Get Ready For The Shock of Your Life - With Plums!!

Plums: in the fall these sweet and juicy fruits hang heavy on Austrian branches, so ripe you could eat them right off of the tree! Not only are they finger-licking good, these little fruits pack a healthy punch! Great for sensitive stomachs and digestive health, they are also delicious steamed. Whether you eat them prepared or fresh off the branch, these delicious fruits can help you lose weight!

Plums act as a natural diuretic and mild laxative that can help lead to a slim belly. No wonder, as the fresh fruits contain almost no calories! They're 80 percent water! Nevertheless, these sly old dogs pack a ton of nutrition into their skins. Full of fiber and sorbitol, these nutrients keep the digestive track busy, soothe irritable stomachs with help with heartburn and bloating to keep us happy.

The plum also belongs to brain food. If you are nervous or stressed, try eating a few plums. The trace elements zinc and copper, B vitamins and magnesium will help you relax. Vitamin C strengthens your immune system and vitamin A helps maintain the eyes, skin and mucous membranes. The many polyphenols and antioxidants are said to protect the cardiovascular system - in the US, prunes are even on the list of recommended foods that you should eat for cancer screening.

Speaking of prunes: the dried fruits do contain a lot of calories (in 100 grams there are about 225 calories), thanks to the high fructose content, but they do provide quick energy that lasts. They contain a lot of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin K and boron. Due to their high fiber content, they also help lower cholesterol. They are also rumored  to positively impact gout or liver disease.

Only people with fructose intolerance should avoid plums because of their natural sugar content. 

Speaking of sweets - plums are delicious additions to dumplings, muffins, cakes, stewed fruit or ice cream  as desserts bring out the plums wonderful sweetness. When made into jam, plums are great breakfast company. For lunch they make a great addition to salad with goat cheese. Many recipes also bring the plum on the plate dried, for example, when they are served with meat.

So all in all, plums are a wonderful healthy surprise - but only if they are enjoyed in moderation. If we eat too many, we will experience another miracle in their effect as natural laxatives. This is - thank Godness - another story!