prunes

As another poster reminded me in answer to your other
related question, they have sorbitol, which is often an
ingredient in otc laxatives; plus the water soluble fibers,
which otc products can also have.

Quoted message said:

why are prunes such great laxatives? i don't think it's
just the fiber since lots of fruits have roughly the same
amount but no laxative reputation.

how can i determine how much sorbitol is in prunes and other
foods? it's not in my usda database

Using "sorbitol prunes" as the search string, google
provides the answer in the first hit.

Quoted message said:

how can i determine how much sorbitol is in prunes and
other foods? it's not in my usda database

[email hidden] wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

how can i determine how much sorbitol is in prunes and
other foods? it's not in my usda database

Basically take the total carbohydrates, subtract the fiber
(if you're using a non-US database, make sure that hasn't
already been done), and then subtract the sugars. Since
prunes contain little if any starch, that should leave only
the sorbitol.

Quoted message said:

how can i determine how much sorbitol is in prunes and
other foods? it's not in my usda database

What kind of prunes are you getting? Mine containe dried
plums and potassium sorbate as a preservative.

--
jmk in NC

i usually get the del monte with extra calcium. is the
potassium sorbate additive where the sorbitol comes from? or
is the sorbitol there naturally

It's there, it is formed by a reaction of sugars with
protein.

Quoted message said:

i usually get the del monte with extra calcium. is the
potassium sorbate additive where the sorbitol comes from?
or is the sorbitol there naturally