La plum is a fruit of the Prunus domestina plant and belongs to the Rosaceae family.
The fruit of the plum is as large as an egg with a slightly elongated or more rounded shape depending on the plum variety.
The ripening of the fruit takes place from June to September and it always varies according to the type of plum variety_ some are earlier and others later.
In fact, there are many different varieties of plums which differ both in flavor and in the color of the pulp and skin so much that they change from green to yellow, from orange to red, from blue to purple.
The taste of yellow plums is usually sour and juicy while the red ones are much sweeter; the greens are also tasty and sweet, while the violets have a more suitable taste for canned preparations as they are excellent to cook and maintain their consistency.
Use of plums
Plums can be found on the market both fresh and dried usually taking the name of plums when we speak of fresh fruit and plums when they are dried.
Plums are eaten plain like any other fruit and apart from the internal core all the rest is edible including the peel which contains many beneficial substances such as pigments. Plums are great for fruit salads, smoothies and fresh juice extracts.
The plums are then transformed in the kitchen to prepare jams, compotes, syrups, jellies and of course also dried such as prunes.
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Plums composition
The composition of plums is different from plums precisely because the latter have lost almost all of their water after drying. and therefore all substances are more concentrated in dried plums.
Fresh plums have a calorie intake between 30 and 45 kilocalories per 100 grams of fruit. While prunes reach 220 kilocalories per 100 grams.
In prunes where everything is more concentrated, we have much more fiber, easily assimilated sugars, vitamins (A, C, E and K) and minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc.
Furthermore, the amino acid part is really rich and sees present tyrosine, methionine, leucine, lysine, cysteine, phenylalanine, histidine and gluttamic and aspartic acids.
Among the varieties of plums we also have differences in the compositionand which also determine the different flavor and texture of the fruit.
For example, red plums are richer in sugar about 10,5 g while yellow plums have a lower sugar content that is around 7 gr.
These differences in nutrients affect both the taste but also the properties themselves beneficial.
Properties of plums
Plums or plums are fruits rich in antioxidants which serve to keep us young thanks to their anti-aging power.
Antioxidants are in fact substances that counteract the free radicals present in our body and which are directly responsible for cellular aging.
In particular, red and blue plums are rich in anthocyanins which in addition to fighting free radicals also have anticancer properties.
Plums of this color are therefore better for giving a protective effect given that in addition to preventing some forms of cancer, they even have an antiseptic action that helps to keep away other diseases of bacterial or viral origin.
The yellow or green plums stand out because they are slightly less rich in sugar compared to the red ones and therefore their caloric intake is lower: 35 kcal per 100 grams.
If we wanted to do a weight loss diet we should choose the less sweet ones from the plum varieties like yellow and green.
However, whether yellow or red plums are rich in natural fibers especially if they are eaten with the peel and this helps a lot our intestinal transit by unblocking any constipation problems.
This slightly laxative effect is reinforced by the presence of sorbitol which is a sugar capable of drawing water into the intestinal lumen with a fluidifying effect that counteracts constipation and helps in case of difficulty in the transit of stool.
Consuming plums appears to have a beneficial effect on the heart which keeps it healthy removing the risk of stroke and heart attack. In particular, red and purple plums are rich in pigments and active ingredients such as polyphenols that protect the cardiovascular system.
Plums are also good for the bones so much that their consumes helps prevent menopause problems by acting on the prevention of bone loss.
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