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Prunes/Dried Plums for your Bones

A 2011 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition titled "Comparative Effects of Dried Plum and Dried Apple on Bone in Post Memopausal Women, "found that postmenopausal women consuming dried plums (100 grams of dried plums - about 10 prunes - each day) had significantly higher bone mineral density in the ulna (one of two long bones in the forearm) and spine, compared to postmenopausal women consuming dried apples (100 grams).  The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Dried Plum Board provided the dried plums for the study, as well as some funding to measure markers of oxidative stress.

While I am always hesitant to claim miracle food status for any food this study does remind me that prunes are a tasty and nutritious addition to any diet and often overlooked in menu planning.  We need more studies to further understand and confirm the effect of prunes on bone health and if less than 10 prunes per day or prune juice has the same effect on bones, but meanwhile adding them to your diet when you can seems like a good idea.

Prunes are known to have a laxative effect and not everyone may be able to tolerate 100 grams of prunes per day, or to afford the 240 calories 100 grams of prunes contains.  I suggest gradually incorporating some prunes into your diet to see how you tolerate them.  If you have issues with constipation adding prunes to your diet will have added benefits.  While prunes may be good for your bones you need to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily (9 plus per day) to be sure you get all the nutrients your bones need so don’t eat prunes at the expense of other fruits and vegetables.

To incorporate prunes into your diet add chopped prunes to mixed green salads, muffins, oatmeal, grain salads, or stuffing.   For a snack eat prunes, with a little high quality dark chocolate, or with nuts – almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts all go great with prunes.  If it is OK for you to drink alcohol in moderation add a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or Brandy (Armagnac, Cognac or Muscat) for an extra treat.  Use pureed prunes (or baby food prunes) as a substitute for fat in baking and add prunes to Smoothies.  I sometimes substitute prunes for dates in my Tahini Dressing recipe and I use prune juice in my Granola recipe.  Check out the website http://www.californiadriedplums.org/recipes for lots of good prune/dried plum recipe ideas. 

 

 

posted on 11/7/2014