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Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit rich in nutritional value. There is a lot of evidence that this fruit can bring many valuable health benefits, such as supplementing with antioxidants, preventing cancer and boosting the body's immune system.
1. Learn about dragon fruit
Dragon fruit is a fruit that grows on the cactus Hylocereus, also known as the queen of Honolulu – a flowering plant that blooms only at night. The dragon fruit tree is native to Central America and southern Mexico. Currently, dragon fruit is grown mainly in tropical regions of the world.
Visually, the dragon fruit is pink with green leaves that look like thorns growing on the fruit body. The flesh of the dragon fruit is usually white or red with dotted black seeds.
Although the dragon fruit may look rather strange, its taste is very characteristic. Some have described the taste of dragon fruit as a cross between kiwi, watermelon and pear.
2. Nutritional value of dragon fruit
In dragon fruit contains a lot of valuable nutrients for the body. It is considered an excellent source of fiber, iron and magnesium.
According to research, about 100 grams of dragon fruit will provide nutrients including:
Calories: 60 grams; Carbs: 13 grams; Protein: 1.2 grams; Fiber: 3 grams; Fat: 0 grams; Magnesium: 10% of the RDI; Iron: 4% of the RDI; Vitamin C: 3% of the RDI. With a rich magnesium and fiber content and extremely low calories, dragon fruit is considered a fruit rich in nutritional value and offers many benefits to the overall health of the user.
Eating dragon fruit every day will help you supplement some important antioxidants, protect the body's cells from unstable molecules and thereby prevent some risks of chronic diseases and aging. chemical.
Some of the main antioxidants found in dragon fruit include:
Flavonoids: This is a very diverse group of antioxidants that promote brain health and reduce the risk of heart disease. Hydroxycinnamates: This group of antioxidants has been shown to have anti-cancer activity. Betalains: Found mainly in the intestines of the red dragon fruit. These deep red pigments work in protecting the body's bad LDL cholesterol from being damaged or oxidized.
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3. Some Potential Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit
Many people wonder "Is it good to eat dragon fruit?", in fact, adding dragon fruit to the daily diet can bring many potential health benefits, including:
Dragon fruit is rich in antioxidants, such as flavonoids, betacyanins and phenolic acids. These natural compounds help protect the body's cells from damage by free radicals, molecules that can lead to premature aging and diseases like cancer. Dragon fruit contains a lot of fiber and has no fat. Therefore, you can choose dragon fruit as a snack to increase the feeling of fullness longer between meals. Eating dragon fruit helps you reduce blood sugar effectively. Some recent studies show that dragon fruit can replace damaged cells in the pancreas. Therefore, people with diabetes should add dragon fruit to their diet to support maximum blood sugar management. Dragon fruit contains prebiotics, which help provide beneficial bacteria (probiotics) in the intestinal tract. The more prebiotics the body has, the more effective it will be to improve the balance between good and bad bacteria in the digestive system. Eating dragon fruit every day will help promote the growth of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. These bacteria living in the intestinal tract can destroy viruses and bacteria that cause disease in the body, and help digest food effectively. In particular, eating dragon fruit helps to increase iron in the body. Iron plays an important role in transporting oxygen throughout the body and providing you with energy. Dragon fruit is not only rich in iron but also a rich source of vitamin C, which helps the body absorb and use iron effectively.
4. Is it safe to eat dragon fruit?
In general, eating dragon fruit is safe for most people. However, there are still some rare cases of dragon fruit allergy. Allergy symptoms caused by eating dragon fruit often include swelling of the tongue, vomiting, and a rash.
If you eat a lot of red dragon fruit, it may cause your urine to turn pink or red. These symptoms are not something to worry about, your urine will return to its normal color once the fruit is eliminated from the body.
5. How to process dragon fruit
Before buying dragon fruit, squeeze gently to check, ripe dragon fruit is usually not too soft or mushy. You should avoid choosing fruits with dried leaves or bruises as these are signs that the fruit is overripe. In case it feels hard when pressed, you should let the fruit ripen for a few days before eating.
Dragon fruit can only eat the flesh and remove the skin. You can combine dragon fruit with fruit salads with other tropical fruits like mango or pineapple. In addition, dragon fruit juice can also be another ideal choice for you.
For the leftover dragon fruit after eating, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
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Reference sources: webmd.com, healthline.com
