The dragon fruit is getting a lot of attention these days because of the many health benefits it offers. It is commonly known as Pitaya and is very much cultivated in many countries of Asia such as Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. It originally comes from Central and South America. It is predominantly available in the red color but there are also yellow pitayas in some places.
The Dragon Fruit has many health benefits because of the vitamins and minerals in contains. Vitamin C is the most abundant nutrient that is found in the fruit. Other vitamins and minerals found in the dragon fruit are: Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Niacin, Phosphorus, Iron, Calcium, Carotene and Protein. If you want to know the health benefits that these nutrients offer to the body then continue reading below.
Good Source of Antioxidants
If you notice, there are so many health and beauty products nowadays that say “contains antioxidants”. Antioxidants are very important factor in keeping the body young and healthy. It helps replace dead skin cells into new and healthy young cells. It keeps the skin younger looking and glowing. Cells of different parts of the body will be replenished to maintain healthy function of organs and system.
Protection to the Immune System
All the vitamins and minerals are immune-protective especially vitamin C. Most of us take orange and citrus fruits because of the high vitamin C content which is very helpful in fighting off infection. Now, we can have the dragon fruit as a good alternative if we can’t have the oranges. Having a strong immune system is our best defence against diseases.
Good for Teeth and Bone Health
The Phosphorus and Calcium content of the dragon fruit is a very good in keeping our teeth and bones healthy and strong. Calcium also helps in tissue formation to keep our body system healthy and fully functional. The Yellow dragon fruit is very abundant in calcium while the red ones is a rich source of phosphorus.
Why do we have to go for the commercial milk or other supplements with calcium when we can have fruits instead?
Helps Lower Down Blood Sugar Levels
Diabetes is a manageable disease condition and is not very harmful if one knows how to control the levels of blood sugar. If blood sugar keeps on shooting up, it is when fatality comes in because it can lead to a lot of complications especially organ damage. There are many supplements in the market nowadays that will help control blood sugar. But, why spend more on supplements when you can have dragon fruits instead? It is very helpful in reducing sugar levels and it is reported that in some parts of Taiwan, people substitute their rice intake with dragon fruits to help control their sugar level or prevent diabetes.
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Thanks for this very informative post!
Personally, I didn’t like to eat this fruit because it’s tasteless but with the heath benefits that you can get out of it, it will worth the money. You know, it’s an expensive fruit here.