If you were anything like me growing up, an appreciation for prunes was about on par with the desire to eat any of the green vegetables on my plate. To be clear, it was zero. I had zero interest in those wrinkly, dried up blobs of old plum that my grandmother tried to feed me like candy. Gross, grandma.
But! What I didn't know then (and hadn't yet learned to care about) was how jam-packed with nutrients those little suckers were! Thankfully, I grew out of my childhood eating habits and traded my love for candy, soda and salty snacks for much more well-rounded, sustaining plates of food! I discovered how hard my body works to maintain itself and how important it is for me to support it! This is a transition that many of us go through as we get older-- we learn to love food for much different reasons than before. Instead of prioritizing the fleeting satisfaction of unhealthy meals and high-sugar snacks, we learn to love the ingredients that truly contribute to the health of our bodies long-term. We learn to love prunes, y'all.
And let me tell you, there is a lot to love about them! Below are just some of their amazing benefits!
1. HIGH IN POTASSIUM
Prunes are very high in potassium- an important electrolyte which aids the body in many important functions like digestion, heart rhythm, nerve impulses, muscle contractions and blood pressure. The body does not produce it's own potassium, so it's super important to make sure that we provide it!
2. BORON
Dried prunes contain a very important mineral called Boron, which helps to build strong bones and muscles. It is also thought by many to aid patients with osteoporosis, as well as decrease the amount of bone loss that occurs in postmenopausal women.
3. GOOD SOURCE OF IRON
When your body is low in iron, it can result in a whole host of unwanted symptoms: Shortness of breath, irritability, fatigue and weakness. However, the good news is, prunes are a great source of iron! One half-cup of prune juice, on contains 3 mg, or 17 percent of your Daily Value.
4. LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE AND CHOLESTEROL
If you aren't in love with the benefits of prunes by now, we've got even more for ya! Research suggests that prunes may help slow the development of atherosclerosis (a narrowing of the arteries), by reducing your body's buildup of fat and cholesterol. Additionally, studies have shown that people who ate prunes on a daily basis saw a reduction in blood pressure!
5. LOWERS RISK OF COLON CANCER
Excluding skin cancers, colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women. A recent study conducted by Texas A&M University, however, found that eating prunes may actually help to increase the amount of microbiota (good bacteria) in your colon, reducing a person's chance of developing the disease!
I don't know about you guys, but all this healthy prune talk really has me craving them now! And, because we have probably all under-valued these special little fruits at one time or another, we want to celebrate them now by offering a 20% off discount on our prune-based Pineapple-Mango-Papaya bar. Head to our website and be sure to type in WELOVEPRUNES for your discount! (Offer good through September 8, 2018)