Do prunes work?

fishhead · #1 07/22/12, 07:02 PM

Do prunes really work as regulation aid? Can you eat too many?

I bought some today and they are pretty good tasting but I don't want to have to stay close to the bathroom all day tomorrow by eating too many.

katydidagain · #2 07/22/12, 08:23 PM

They've never affected me; as a kid I could scarf up a whole box and nada. Cheese doesn't bind me up either. However, lots of dried beans reconstituted do seem to change things for me--I do mean LOTS. And corn is always interesting...

jwal10 · #3 07/22/12, 09:03 PM

Dried prunes stewed work for me. You can eat too many. A lot depends on you and your metabolism. I dry 100 lbs every fall, Brooks type (they are the big ones) Make great muffins. Ever ate too many cherries?

....James

fishhead · #4 07/22/12, 09:10 PM

No never too many cherries.

Rick · #5 07/23/12, 08:05 AM

I am a regular sort of guy! I eat 3 prunes every week or so, for anti-oxidants and have never found them to change things.

Ann is slightly less regular; sometimes she'll take a magazine with her. She will eat 7 prunes at a time. She also takes 3 times more calcium and magnesium than I do. She is on more of a daily schedule now than before she started the daily prunes and minerals.

My Healthy Liver & Bowel Book by Dr. Sandra Cabot lists:

6 med. prunes as containing 2.0 grams of fiber
16 lg. cherries as 1.0
1 med. apple as 2.8
2 dried figs as 6.4
1 med peach as 2.2

Veggies:

1/2 cup sweet corn 4.7
1 cup peas 5.0
1 med baked tater 3.0
1 cup carrots 3.0

Grains:

1/2 cup brown rice 2.4
1 cup white rice 1.0
1 slice whole great wheat bread 1.4
1 slice white bread 1.5

fishhead · #6 07/23/12, 08:52 AM

I think that they do work for me but I'll have to do more testing.

chickenista · #7 07/23/12, 03:11 PM

I love them!
Especially the essence ones.. orange, cherry etc..
But I cannot eat them.
I don't need the effects that they offer.
Even one and I am done in.
I too am very regular by nature and have a fast digestive system.
Nope.
Not eating prunes.

And I love prune juice too.
I love it over ice and super cold.
I have been able to enjoy it only twice in my life,
after my c-sections.
The nurses thought I was nuts because they had never seen anyone chug prune juice like I did.
They had to beg more cans from other floors.
Yummy!!!
I wouldn't drink it now for love or money.
Sigh.

motdaugrnds · #8 07/24/12, 08:10 AM

If you're simply wanting regularity and a healthy digestive tract, get some ground flaxseed and stir 2 heaping teaspoons into a glass of milk or juice each am. Also take a stool softener each night. (Since I've been doing this, my digestive system works great!)

Also, another type of regulation system is the seeds off plantain. Just crush and use "sparingly".

Chixarecute · #9 07/24/12, 08:58 AM

Prunes don't work for me, however prune juice is helpful. I don't know why.

motdaugrnds - how do you define spairingly? 1/8 tsp, less, more???

It's good to know about the flax. I've been adding ~2tsp to my oatmeal.

Rick · #10 07/24/12, 12:42 PM

We heard yea ago flax seed need to be ground to get the goodness out of them. We use a mortar and pestle.

SageLady · #11 07/25/12, 01:28 AM

Prune juice was the only thing that worked for me when I was pregnant. It was a lifesaver for me.

City Bound · #12 07/25/12, 06:44 AM

prune juice works on me.

blufford · #13 07/25/12, 05:17 PM

If prunes don't work then eat a handful of dried plums. A great big handful!

jwal10 · #14 07/25/12, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blufford

If prunes don't work then eat a handful of dried plums. A great big handful!

That is what a prune is....Dried plum. Used to be called prunes, even on the tree. This area was known as the prune capital of the world. Italian prunes. I like the bigger brooks type. The yuppies in California started calling them plums, (prunes were for old people). Plums are a thin skinned soft meated more watery fruit. Prunes were/are harvested in the fall and dried. Rehydrate/stew and eat juice and fruit, it works....James

Kwings · #15 07/25/12, 11:51 PM

I've never had them work for me but i'm 24 and have never really NEEDED them to help me regulate things so i'm not sure if that will change as i get older. I do know i love prunes and can eat them all i want with no effects, same with prune juice. I usually pour me a big ole glass of prune juice when i go to my moms sometimes and she always says "you may not want to drink THAT much of it, you'll be in the bathroom all day!" and it never happens lol.

fishhead · #16 07/26/12, 01:58 PM

Trust me. Things WILL change. Just keep fit and eat well and they won't be quite as bad.

motdaugrnds · #17 07/28/12, 09:23 AM

"sparingly" to me means a little (like 1/2 tsp) ONCE, wait a few hours, take another 1/2 tsp, wait a few hours. What you would be doing (as I always do with wild vegetation experimentations) is finding out how it affects your own personal body. For some it would only take the 1/2 tsp (crushed); whereas others may use a Tbs. (This is what I did with the flaxseed and discovered 2 Tbs each morning is all I need every day to keep my digestive tract working well.)

Kelly · #18 08/10/12, 12:39 AM

I find that it helps to warm up the prune juice, or to drink some hot tea/coffee when eating dried/stewed prunes.

JohnL751 · #19 08/18/12, 07:49 PM

They are a good snack that I don't have to keep cold. I buy the 9 oz. box of pitted prunes. I usually eat the whole box in one day. No problems.