How Many Prunes Should You Eat in a Day?
The number of prunes that should be added to the daily diet varies by individual nutritional needs, but it is recommended that a person consume 10 to 12 prunes per day for the best health results. Some people may need to add prunes to their diet slowly, starting with 3 to 5 prunes per day, if they are not accustomed to eating foods high in fiber.
One serving of prunes contains 4 to 5 prunes and has approximately 3 grams of fiber. Women should try to get approximately 21 to 25 grams of fiber daily, while men should try to get 30 to 38 grams of fiber daily, reports the American Dietetic Association via WebMD. Fiber is in other foods besides prunes, including apples, broccoli, pears, oranges, berries, figs and beans.
One of the more interesting health benefits of the prune is its potential ability to reverse bone loss. In 2007, researchers tested the ability of prunes to aide in bone growth after women had gone through menopause. Initial studies with rats had proved successful and the researchers wanted to see if studies with human women would follow suit. Researchers found that the women who ate the prunes were able to reverse some of the bone loss that had occurred after menopause, indicating that prunes are worth eating on a daily basis.
