I know they're viewed as something eaten by the elderly and the constipated but I can't help myself. I have to confess a weakness for prunes. I love to snack on them in the afternoon and adore their rich sweetness in a slow-cooked lamb or pork recipe.

So it was with great pleasure that I visited Griffith recently to take a look at plums being harvested (bet you didn’t know that prunes were really plums dried) and then dried in huge hot-air tunnels as a guest of the Australian Prune Industry Association.

I learned a lot about prunes which have lots going for them health-wise. A serve of 5 or 6 prunes (around 50g) has virtually no fat and only 420kJ (100 calories), good news for anyone trying to lose a little weight. They have 22g carbohydrate (of which 16g are sugars) but the good news is that these carbs are low GI so they’ll stick with you for longer.

You also get a healthy dose of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body, and the minerals potassium and boron, plus a little iron.

Many of us have consumed prunes to stay regular, so it's natural that we associate prunes with fibre. And their fibre content is considerable – a serve of prunes gives you 4 g fibre, as much as from 2 slices of wholemeal bread.

However their laxative effect is not just due to their fibre. Prune juice, which has little fibre, is equally as effective. Nutritionists believe it’s due to a combination of three unusual prune components – sorbitol (a natural sweetener), dihydroxyphenyl isatin and chlorogenic acid. All three have an ability to stimulate intestinal movement.

According to the Australian Prune Industry Association, prunes score high for antioxidants too – at least equal to that of well known antioxidant-rich blueberries. These antioxidants protect arteries from too much cholesterol and may slow the aging process. Finally, their high potassium content also protects the heart and kidneys from damage by too much salt.

Seems I’m not the only person to love them. Last year, Australians spent more than$30 million on prunes and consumed a staggering 3500 tonnes of them.

Catherine Saxelby is a nutritionist and author of Nutrition for Life. Get more healthy eating tips at www.foodwatch.com.au