Eating guava causes constipation: True or false?

Green guava contains a large amount of tannin, a substance that, after entering the body, tends to combine with proteins to create a tight mucosal membrane and slow down colon motility. Therefore, eating guava causes constipation if you eat too much at once.

1. Nutritional content in guava

Usually, every 100g of guava contains 85g of water; 8,920g of sugar; 0.6g of protein; 7.7g of glucid; 6g of cellulose; 291 mg of potassium; 5,204mcg of lycopene; 10mg of calcium and 16mg of phosphorus. In addition, guava also contains many essential minerals for the body such as: Ca, Mg, Fe.. and vitamins such as: Beta carotene, B, C. These nutritional values ​​​​help guava become a beneficial food for humans.

Some of the benefits of eating guava include:

  • Improved immunity: Guava contains a lot of vitamin C (4 times more than oranges), which helps improve immunity and protect the body against common infectious agents, while inhibiting inflammatory molecules such as prostaglandins in autoimmune conditions.
  • Reduce the risk of cancer: The compounds lycopene, quercetin, vitamin C and polyphenols in guava will help reduce the risk of cancer, thanks to their strong antioxidant role as well as neutralizing free radicals produced in the human body, while limiting the development of cancer cells.
  • Guava is good for diabetics: In oriental medicine, guava leaves have a very good anti-diabetic effect. In addition, the low glycemic index and high fiber content in guava can help ensure the necessary amount of sugar for the patient's body.
  • Prevents skin aging: Free radicals can cause wrinkles and aging skin. However, the amount of vitamin C, A and antioxidants in guava will help protect the skin from wrinkles and aging, thereby prolonging your youth.
  • Improve cardiovascular health: Guava can help improve the balance of sodium and potassium in the body, thereby controlling well for patients with high blood pressure. In addition, guava also has the effect of lowering triglycerides and bad cholesterol to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Enhance vision: The amount of vitamin A in guava helps protect the eyes and enhance vision.
  • Good for pregnant women: Guava contains a lot of folic acid to support the development of the nervous system, calcium is good for the development of teeth and bones of the fetus.. Don't worry "Do pregnant women get constipated when eating guava?" because if the fruit you choose is ripe guava and eat it in the right dose, it will not affect anything.
  • Anti-stress: The amount of magnesium in guava helps the nerves and muscles relax.
Constipation when eating guava is only true if you eat a large amount of unripe or green guava
Constipation when eating guava is only true if you eat a large amount of unripe or green guava

2. Is it true or false that eating guava causes constipation?

With the above benefits, "Is eating a lot of guava causing constipation true or false?" has become a question that many people wonder about.

According to nutritionists, although guava has the highest nutritional value when ripe, you should not eat unripe, hard fruits because it can lead to indigestion and bloating. In addition, according to Oriental medicine, green guava has a sweet-bitter  taste and a neutral property, so it has astringent effects, leading to vasoconstriction, reducing intestinal motility and secretion, thereby leading to constipation.

The reason why eating a lot of guava causes constipation is because the nutritional content of this fruit contains a large amount of tannin, which after entering the body will tend to combine with proteins to create a membrane that tightens the mucosa and slows down colon motility.

3. What should be noted to avoid constipation when eating guava?

To avoid constipation when eating guava and at the same time take full advantage of the nutritional value of this fruit, everyone should pay attention to the following issues:

  • For ripe guava: There is a lot of vitamin C in the peel, so you should know how to choose  to buy clean, delicious guava, soak and wash it properly to eat the peel to take full advantage of the vitamin C content in guava.
  • For children: Parents should not let their children eat too much guava, because this is not good for the immature digestive system and can cause constipation or diarrhea.
  • When eating ripe guava: If you notice that there are too many seeds, you need to remove some, because guava seeds are very hard, so eating a lot of guava causes constipation and indigestion, making the digestive process difficult.
  • It is best not to eat green guava or limit eating as much as possible. In case of eating green guava, you should peel off the skin and chew thoroughly.
  • You can make guava juice to enjoy if you feel loss of appetite or physical weakness, to help the body absorb nutrients better.
  • Although ripe guava is very good for health and digestive system, you should also note that you should only eat 1-2 fruits/day.

In short, guava is a fruit with many benefits for human health, however, when eating it, you must pay special attention to avoid counterproductive effects. Constipation when eating guava is only true in the case of eating young guava, green guava in large quantities. Therefore, to ensure safety and maximize the nutritional value of guava, you need to choose ripe fruit and eat it in moderation.

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