📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily value | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 46 kcal | 2% | |
| Carbohydrates | 11.4g | 4% | |
| Dietary fibre | 1.4g | 5% | |
| Sugars | 9.9g | — | |
| GI (Glycaemic Index) | ~39 — Low | — | |
| Vitamin C | 9.5mg | 11% | |
| Vitamin K | 6.4µg | 5% | |
| Chlorogenic acid | very high | — | |
| Anthocyanins | high (red varieties) | — | |
| Potassium | 157mg | 3% | |
| Copper | 0.06mg | 3% | |
| Sorbitol | present | — |
Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
✅ Health benefits
Plums are the richest stone fruit source of chlorogenic acid — the same polyphenol that makes coffee a strong antioxidant food. Chlorogenic acid inhibits glucose absorption in the gut (reducing post-meal blood sugar), has anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits LDL oxidation and has demonstrated anti-cancer activity in cell studies. A 100g serve of plum provides approximately 100–200mg of chlorogenic acid — comparable to a cup of coffee but without the caffeine. Red and purple varieties have significantly higher chlorogenic acid than yellow or green-fleshed plums.
The deep red-purple colour of most plums comes from anthocyanins — cyanidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside — with documented cardiovascular and cognitive protective properties. Anthocyanins reduce arterial stiffness, inhibit platelet aggregation and reduce inflammatory cytokines. A 2016 meta-analysis found anthocyanin-rich food consumption was associated with 9% lower cardiovascular disease risk across 23 studies. The polyphenol content is concentrated in and immediately under the skin — eating the skin is essential.
Dried plums (prunes) have one of the most evidence-backed bone health effects of any food. Multiple clinical trials — including a key study in postmenopausal women — have found that eating 5–6 prunes daily significantly increased bone mineral density compared to dried apples over 12 months. The mechanism involves the polyphenols inhibiting bone resorption (breakdown) and promoting bone formation. UK researchers demonstrated that fresh plum consumption also improved bone density markers over 8 weeks. The vitamin K in plums additionally supports osteocalcin activation for calcium binding in bone.
Plums and prunes are among the most well-established dietary remedies for constipation. The mechanism is dual: sorbitol (a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that draws water into the intestine) and the fibre content. Prunes contain approximately 14.7g of sorbitol per 100g and multiple clinical trials have found prune consumption as effective as psyllium for constipation treatment, with subjects preferring prunes for palatability. The sorbitol content also means overconsumption can cause bloating and diarrhoea in sensitive individuals — this is dose-dependent.
⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
Plums and especially prunes are high in both sorbitol and free fructose — two FODMAPs that can trigger IBS symptoms including bloating, cramping and diarrhoea in people with fructose malabsorption. People on a Low-FODMAP diet should limit fresh plums to 1 per serve (approximately 40–45g) and avoid prunes during the elimination phase.
Plums provide 5% of daily vitamin K per 100g — a minor interaction risk at typical serving sizes. Prunes have a higher vitamin K concentration per serving due to caloric density. People on warfarin should maintain consistent plum and prune intake and inform their anticoagulation team.
Plum allergy is uncommon but plums are in the Prunus family alongside cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines and almonds. People with known Prunus allergies or oral allergy syndrome triggered by other stone fruits may react to plums. OAS symptoms (tingling, itching in mouth and throat) are common in people with birch or grass pollen allergy. Cooking denatures the reactive proteins.
🛒 How to select & buy plum
A ripe plum gives slightly but evenly to gentle pressure — similar to a ripe avocado. Rock-hard plums are unripe and very acidic with little sweetness. Mushy plums are overripe and will be fermented and unpleasant. Plums ripen well at room temperature from firm — the transition from firm to perfectly ripe usually takes 2–4 days on the bench. Refrigerating an unripe plum prevents ripening entirely.
Purple-red plums should have deep, rich colour. A ripe plum has a faint sweet, fruity aroma at the stem end. No aroma means it was picked too early and will not develop good flavour even when soft. Australian varieties: Blood Plum (deep red flesh, intensely flavoured), Satsuma (large red-purple, very sweet), Santa Rosa (red-yellow, classic sweet-tart), Angeleno (large, sweet, mild). Each has distinct eating qualities — ask your greengrocer which is in peak condition.
Fresh plums are best for eating as fruit, in salads and desserts. Prunes (sundried or oven-dried plums) are for digestive health, baking, cooking with meat (prunes with pork or lamb is classic), and bone health supplementation. The 5–6 prunes per day used in bone health clinical trials equates to approximately 40–50g of dried prunes (roughly 5–6 individual prunes). Pitted prunes in supermarkets are convenient — the Sunsweet brand is most widely available in Australia.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Firm plums ripen well at room temperature — the bench is the correct storage for unripe plums. Check daily with gentle pressure. Once ripe (slight give), eat within 2 days or move to the refrigerator. Do not refrigerate hard, unripe plums — cold stops the ripening process entirely.
Ripe plums keep 3–5 days in the refrigerator. Store uncovered or in a loose bag — sealed bags trap ethylene gas and accelerate decay. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before eating for the best flavour expression — chilled plums taste less sweet than room-temperature ones.
Plums freeze excellently for cooking. Halve and stone, freeze on a tray then bag. No blanching required. Frozen plum halves cook straight from frozen in crumbles, compotes, cakes and sauces. Excellent for buying in bulk when the Victorian season peaks and prices drop in January.
📖 About plum — complete guide
The plum (Prunus domestica and Prunus salicina) has a complex botanical history — European plums (P. domestica) are believed to have originated as a natural hybrid in the Caucasus region approximately 2,000 years ago, while Japanese plums (P. salicina), which dominate Australian commercial production, originated in China and were introduced to Japan over a thousand years ago, then to the United States by Luther Burbank in the 1870s and subsequently to Australia. Plums arrived in Australia with the First Fleet and have been grown commercially since the early colonial period. The Goulburn Valley in Victoria became the centre of Australian stone fruit production in the late 19th century, facilitated by irrigation from the Goulburn River and the proximity of the Melbourne market via rail.
The clinical evidence for prunes (dried plums) in bone health is unusually strong for a food product — placing it among the handful of foods with clinical trial-level evidence for a specific health outcome. A key 2011 study by Dr Bahram Arjmandi at Florida State University published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that postmenopausal women eating 100g of prunes daily for 12 months had significantly higher bone mineral density at the ulna and spine compared to women eating dried apples — even after controlling for calcium and vitamin D intake. A follow-up study showed that eating just 50g of prunes (5–6 individual prunes) daily was sufficient for significant benefit. The proposed mechanism — suppression of bone resorption by plum polyphenols (particularly neochlorogenic acid) — has supporting cell-study evidence. The UK government subsequently considered including prune consumption in its bone health guidance.