5 health benefits of eating plums This stone fruit is a sweet, yet healthy way to satisfy your hunger. Find out more about the health benefits of plums Protect your heart One medium-sized fresh plum contains 113 mg of potassium, a mineral that helps manage high blood pressure and reduce stroke risk. If that isn’t heartwarming enough, the reddish-blue pigment in some plums, called anthocyanins, may protect against cancer by mopping up harmful free radicals Keep your bowels regular Dried plums—a.k.a. prunes—are a tried-and-true way to help your bowel do its work (each prune has one gram of fibre). Lower blood sugar According to the Dietitians of Canada, plums rank low on the glycemic index, which means eating them can help you control your blood sugar and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes Boost bone health Researchers from Florida State and Oklahoma State universities tested two groups of postmenopausal women over the span of 12 months for bone density. One group ate 100 grams of prunes per day (about 10 prunes); the other ate 100 grams of dried apples. Both groups took calcium and vitamin D supplements. The findings indicated that the prune group had substantially higher bone mineral density in the spine and forearms. Improve your memory Did you know that eating three to four antioxidant-rich prunes a day can help neutralize cell-damaging free radicals that affect your memory? Now that’s sharp snacking!
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 23:49:21 +0000