Often outstretched by its peach cousins and nectarines among the popular fruits of the summer, the plum has nothing to envy them. The fruit of the trees of the Prunus family is distributed in more than 2000 varieties from around the world, ranging from the deep purple of the Alsatian quetsches to the acidulated yellow of the queen-claudes or mirabelles, to the red. Available in France on stalls from July to October, this juicy fruit, rich in water (82.5%) is highly concentrated in Vitamin C and is therefore ideal to give you energy and strengthen your immune defences before returning. You can also rely on the plum to boost your metabolism! Rich in insoluble fibers that stimulate and protect the intestinal flora, plums facilitate transit while participating in stabilizing blood glucose levels. It is estimated that this would reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 11%.
Nutritional information
But that's not all! This light fruit (about 30 kcal per fruit) contains essential antioxidants including phenolic acid, which helps to partially eliminate the “bad” cholesterol, responsible for many cardiovascular diseases. (1) The antioxidant effects of high-dose vitamin C contained in this fruit (up to 8%) have a beneficial impact on health as a whole. (2). Indeed, several studies have shown that regular intake of this vitamin not only prevents anemia, by facilitating the absorption of iron (3) by the body, but also limits the symptoms of chronic diseases such as asthma or osteoarthritis. (4)
Preserve and taste the plum
The health benefits of plums are countless, as are the ways to cook and enhance it. Like all fruits, it stays well at room temperature when not too ripe, but it is advisable to store it in the refrigerator as soon as it matures. If you want to eat the whole plum, prefer, if possible, a fruit from organic farming, to avoid as much as possible the ingestion of pesticides, very concentrated in the skin of the fruit.
You can of course taste it raw to make the most of its nutritional properties. Its acidified flavor fits very well in salad with other summer fruits, such as strawberries, fish or melon for a real cocktail of vitamins and antioxidants. The sweet meat of the prune can also do wonders cooked, in more gourmet recipes, in cake or in cloves: the famous cloves with mirabelles are no longer presented. To vary the pleasures, do not hesitate to integrate it into your salty recipes: it is delicious in combination with goat cheese or feta, and wonderfully adds to jam or meats like lamb.
Sources: Passeportsanté.net, lanutrition.fr, whfood.net.
References: (1) Kurl S, Tuomainen TP, Laukkanen JA et al. Plasma vitamin C modifies the association between hypertension and risk of stroke. Stroke 2002 Jun;33(6):1568-73. 2002. (2) Khaw KT, Bingham S, Welch A, et al. Relation between plasma ascorbic acid and mortality in men and women in EPIC-Norfolk prospective study: a prospective population study. European (3) Ballot D, Baynes RD, Bothwell TH, et al. The effects of fruit juices and fruits on the absorption of iron from a rice meal. Br J Nutr 1987 May;57(3):331-43. 1987. PMID:13550. (4) Nakatani N, Kayano S, Kikuzaki H, et al. Identification, quantitative determination, and antioxidative activities of chlorogenic acid isomers in prune (Prunus domestica L. ). J Agric Food Chem 2000 Nov;48(11):5512-6. 2000. PMID:13580.
Plums
