Is Prune Juice Effective For Weight Loss How To Use Prune Juice

Juices And Weight Loss – The Connection

If your New Year resolution was to lose a few pounds, you should think about changing the foods in your daily diet. You do not need to starve yourself to lose weight. There are many foods and juice diets for weight loss that are capable of helping you in your weight loss endeavors. They are nutrient-dense and contain many substances that help in burning fat and making you lose weight while allowing you to keep them off at the same time. Apart from foods, what you drink makes a lot of difference as well, so keep an eye out for juices that can help you lose weight. Many juices that you find in the market are loaded with sugar and other additives that do not help with weight loss. Even some fresh fruit juices that you can make at home may add on unwanted pounds, so you need to be careful about what you choose to drink every day. When it comes to prune juice in particular, there’s not enough research to back up it’s effectiveness of weightloss. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that prune juice may help with shedding the pounds. It is definitely worth giving a try as it will not cause any adverse effects on your health.

How Does Prune Juice Help With Weight Loss?

Prunes can be of immense help when you want to lose weight (1). Though there is some nutrient loss during juicing, prune juice may still be effective, even if not as effective as directly consuming prunes. It is also important to keep in mind that while prune juice is believed to be good for boosting weight loss, you cannot lose weight by only drinking it. There are a lot of other factors that come into play such as your diet, exercise regimen, etc. Obviously, you need to make it a part of a healthy weight loss plan and not depend solely on it to lose those unwanted pounds. Although there is no scientific evidence for the link between prune juice and weight loss, it is believed to work effectively. One reason is its ability to help in regulating bowel movement, thus eliminating wastes properly from your body (2), (3). This in turn puts less stress on the other organs of your body that flush out toxins and allows them to work on burning fat and producing energy. However, the use of laxatives, natural or otherwise is not recommended, unless you are dealing with bowel irregularities. Kylie Bensley, RD, says, “While there is no evidence that prune juice reduces belly fat, prune juice can enhance the appearance of a flatter stomach due to its ability to help you have bowel movements. Although prunes have a lot of fiber when they are juiced, they lose a lot of that fiber, but some remain. Fiber is helpful with moving stool along in the digestive tract.” She adds, “Additionally, prune juice contains sorbitol which is a natural sugar alcohol. Because sorbitol cannot be digested, it helps draw water into the digestive tract which supports easy and smooth bowel movements. Prune juice also contains another natural laxative, dihydrophenylisatin.” The laxative-like effects of prunes are provided by sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol (4). Despite its name, there is no alcohol content. It works as a natural laxative as it is able to draw excess water in your body into the large intestine. This in turn stimulates bowel movement. It is highly efficient in eliminating waste from the body, which is why the FDA considered the display of health warnings on the packages of chewing gum, as sorbitol is a key ingredient in these products (5). It has been reported that many people had to lower their intake of chewing gum as there were cases that involved rapid weight loss and even hospitalization. Prune contains many other nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, and potassium (6). As you know, dietary fiber is important for the digestive system and affects everything from digestion to the elimination of waste from the body to constipation issues (7). So, drinking prune juice for constipation can be beneficial as it can help promote regular bowel movement. It also works as an appetite suppressant as the foods that contain fiber can help you feel satisfied for a longer time (8). This means that by consuming prunes and drinking prune juice, you do not need to snack often in between meals, which in turn helps you when you are trying to lose weight. Kylie says, “Due to the fiber content of prune juice, it can help you stay fuller for longer which is important when trying to lose weight. It also has a low glycemic index so your blood sugar will not spike as quickly as when you consume other fruit juices. Maintaining a more managed blood sugar level is not only good for your health, but helps with appetite control.” Isaac, a fitness and lifestyle blogger, consumed prune juice to help lose weight and saw visible changes in his belly area. He used to drink a glass of prune juice every day for a week and later reduced it to 3 days a week. He said, “When I did drink the prune juice, I only drank it at night, just before bed, so I could get it all out in the morning before I left the house! (i).”

How To Use Prune Juice For Weight Loss:

Using prune juice to satisfy your cravings for a snack or something sweet can help you lose weight. Keep in mind that you should always make sure that the juice you buy is 100 percent natural. There are many brands that add refined sugars, and they will not help in your weight loss goals, but help maintain your body hydration. Some brands also have prune juice mixed with other fruit juices, but these are fine as they are natural and provide you with extra health benefits. The key is to avoid the consumption of refined sugar. Kylie suggests, “You can purchase prune juice or you can make it at home. Simply soak the prunes in water for about 20 minutes and then blend until smooth. You can strain the juice, however, leaving the pulp will help you get more fiber in your diet which helps you stay fuller for longer and has many other health and disease prevention benefits.” She adds, “One 8-ounce glass of prune juice a day should suffice. If you enjoy the juice and would like it more often, you can split your consumption into twice a day mixing 4oz of juice with 4oz of water twice a day. Some other ways to incorporate prune juice into your diet is using it as a sugar substitute in baking, mixing it into smoothies, or adding it to yogurt or oatmeal.” If you have a craving for a sweet treat, do not give in to the temptation of cakes, candy, soft drinks or ice cream. Drink a glass of prune juice instead. It not only helps in weight loss but also contains essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, such as vitamin A, C, calcium, and iron. However, you also need to remember to limit your intake of this juice. You get 182 calories from one cup of prune juice (9). When you drink 5 glasses a day, it comes to almost 1,000 calories. It may be healthier than other drinks but drinking too much of it will only make you gain calories while you are attempting to lose them. So, you may drink a glass of prune juice only when you need something sweet to snack on and don’t find whole prunes available.

Tips To Remember:

Here are a few tips that you should keep in mind if you are making prune juice a part of your weight loss plan:

As mentioned earlier, always use only 100% organic and natural prune juice that does not contain any added sweeteners.

Since prune juice works as a laxative, you should limit its intake. If you use it as a sweet snack, divide two glasses of the juice to consume throughout the day. Of course, the amount you take in depends on your ideal weight, so you can adjust it accordingly.

If you do not like the taste of prune juice, mix it with another 100% fruit or vegetable juice that does not contain any sweeteners.

Avoid following a prune juice diet. This is when people consume nothing but juice and water to lose weight. Needless to say, this is an unhealthy way to shed the pounds that you do not want because your body does not get the nutrients that it needs to stay fit and healthy. You should incorporate this juice into your diet and use this along with regular workouts to lose weight healthily and effectively.

Excess consumption of prune juice may potentially cause adverse effects in some individuals. Learn more about the side effects of prunes and prune juice in the next section.

Side Effects Of Prune Juice

The presence of the sugar sorbitol in prune juice may lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like gas, bloating, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea (10). The rich potassium content in prune juice may interact with diuretics, leading to a high level of potassium (hyperkalemia) in the body. Hence, individuals with kidney disease should avoid consuming prune juice (11). Prune juice may also lead to food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), a rare food allergy that may lead to vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, and diarrhea (12).

Kylie further warns about the sugar content of prune juice. She says, “Although there are many health benefits of prune juice due to the vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content, it tends to be higher in calories and sugar content than most other common juices including apple, orange, cranberry, etc. Prune and other juices are a healthier alternative to soda, but should still be consumed in moderation due to the high-caloric and sugar content when used with the goal of weight loss.” How many prunes should I eat to lose weight? You can eat 5-6 prunes a day to make the most of its benefits. Should you drink prune juice on an empty stomach? Yes, prune juice on an empty stomach helps reap its benefits better. Is it okay to drink prune juice at night? Yes, it is okay to drink prune juice at night. However, drinking it early morning on an empty stomach helps clear your digestive system faster.