Plum - Health Benefits (All about it)

The plant is best described as small tree or large shrub and widely cultivated in the United States, Europe, Japan and China. Many cultivars of plums are grown all over the world, which differ in their colour  size and growing characteristics based upon their country of origin. Generally, each variety of the plum trees bears numerous, almost uniform sized fruits between May and September months.

Health benefits of Plums

• Delicious, fleshy, succulent plums are low in calories (46 calories per 100 g) and contain no saturated fats; however, contain numerous health promoting compounds, minerals and      vitamins.
• Certain health benefiting compounds present in the plum fruits, such as dietary fiber, sorbitol, andisatin are known to help regulate the functioning of the digestive system and thereby relieve constipation conditions.
• Total antioxidant strength of plums measured in terms of ORAC (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity) is 6259 µmol TE/100 g. Fresh berries are a moderate source of vitamin C, which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• Fresh plums, especially yellow Mirabelle type, are a moderate source of vitamin A and beta carotene. Vitamin A is essential for good eye sight. It is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin A has found to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• The fruit is also good in health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zea-xanthin in significant amounts. These compounds help act as scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes. Zea-xanthin, an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide      antioxidant and protective UV light-filtering functions.
• Plums are plentiful in minerals like potassium, fluoride and iron. Iron is required for red blood cell formation. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
• In addition, the berries are moderate sources in B-complex groups of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid. These vitamins are acting as cofactors help the body metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They also provide about 5% RDA levels of vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for many clotting factors function in the blood as well as in bone metabolism and help reduce Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.

Selection and storage

Plums are available year round, but they are at their best between May until September. In the store, look for fresh fruits featuring rich colour and may still have a slight whitish "bloom," indicating that they have not been over handled. Avoid those ones with excessively soft, or with cuts or bruises. Ripen fruits yield to gentle pressure and feature a sweet aroma.

Slightly hard mature plums can be kept at room temperature until they ripen. Ripe ones can be placed in the refrigerator but should be brought to room temperature before being eaten in order to enjoy their rich flavour. Dry plums called "prunes," can be stored at room temperature for few days.

Preparation and serving method

Wash plums in cold running water just before using.  Fresh ripe plums should be enjoyed as a whole along with skin.

Cut section and stone-seed.

Incise lengthwise deeply until the hard seed felt and then remove the seed. Skin may be peeled off using paring knife as in apples. However, its peel not only provides good fiber content but also contains some health benefiting anti-oxidant pigments. Therefore, just wash the fruit and enjoy without discarding the skin. They can also be baked or stewed.

Here are some serving tips:

• Plum sections are a great addition to salads.
• The fruits are being used in the preparation of pie, desserts, jams and jellies.
• They can also be used in a variety of recipes and are usually baked or poached.
• Dried plums in general known as prunes are added to muffins, cakes, ice-creams, etc., as in other dry fruits like raisins, apricots and figs.