The latest and greatest news from all things super reveals that this underappreciated fruit is “plum” with health benefits, rivaling – even surpassing – those of the all mighty blueberry.

The superfood I speak of is the plum, the purple (depending on the variety) predecessor to the prune, of course.

From a standpoint of caloric content, there are seldom few fruits with fewer calories than the plum – about 35 calories is all. What plums lack in calories, they make up for in key nutrients, like vitamin C, vitamin A and a pretty good dose of iron to boot (for a fruit, anyway). Actually, studies suggest that plums are one of the best foods to eat to increase the absorption of iron, which is found most abundantly in organ meats (unfortunately).

Plums are also rich in antioxidants, about as much antioxidant activity in one plum as there are in a heaping helping of blueberries.

That’s according to research out of Texas AgriLife Research, an organizational arm affiliated with Texas A&M University that researches all things agriculture. Two of AgriLife’s researchers, Luis Cisneros and David Byrne, looked into the antioxidant activity of the plum. Their findings indicated that the plum had just as much antioxidant activity of the blueberry, as did fruits often compared to plums like peaches and nectarines. In fact, as the researchers point out, plum lovers are more likely to get a greater amount of antioxidants than blueberry grazers in the long run because of the nature of the two fruits. In other words, few people have an entire handful of blueberries everyday – the amount of blueberries one needs to eat to equal the antioxidant activity of a plum – but anyone who’s anyone that eats a plum eats the whole thing, not just a slice or two.

The researchers also point out that this finding is good news for times like these (i.e. rough economy), as people can buy plums yet still pinch pennies. Plums cost less to produce, thus sell for much less once they hit the supermarket shelves.

Unfortunately, unlike strawberries and a few other fruits that grace the produce section year round, availability for plums starts around Easter and end around Thanksgiving. The only place where plums are peaking is in Chile. For everyone else, the peak comes between June and September (California produces 60 percent of the world’s supply of plums and 99 percent of the United States’ supply).

Yet another food joins the ever-growing list of superfoods. Whether they’re diced on a bowl of shredded wheat, dried for prunes, broiled, chopped and topped on a whole wheat pizza (believe me, it’s good!) or thrown in a bag lunch for a mid-day snack, don’t be dumb…eat those plums!!