When the days slowly become shorter again, the plum is in season. With its sweet taste, it still reminds us of summer, but at the same time allows us a healthy start to autumn. Because plums not only have important vitamins and minerals, but also help with constipation and other health problems. However, ripe plums have a very high fructose content, which is why it is better to avoid eating the blue fruits if you have fructose intolerance. The high fructose content also means that plums have more calories than many other types of fruit.
The plum and its ingredients
Similar to many other types of fruit, plums are composed mostly of water. In addition, the blue fruits are composed as follows:
- 10.2 percent carbohydrates
- 0.6 percent protein
- 0.2 percent fats
- 1.6 percent dietary fiber
In addition, this type of fruit also contains important minerals with iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc.
Vitamin-rich total package
Plums also have a lot of vitamins to offer: In addition to provitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, they contain various vitamins from the B group. These are particularly important for the nervous system. In terms of individual vitamins, plums can not show top values, but it offers a healthy overall package.
Plums: fruits with high sugar content
Compared to other fruits, plums have a particularly high fructose content and can therefore provide energy quickly. Incidentally, of all the plums, plums contain the most sugar. Due to the high sugar content, the calorie content of plums is also somewhat higher than other fruits: 100 grams of plum contain about 47 calories (kcal). Dried plums, however, contain significantly more calories, with 100 grams containing about 225 calories. Due to the high sugar content, it is better to avoid eating prunes if you suffer from fructose malabsorption or fructose intolerance. Otherwise, it may cause abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.
Prunes get the digestion going
Prunes are popularly used as a remedy once there are problems with digestion. Dried plums soaked the night before, which are consumed for breakfast, can help with constipation, because plums have a laxative as well as diuretic effect. This is due to the fact that plums contain, among other ingredients, the plant fibers cellulose and pectin. These indigestible dietary fibers swell in the intestines and stimulate digestion.
Positive effect on health
But prunes have other positive effects on dei health:
- On the way through the intestine, the indigestible dietary fibers from the plums take away various waste and toxins, thus contributing to cancer prevention.
- Due to their high fiber content, plums also help lower cholesterol.
- In addition, they are also said to have a positive effect on gout as well as liver disease.
Tips on storage and purchase of plums
When buying plums, be sure to get firm fruit. Soft, overripe plums, on the other hand, should be avoided, as they are often infested with worms. After purchase, plums should be eaten relatively quickly. It is best to store them in a cool and shady place until they are eaten. Plums are best washed just before eating so that the waxy protective layer that keeps the fruit from drying out is preserved as long as possible. If you cut the plum along its seam, you can neatly divide it in half. Depending on the ripeness of the fruit, the pit can then be separated from the flesh more or less easily.
Ideas for recipes with plums
Plums can be eaten fresh from the tree as well as dried, but with dried plums the fructose and thus also the calorie content increases. Especially in late summer, plums are excellent for a delicious plum cake. If you want to enjoy the plums a little longer, you can boil them down and then turn them into plum puree or stewed plums. In Asian cuisine, plums are also used to make sauces and wine.
Things to know about the plum
Plums (Prunus domestica) belong to the rose family. There are believed to be over 2,000 different species worldwide, and some well-known subspecies of the plum are the mirabelle and the damson. Unlike plums, damsons have a more elongated shape and pointed ends. So far, there is no certain knowledge about the origin of the plum. It was probably brought to his empire by Alexander the Great on one of his military campaigns. In Germany today, the plum is mainly grown in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, with around 70 percent of the total harvest coming from these two states. Depending on the species, the shape, color and size of this fruit variety vary relatively widely. Thus, yellow and greenish as well as red, blue and purple plums can be purchased. The flowering period of the plum lasts from April to May. Season plum in Germany is then from July to October.
