Best Time to Eat Prunes: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner, or Empty Stomach?

These days there’s plenty of demand for dry fruits. May it be for dieting purposes, to maintain good health, or because someone may love to eat them just out of habit. Prunes are highly nutritive dried fruits that can benefit in preventing several ailments if eaten at the right time. The best time to eat prunes is in the morning with breakfast adding yogurt. Prunes, on the other hand, can be eaten at distinct periods for a number of reasons.

Dry fruits are the fruits from which the original water content has been removed either naturally or through sun drying, or through dehydrators. Maximum dry fruits that are sold and consumed are raisins, dates, figs, prunes, apricots, apples, and peaches.

Dried fruits that are dried in the sun or heated wind tunnel dryers are called traditional dried fruits. Several fruits like cranberries, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and mango are instilled with sucrose syrup before drying.

Some dried fruits like kiwi, pineapple, and papaya are most often sold in the form of candies. Dried fruits maintain most of the nutritive value and have a long shelf-life and hence are highly appreciated.

In this article, the dried fruit that we have selected is prune.

Prunes are one of the most commonly consumed dried fruit across the world. It is a dried plum of Prunus domestica variety. Not all plum classes or varieties can be dried into prunes.

Prunes are full of varieties of nutrients. It contains 64% of carbohydrates as well as dietary fiber, 2% protein, and is a rich source of vitamin K with a moderate source of vitamin B and dietary minerals.

Prunes comprise of dietary fibers and their sorbitol content could provide laxative effects which in turn help in maintaining normal bowel function.

Best Time to Eat Prunes

Prunes in Breakfast: 

Prunes can securely be eaten for breakfast. Prunes contain ample calories, are extremely filling to keep you full for a long time, and eating them right in the morning makes perfect sense. It can be eaten by mixing it with yogurt, added to a smoothie, or can be eaten just like that.

Prunes in Lunch: 

After a delicious lunch, our sweet tooth cravings come up, and to fulfill these cravings prunes can be a good substitute for unhealthy desserts. Prunes have a suitably high amount of sugar in them and can do the work of what ice-creams and brownies would do.

Prunes at Night:

It maintains your digestive system and avoids constipation as prunes contain good amounts of fiber and digestive superfoods. Prunes also contain sorbitol that provides a mild laxative effect.

But eating prunes every night before going bet may cause some digestive issues. Prunes being a dried fruit has low water but high fiber content and may cause digestive issues like gas and cramping during the night. Sorbitol, a sweetener could be the cause leading to bloating and flatulence, especially when eaten in larger quantities. 

On Empty Stomach: 

Prunes should not be consumed on an empty stomach rather consumption should be distributed throughout the day.

Prunes have varied health benefits and so it has become an important part of the diet for many people.

Health Benefits of Eating Prunes:

• Improves bone health. 
• Relieves Constipation.
• Lowers the risk of several chronic diseases.
• Reduces inflammation.
• Has a protective effect on heart health.
• Aids in weight loss.
• Boosts metabolism.
• Prevents iron deficiency.
• Reduces cholesterol levels.
• Lowers blood pressure.
• Helps reduce appetite.

We all know that, like all other fruits and food items, there is a particular time when prunes can be consumed to gain maximum benefit from them along with a particular quantity.

The Bottom Line 

Prunes are a highly flexible variety of dried fruit. Along with its nutritive value, it can be added to various foods to make tasty and flavorful dishes. Prunes have various health benefits and should be introduced into your diet on regular basis.

One thing which all of us should remember is that prunes should not be eaten in very large quantities as it may lead to various digestive problems, weight gain, and so on. Prunes should be introduced into your diet slowly and gradually such as 1-2 prunes per day. And as always the best time to eat prunes is morning and do not forget to drink plenty of water while consuming this dried fruit.