nutrients. The rest of the fiber is insoluble – it works mainly in the large intestine (the colon), adding bulk and water to your stool so that it becomes softer and moves through your system quickly. Earlier this year, new research (funded by the California Dried Plum Board but conducted independently at the University of Iowa) found that dried plums are more effective than psyllium (the key ingredient in Metamucil) in combating constipation, Kaul adds. However, because participants received an equal amount of fiber from both the fruit and the psyllium, researchers suggested that other nutrients in dried plums might be responsible for the superior effect. One of these nutrients is likely sorbitol, says Tallmadge. “Sorbitol is a natural sugar that, like insoluble fiber, works like a dry sponge, attracting water into the gut so that stools are larger, softer and easier to eliminate.” Regardless of whether a person’s interest is gastronomy, good health or gut-related, dried plums are easy to fit into any diet. Five make for a satisfying snack with approximately 114 calories, but also try grilling them whole wrapped in bacon, chopping them up and adding them to oatmeal or pancakes, slicing them over salads, dicing them for rice or couscous sides, or cooking them down into a succulent sauce for roast duck or ribs. Kaul suggests including them in turkey meatballs to add depth, while Tallmadge recommends stewing them with rum or rosewater – they will soak up the flavor without adding excessive calories or any fat. Speaking of fat, dried plum purée can be used as a fat substitute (and moisture enhancer) in everything from chocolate cake to hamburgers and chili. |
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