If you love fruits, you probably like to try eating those exotic ones. The most that they recommend is the dragon fruit. Rest assured that the fruit doesn’t carry any stories from the East Asia. What you might be surprised about are the amazing health benefits of dragon fruit.
Want to know more about the amazing dragon fruit? Read on!
What is Dragon Fruit?
Hylocereus undatus or dragon fruit is a fruit that commonly grows in South America. As time pass, the cultivation of the fruit spreads in the regions of South-Eastern Asia and is now a very common fruit in Thailand, China, and Vietnam. The term dragon fruit actually comes from how its skin or peel looks like. It’s like a skin of a dragon with a red or yellow scales.
Even though the availability of the fruit is relatively inadequate all over the world, it is already gaining popularity. It’s commonly found in the tropical and subtropical countries. Furthermore, the fruit is described as an exotic fruit that offers wide-range of benefits for the health.
What’s unique about this fruit is that its flowers bloom overnight. Furthermore, it also wilts by morning. Even though its flowers die, dragon fruit plant still gives away fruits and in fact, it bears fruit six times every year. Additionally, the peak season for the fruit is between the summers and the early fall.
There are just two varieties of dragon fruit. One with a white flesh and the other one is with a red flesh. Furthermore, both the varieties have a yellow or red peel. These also contain a lot of black seeds that are small yet edible. The taste of the fruit is close to the taste of kiwi and pear, but it has a crunchy taste.
Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit
Here is the most surprising list of the health benefits of dragon fruit. I bet this will make you love the fruit even more.
It reduces the cholesterol level. Because of its rich antioxidant properties, the dragon fruit is beneficial in reducing the levels of cholesterol. Furthermore, the seed of the fruit also is rich in polyunsaturated fats, omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids which help in reducing the levels of cholesterol in the body.
It helps in boosting the immunity. What makes the dragon fruit good for the immunity is its vitamin C content. Furthermore, the fruit also helps in stimulating the activities of some other antioxidants to avert viral attacks.
It helps prevent the risk of cancer. Studies show that the fruit helps in curbing the reproduction of cancer cells in the body. Furthermore, the lycopene enzymes plus the carotene and vitamin C content of the fruit helps in combatting the risk of cancer.
It helps in reducing the levels of blood sugar. Having a high level of blood sugar may lead to one of the deadliest diseases in the world, diabetes. Good thing there are natural remedies to it, like eating fresh fruits, including, of course, dragon fruit. How? The rich polyphenols, thiols, and many other nutrients help in reducing or lowering the levels of blood sugar. Hence, combatting the risk of diabetes.
It helps in treating stomach illnesses. Dragon fruit helps in treating various stomach ailments like constipation and indigestion. The fruit does this without causing any harm. Because of its rich fiber and water content, the fruit helps in curing constipation and help the body’s bowel movement. Moreover, the fiber in it also helps in bulking up the stool to further help in treating some bowel conditions.
Caution on Dragon Fruit Intake (Final Thoughts)
Even though the health benefits of dragon fruit are all awesome, the fruit, just like any other natural substances also has a flip side. Here are the side effects of eating dragon fruit that when you ignore may cause serious damage:
-You must not consume the outer peel of the fruit because it may contain some pesticides which can harm the health.
-Excessive consumption of dragon fruit may cause harm. This is primarily because of its fructose content. These fructose adds flab into the body and comes in the way if you are wanting a weight loss goal.
Keep these two cautions on your mind because these are very important. You must be cautious about yourself and must not take any risk. If you want to get all the amazing health benefits of dragon fruit, you can get it by moderate consumption.
You must not put your health at risk just because you want to be super healthy. Everything that is taken excessively may cause harm.
So, if you want to be healthier and you like eating fruits, don’t hesitate to try the amazing dragon fruit. Not only that you will improve your health, you will also see an improvement in your appearance since it is also a beauty regiment.
The next time you crave for fruit, opt for dragon fruit, and you’ll not regret it!
