Plum Surprise!
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"
We would all probably feel good about ourselves if we looked for plums instead of pie. Mrs. Horner most likely picked and bottled her plums sometime between May and October (when they are in season) so they could enjoy them at Christmas!
Plum Power
The Horners were on to something; plums are delicious any way you eat them, and healthy too! In fact, plums seem to help keep blood sugar under control while also helping with weight loss. Plums and dried plums don’t appear to cause a substantial rise in blood sugar levels, despite being high in carbohydrates. This is likely a result of plums increasing our body's levels of adiponectin, a hormone that helps with blood sugar regulation.The fiber in plums is also partially responsible for lowering blood sugar. Blood sugar rises gradually, rather than spike because the fiber slows the rate at which your body absorbs carbs after a meal. It’s not surprising then that eating fruits like plums is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Plums are particularly high in polyphenol phytochemicals (like the anthocyanins we find in deep-colored fruits and vegetables), which have positive effects on bone health and may help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. In fact, plums contain more than twice the amount of polyphenol phytonutrients as other popular fruits, such as nectarines and peaches. Research on the health effects of plums even shows promising results on plums' anti-inflammatory and memory-improving characteristics. Go plums!
Dried Plums Instead of Prunes
Did you know that not all plums are prunes? The prune fruit comes from a different type of plum with easier to remove pits. So dried plums are prunes, but not all plums are prunes. In fact, prunes got a name change in the US; they are now called dried plums instead of prunes. Apparently, the prune name has a negative connotation.
Plums to the Rescue
Whole fruit wins as a snack over processed food any day! Join me in following Fix 1 to replace processed sugar, white, refined flour, and processed foods with whole food this month.
My 12-Fix Wellness Plan is in the book 12 Fixes to Healthy: A Wellness Plan for Life is a manual you can use to improve your health and lose excess fat weight! Eating plums is a great way to start!
Judith (aka Judes) Scharman Draughon, MS, RDN, LDN, is a registered, licensed dietitian nutritionist, author of 12 Fixes to Health: A Wellness Plan for Life, as well as a corporate wellness speaker. Judes inspires many with her high-energy nutrition presentations, workshops, and seminars throughout the county.
Judes is passionate about her quest to empower people to make small changes that make a big difference. She can’t wait to empower you!
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Contributor: Ray Norton