Persimmon, also known as divine fruit, are exotic and delicious fruits with a lot of good traits. Aside from its sweet and delicious flavour, persimmon has many health benefits to look out for, including reducing the signs of aging, preventing certain types of cancer, improving vision and eye health, improving digestion, boosting immunity, increasing metabolism, strengthening bones, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and much more. It also helps the body heal faster, reduces inflammation, increases circulation and aids in weight loss.
What is Persimmon Fruit or Divine Fruit?
Persimmon is actually the name given to a number of species of highly similar fruits coming from the Diospyros family. Since there is a lot of new information emerging about ancient cultures, more and more types of persimmon are being classified, including the Indian persimmon, black persimmon, date-plum tree, Japanese persimmon and American persimmon. All of these persimmon types have the same nutritional values and health benefits, with just a few remarkable differences.
Even though the fruit was originally native to China, it has spread all over the world over the past hundred years. This is why there are now a lot of regions in the world that cultivate the fruit.
Nutritional Values of Persimmon
Persimmon is very rich in vitamins C, B6, A, E, as well as dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper. It also contains ample amounts of organic compounds like gallocatechins, betulinic acid, catechins and some carotenoid compounds, which fall into the vitamin B complex category.
The health benefits of Persimmon are made possible by the above-mentioned nutritional values. Let us now go over these health benefits.
Health Benefits of Persimmon
Here are some of the most amazing health benefits of persimmon:
Improves metabolic activity. The vitamin B complex in persimmon helps improve metabolic activity in the body.
Regulates blood circulation. The copper in persimmon is beneficial in producing new red blood cells. This means there is proper regulation in the blood.
Improves vision. The Zeaxanthin B complex vitamin helps improve vision and reduces the risk of macular degeneration, night blindness and cataracts.
Averts premature ageing. Because of its rich vitamin and mineral content, it helps get rid of the signs of premature aging. Moreover, the vitamins and minerals also function as antioxidants which help reduce the level of oxidative stress.
Prevents the development of tumors. The fruit is beneficial in averting the development of any tumors in the body. Furthermore, the betulinic acid of the fruit is proven to have an antitumor compound.
Helps digestion. Just like other fruits, persimmon has a rich fiber content, containing about 20% of the daily requirement. The fiber in the fruit helps the body process the food efficiently.
Helps boosting immunity. Due to its rich vitamin C content, Persimmon is good as an immunity booster. Did you know that the fruit is one of the few fruits that has high vitamin C content? It actually has about 80% of the daily vitamin C requirement.
Helps prevent cancer. The antioxidant properties of persimmon are beneficial in boosting immunity and fighting free radicals. Furthermore, it is also good for improving the overall health and protecting against some illnesses. Moreover, the rich vitamin C and vitamin A content of the fruit is good in combating various types of cancer.
How to Eat Persimmon
Persimmon is a fruit which can be eaten raw, fresh, cooked or dried. However, if you prefer to cook it, be aware that the taste will change from its naturally sweet and pulpy state. If you allow it to fully ripen, its flesh can be scooped out with a spoon.
There is actually a misconception around letting persimmon fully ripen, with many advocating against allowing to ripen until it is bordering on being rotten. However, this is not true. You should allow the fruit to ripen until it gets soft and pulpy.
Conclusion
Persimmon really is an amazing fruit that you can indulge in when you are craving something delicious and healthy. Since it is low in carbs, sodium and fat, you can never go wrong with it. As you can see above, the benefits of persimmon are overflowing, and those are just some of them! There is so much more to this delicious and healthy fruit. So, if you want a new fruit to try and snack on, try the persimmon!
