The New Complete Book of Food

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r Prunes

(Dried plums)

See also Plums.

Nutritional Profile

Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate

Protein: Low

Fat: Low

Saturated fat: Low

Cholesterol: None

Carbohydrates: High

Fiber: Very high

Sodium: Low (fresh or dried fruit)

High (dried fruit treated with sodium sulfur compounds)

Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin A, folate, vitamin C

Major mineral contribution: Iron, Potassium

About the Nutrients in This Food

Prunes are a high-carbohydrate food, rich in sugars (sucrose and fructose)

and very high in dietary fiber: insoluble cellulose and lignin in the skin and

soluble pectins in the flesh. Prunes are a good source of vitamin A, with

moderate amounts of vitamin C and nonheme iron, the form of iron found

in plants.

One serving (five uncooked pitted prunes) has 3.5 g dietary fiber, 370

IU vitamin A (16 percent of the RDA for a woman, 12.5 percent of the RDA

for a man), and 0.5 mg iron (3 percent of the RDA for a woman, 6 percent

of the RDA for a man).

The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food

With meat or a food rich in vitamin C to increase the absorption of iron

from the prunes. Meat makes the stomach more acid (iron is absorbed bet-

ter in an acid medium), while vitamin C changes the iron from ferric iron

to ferrous iron, a more easily absorbed form.

* Values are for dried, uncooked prunes