Plums Ripe for Superfood Status

COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Researchers at Texas AgriLife Research are touting plums as a new super food after discovering high levels of healthy nutrients in the tasty stone fruit.

Dr. Luis Cisneros, AgriLife Research food scientist, and Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife Research plant breeder, judged more than 100 varieties of plums, peaches and nectarines and found them to match or exceed the much-touted blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients associated with disease prevention, including breast cancer, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

“People tend to eat just a few blueberries at a time—a few on  cereal or as an ingredient mixed with lots of sugar,” Cisneros said. “But people will eat a whole plum at once and get the full benefit.”