Eating prunes for your bones can help prevent or delay bone loss by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. My prune blog offers two delightful recipes.

Skelly and I spend a lot of time trying to get the word out about strong bones and how to feed them.  But a lot of women we meet don’t give their bones a second thought – until it’s too late.  

Some women are so worried about preventing cancer and heart disease that they can’t be bothered worrying about their bones. But here’s the thing… as a woman, you have a 50/50 chance of breaking a bone as you get older.  Those are pretty bad odds.

In fact, bone fractures are more common in women than heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer combined.   [1]

And supporting your bones is easier than you think. You can do something good for your bones at every meal.  

Let me give you just one example of a powerful bone food…

I’m talking about Prunes

Or as some people like to say, “dried plums.”

You see, as we get older, lower estrogen levels can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress.  Those can increase bone loss and fractures.  

Prunes Rich in Minerals

Vitamin K, phenolic compounds, and dietary fiber.  All of those can combat oxidative stress and inflammation. 

The proof was recently published in the journal Advances in Nutrition. [2]

Researchers took a look at 28 studies on both humans and animals. They found that women who ate about 10 prunes a day for one year improved their bone mineral density in the forearm and lower spine.  They also found that eating just 5 to 10 prunes every day for six months prevented loss of bone mineral density and decreased bone breakdown.

Prunes help reduce bone loss because they are so high in polyphenols.  These are powerful antioxidants. Other fruits are also rich in polyphenols including apples, blackberries, cherries, grapes, pears, pomegranates, raspberries, and strawberries. [3]

More Antioxidants Than Any Other Fruit

Prunes also give you a boost of a little-known bone mineral called boron.  It keeps bones from losing calcium and magnesium. It also helps your body produce and use vitamin D which is crucial for bone formation.  

And prunes of course have additional benefits for your colon and help keep you regular.  Studies show they improve your gut microbiota (bacteria) and may help reduce your risk for colon cancer.[4]

Low Glycemic Index

Now, if you worry about getting too much sugar from dried fruit, prunes are still a great choice.  One serving of about 60 grams or 6 prunes is only 29 on the glycemic index. [5]

Anything under 55 is considered low.  That means they won’t give you a sugar rush thanks to their high fiber content. Just make sure the prunes you buy have no added sugar.   

Skelly and I are always looking for easy ways to sneak some prunes into our day.  We like to chop up a few prunes and throw them on top of our morning oatmeal.  You could also add them to a bone-healthy green smoothie (make sure these are pitted prunes) or your yogurt.  Or just grab a few for an on-the-go snack.  

Osteoblasts - Bone Building Cell

Lastly: "Animal and cell studies suggest that dried plums and/or their extracts enhance bone formation and inhibit bone resorption through their actions on cell signaling pathways that influence osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation." [6]

From my bones to yours,

Irma Jennings INHC,

Your Holistic Bone Coach

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^[1] J. A. Cauley et al. “Incidence of fractures compared to cardiovascular disease and breast cancer: the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study” Osteoporos Int. 2008; 19(12): 1717–1723.

^[2] Janhavi et al, “The Role of Prunes in Modulating Inflammatory Pathways to Improve Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women,” Advances in Nutrition, 2022; nmab162, https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab162

^[3] Jonny Bowden, “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, Revised Edition: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What You Should Eat and Why.”

^[4] Texas A&M AgriLife. "Plum good health benefits." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150927120304.htm (accessed February 23, 2022).

^[5] What’s the Glycemic Index of Prunes? https://www.livestrong.com/article/415499-glycemic-index-of-prunes/ (accessed February 25, 2021).

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28422064/

Would you like more bone-loving recipes?

Below is the link to purchase my downloadable guide:

7 Day Meal Plan - Easy Cooking for Bone Health

With 27 bone-loving recipes, shopping lists, food plan, storage, soaking tips and so much more.

A fully-clickable download guide to help you navigate recipes and all the information in this guide.

The best $47 dollars you can spend on your bone.

Below my team created two prune recipes:

1 for vegetarians/ vegans and the other for animal protein eaters.

I'd appreciate giving these recipes a vote just below the description.