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Dragon fruit is increasingly popular in Romania as well. It is an exotic, sweet fruit with a red skin that can still be found in stores and is called pitahaya. Discover 7 benefits you have if you eat dragon fruit. Find out why nutritionists recommend including it in your diet.
Cristina Catana
Published: February 6, 2024, 04:00
Dragon fruit has benefits mainly on fighting free radicals / Shutterstock
Pithaya or dragon fruit is found both fresh and canned or frozen. If you want to enjoy the vitamins and minerals it contains, you don’t have to make too much of an effort to look for it.
Nutritionists consider it a superfood because of the benefits it has on the body.
Benefits you get from eating dragon fruit
To enjoy the benefits of pithaya it is important to choose a well-ripened fruit. Look for the deep red ones and you’ll know they’re good to eat. It will have a soft consistency without being fluffy.
The dragon fruit is cut lengthwise and the pulp is removed with a spoon without the need to peel it. Add it to smoothies, salads or eat it as is.
It is rich in nutrients
Dragon fruit does not have a high caloric intake and many vitamins and minerals that help the body function in optimal parameters.
Here are the nutritional benefits of 100 grams of dragon fruit:
- Calories: 136
- Protein: 3 grams
- Fat: 0 grams
- Carbs: 29 grams
- Fiber: 7 grams
- Iron: 8% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 18% of the RDI
- Vitamin C: 9% of the RDI
- Vitamin E: 4% of RDI
In addition to those listed above, dragon fruit also has polyphenols, carotenoids and betacyanins.
It can help relieve chronic diseases
Dragon fruit is rich in antioxidants—vitamins C and E—and is therefore very helpful in fighting free radicals, molecules that destroy cells in the body. This is how inflammations and, later, diseases appear. Antioxidants help neutralize these free radicals.
Numerous studies have shown that diets rich in antioxidants help prevent chronic heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, and arthritis. Other research has revealed that vitamin C reduces the risk of brain and throat cancer.
Betacyanins help eliminate toxins from the body, fight oxidative stress and have the ability to destroy cancer cells.
Carotenoids and lycopene, which are the pigments that give dragon fruit its strong color, are considered ingredients with the potential to reduce cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
For antioxidants to have maximum health effects it is important that they come from natural sources, not dietary supplements.
It has a high fiber content
Fiber from fresh fruits and vegetables are basic ingredients of a healthy lifestyle. The recommended daily dose of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 for men, according to Healthline.com.
The most important benefit that fiber has is on the digestive system. Numerous studies have shown that it also protects against type 2 diabetes, heart disease and plays an important role in weight management.
Eating pithaya helps ensure the recommended dose of fiber. If you are not used to regularly consuming foods with a high fiber content, it is good to introduce them to your diet gradually to avoid stomach problems. It is also good to drink enough water.
Helps maintain a healthy stomach
There are over 100 trillion microorganisms in our stomach, including over 400 species of bacteria. Scientists are concerned with understanding how they work, and research has shown that the health of our entire body depends on them.
Both human and animal studies have shown that the balance of gut flora influences heart health and reduces asthma-related symptoms.
Dragon fruit has a significant content of probiotics that help the good bacteria in the stomach to multiply. In particular, it is about lactic acid and bifidobacteria. They help to reduce the risk of stomach infections and diarrhea, as well as inflammation of the colon.
It strengthens the immune system
The body’s ability to fight infections is determined by several factors, and the quality of the diet is one of them. Vitamin C and carotenoids can prevent infections because they protect white cells.
They fight substances that enter our body and have harmful potential. Antioxidants also fight free radicals that cause oxidative stress in the body.
Ensures optimal iron levels
Dragon fruit is one of the few fruits that contain iron in significant amounts. Iron carries oxygen through our bodies and helps turn food into energy. A study conducted in 2013 shows that 30% of the world’s population has an iron deficiency.
To combat iron deficiency, it is recommended to eat foods rich in this mineral: meat, fish, vegetables, oilseeds and cereals. Dragon fruit provides 8% of the daily requirement, but also vitamin C which helps iron to be absorbed in the body.
It is an important source of magnesium
Dragon fruit has a very high magnesium content compared to other fruits. A cup of fruit provides 18% of the daily requirement.
Magnesium is involved in more than 600 chemical reactions in our body, so its lack is felt immediately. Magnesium deficiency leads to problems with the nervous system, with the muscular system, decreases energy.
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2024-02-06 02:03:45
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