The California Prune Board, an organization that promotes eating prunes for their health benefits, has suggested that food manufacturers use dried fruit as a natural alternative to processed sugar.
A study from the University of Southampton earlier this year found that one in four children aged 10 to 11 in England is obese.
The findings, published in PLOS One and based on an analysis of more than one million children, highlight the importance of reducing the amount of processed sugar in store foods, as excessive consumption of this sugar is a major contributor to weight gain.
Why prunes?
Using naturally sweet California prunes as a sugar (and even fat) replacement in foods offers additional benefits to manufacturers looking to improve the nutritional profile of their products.
Prunes contain dietary fibre, which has been shown to have substantiated health claims by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and eating 100g of prunes a day may help normal bowel function.
On the other hand, some studies have shown that prunes may have a positive effect on bone health and, more recently, that they may help reduce abdominal fat and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Additionally, a recent Whitworth-backed white paper also outlined the benefits of nuts, seeds and dried fruit as healthier alternatives to ultra-processed snacks.
Natural sugars are found in the cell walls of plants and change how and how quickly your body absorbs sugars.
Joe Travers, registered dietitian and nutritionist, says: “The natural sugars in dried fruit don’t affect your blood sugar levels as much as added sugars do. Natural sugars are bound to the plant’s cell walls, which changes how and how quickly your body absorbs the sugar. Once the sugars are separated from the cell walls, like in fruit juice, they become free sugars and are absorbed in the same way as sugar.”
“Sugar has a significant impact on blood sugar levels and abdominal weight gain, increasing the risk of developing common diseases. Adults should not consume more than 30g of added sugars per day and children should not consume more than 24g of added sugars.”
reference
1 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/24/child-obesity-in-england-still-above-pre-pandemic-levels-study-finds
Company: California Prune Board (Europe) More
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