A Dried Fruit to Drop the Pooch?

I always sing the praises of eating organic apples—for their fiber and fat-loss abilities—but there’s another top slimming fruit that helps you poop and ditch the belly pooch. Prunes.

You may be worried about eating a dried fruit. Can’t it increase insulin and fat gain? Some maybe, but not prunes. A 60-gram serving has a glycemic index of only about 30—very low insulin release. (Remember, below 60 is good.)

In a study at the University of Liverpool two groups were given a different healthful snack, with each having the same number of calories. One was prunes.

Results: The prune group lost more bodyfat overall and, specifically, more than a third more belly fat.

Said Professor Jo Harrold, who led the research, “These are the first data to demonstrate both weight loss and no negative side effects when consuming prunes as part of a weight-management diet. Indeed, in the long term they may be beneficial to dieters by tackling hunger and satisfying appetite.” [Prevention, July ’14]

That’s great news, as abdominal fat not only kills your confidence, but it can also increase your risk of heart disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and even sleep apnea.

—Steve Holman

OldSchoolNewBody.com