Benefits Of Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit has a number of health benefits including its ability to aid in weight loss, improve digestion, lower cholesterol, strengthen the immune system, and boost energy levels. It also helps to prevent cancer and heartdisease, defend against bacteria and fungi, and helps in the overall functioning of the body.

What Is Dragonfruit?

Dragon fruit is an exotic and delicious fruit, which is often considered a tropical “superfood” because of its wealth of benefits. This fruit has somewhat “under the radar” quality that makes it less well known than many mainstream fruits and health foods. It is also known as “pitaya or pitahaya” which comes from the genus Stenocereus and Hylocereusrespectively. It has its origins in Mexico, South America, and Central America, but New World settlers probably brought it to Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, where it remains an important part of the dietary fruit intake.

Dragon fruit comes in three varieties, namely, red skin with red flesh, red skin with white flesh, and yellow skin with white flesh. There are both sweet and sour dragon fruits, depending on the species, shape, and size. In terms of the most common form of dragon fruit, it is slightly smaller than a cantaloupe, red, and covered in broad spiky growths.

When you open it, the texture is like a kiwi, and the meat is filled with small black seeds that help improve digestion. The meat of the fruit is used to make wine and can be strained into other beverages and the leaves of dragon fruit can be steeped for a very healthy form of tea. The rough outer skin has little nutritional value and is rarely eaten.

Health Benefits Of Dragon Fruit

The health benefits of the dragon fruit are mainly attributed to its antioxidant, antibacterial, and nutritional properties. The benefits include a boost to immunity, body metabolism, and a smoother digestive process. Let us now look at the benefits in detail:

Boosts Immunity

One of the most beneficial aspects of dragon fruit is its ability to give a serious boost to your body’s defense system. The high level of vitamin C found in dragon fruit is one of the strongest assets to your body’s immune system, and it stimulates the activity of other antioxidants in the body as well. They actively seek out and eliminate free radicals, the dangerous byproducts of cell metabolism, which have been directly linked to potentially fatal conditions like cancer and heart diseases.

Rich in Vitamins

Dragon fruit is also packed with other vitamins besides vitamin C, including the B vitamin group. The B1, B2, and B3 vitamins present in dragon fruit improve everything from blood pressure, skin health, and cholesterol levels to thyroid function and carbohydrate metabolism.

Aids in Digestion

Dragon fruits have a significantly higher fiber content, which means that they can help your body bulk up its bowel movements, facilitating smooth passage through the digestive tract, stimulating peristaltic motion, and inducing a release of digestive juices. By regulating bowel function with dietary fiber, this fruit helps in preventing various conditions like constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and even serious diseases like colorectal cancer.

Prevents Cancer

Along with the antioxidant quality of vitamin C that boosts the immune system, dragon fruits also contain other sources of natural antioxidants. Carotene, found in dragon fruits has been linked to a number of anti-carcinogenic qualities. It helps in reducing the size of tumors as well. Basically, dragon fruits boost your immune system from every direction, so if you feel like you’re frequently getting sick, feeling under the weather, or even if you are at a high risk of developing cancer, dragon fruit might be the answer for you.

Antibacterial Properties

The final boost to your immune system from dragon fruit is its antifungal and antibacterial qualities. These can help increase the white blood cell count in the body, which defend against toxins and also inhibit the entrance or growth of fungal or bacterial infections in the organ systems. You will also find that it stimulates cell regeneration and speeds up healing, so wounds and bruises will heal at an increased rate.

Boosts Metabolism

Dietary intake of protein is essential for healthy functioning of our body and dragon fruit is an unusually good source of protein. Many of the proteins we gain from fruits, vegetables, and meat are metabolized by enzymes in our body and turned into usable proteins that can speed up cell repair, enhance strength and metabolism, and help us lose weight and increase muscle mass.

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Dragon fruit is quite an exotic fruit with a number of unique properties, one being that they contain no bad cholesterol and almost no unhealthy saturated fats. By reducing the amount of cholesterol in the blood, the chances of developing plaque in the arteries and veins are small, thereby reducing the likelihood that you’ll suffer from atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. By using dragon fruit as a source of many other nutrients, you are not negatively impacting your body in any way, hence, the fruit’s reputation as a “superfood” is true. Fat is beneficial for your body and the seeds of dragon fruit do contain this good fat, which can lead to HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol). HDL cholesterol actively decreases the amount of LDL cholesterol by inhibiting the receptors that it binds to, on the walls of arteries.

Dragonfruit FAQs

How to Select a Dragon Fruit?

Dragon fruit is a seasonal fruit and while selecting one, look for a fresh and uniformly colored fruit that does not have too many spots on it. Before selecting, take the fruit in your palm, gently press its skin to examine and choose the one that is hard but moderately soft.

How to Cut a Dragon Fruit?

• Step 1: Cut a fresh dragon fruit into two halves.
• Step 2: Scoop out the flesh from each half with the help of a spoon by running the spoon around the edges. The flesh of a ripe dragon fruit will come out effortlessly.
• Step 3: You can slice or cut the flesh into cubes.

Note: The remaining skin or the core of the fruit can be used as a fancy serving bowl.

Dragon Fruit Recipes

Dragon fruit can be used in preparing many mouth-watering recipes that include salads, smoothies, and kebabs.

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon honey

Chopped dragon fruit

Dry fruits or nuts for garnishing

Ice cubes (optional)

• Step 1: Mix all the ingredients and blend until you get a thick consistency.
• Step 2: Pour the mixture into a glass or a cup. Garnish with finely-chopped almonds or dry fruits as per taste.

Dragon Fruit Kebabs

Ingredients:

Dragon fruit

Kiwi, Pineapple

Edible Oil

Pepper powder to taste

Salt to taste

• Step 1: Cut all the above-mentioned fruits in cubes, brush them with oil and put them on a grill plate.
• Step 2: Grill them for 10 minutes.
• Step 3: Sprinkle some salt and pepper powder on the kebabs and serve hot.

Dragon Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

Dragon fruit

Strawberries, Bananas, Apples, Papaya

Honey or Chocolate syrup

• Step 1: Cut all the fruits in small pieces and mix them in a bowl.
• Step 2: Refrigerate them for few minutes.
• Step 3: Garnish with honey or chocolate syrup, and enjoy your healthy dessert!

Words of Caution: There are no health risks associated with dragon fruits as such and studies have even shown that a dragon fruit is safe to consume by pregnant and breastfeeding women. So, go out to your nearest market and grab some fresh, exotic, delicious and wildly nutritious dragon fruits.

Read More

Amazing Benefits Of Dates

The benefits of dates include relief from constipation, intestinal disorders, heart problems, anemia, sexual dysfunctions, diarrhea, abdominal cancer, and many other conditions. Dates also help for a healthy weight gain. They are rich in several vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These delicious fruitscontain oil, calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium, which are all beneficial for health. Some health specialists have said that eating one date per day is necessary for a balanced and healthy diet.

The massive health benefits of dates have made them one of the best ingredients for muscle development. People consume them in several ways, such as mixing the paste of the dates with milk and yogurt or as a bread spread for a delicious and healthy breakfast. The paste is beneficial for both adults and children, especially during a time of recovery from injury or illness.

According to a modern medical survey, it is now accepted that dates are useful in preventing abdominal cancer. People who follow Islam and observe fastings, break their fast by eating them along with water. This also helps avoid overeating of food once the fast is over. When the body begins to absorb the high nutritional value of the dates, feelings of hunger are pacified. Also, the nervous system can get a lot of help from consuming them, since they have significant amounts of potassium.

Dates are one of the best sweet and versatile foods that can regulate the digestive process. They can significantly boost energy levels in people within half an hour of consumption. The American Cancer Society recommends an intake of 20-35 grams of dietary fiber per day, which can be supplied through dates. It is also said that taking one date per day will help you maintain eye health all your life. They are commonly known to be quite effective in guarding against the problem of night blindness.

Nutritional Value Of Dates

Dates are a good source of various vitamins and minerals. It’s also a good source of energy, sugar, and fiber. Essential minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc can be found in them. They also contain vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin K.

Health Benefits Of Dates

The benefits of dates are mentioned in detail below.

Relieve Constipation

Dates are often categorized as a laxative food. This is why they are so frequently eaten by people suffering from constipation. In order to achieve the desired laxative effect of dates, soak some of them in water overnight, then consume in the morning when they turn into a syrup to get the most optimal results. They have high levels of soluble fiber, which is essential in promoting healthy bowel movements and comfortable passage of food through the intestinal tract, which can relieve the symptoms of constipation.

Strengthen Bones

The significant amounts of minerals found in dates make them a superfood for strengthening bones and fighting off painful and debilitating diseases like osteoporosis. These dry fruits contain selenium, manganese, copper, and magnesium, all of which are integral to healthy bone development and strength, particularly as people age, their bones gradually weaken. So eat dates and give a boost to your bones!

Treat Intestinal Disorders

The nicotine content in dates is thought to be beneficial for curing many kinds of intestinal disorders. Continuous intake helps inhibit the growth of the pathological organisms and thus, they help stimulate the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines. In terms of digestive issues, they contain insoluble and soluble fibers, as well as many beneficial amino acids which can stimulate the digestion of food and make them more efficient, meaning that more nutrients will be absorbed by the digestive tract and enter your body for proper usage.

Treat Anemia

Dates have a high mineral content, which is beneficial for many different health conditions but their impressive levels of iron make them a perfect dietary supplement for people suffering from anemia. The high level of iron in dates balances out the inherent lack of iron in anemic patients, increasing energy and strength while decreasing feelings of fatigue and sluggishness.

Cure Allergies

One of the most interesting facets of dates is the presence of organic sulfur in them. This is not a very common element to find in foods, but it does have a worthwhile amount of health benefits, including the reduction of allergic reactions and seasonal allergies. According to a study done in 2002, organic sulfur compounds can have a positive impact on the amount of suffering people experience from SAR (Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis), which affects approximately 23 million people in the United States alone. They are a great way to stem the effects of those seasonal allergies through their contributions of sulfur to the diet.

Promote Weight Gain

Dates should be included as a part of a healthy diet. They consist of sugar, proteins, and many essential vitamins. If dates are consumed with cucumber paste, you can keep your weight at a normal, balanced level, rather than over-slimming. One kilogram of dates contains almost 3,000 calories, and the calories in them are sufficient to meet the daily requirements for a human body. Of course, you should not eat just dates throughout the day. If you are thin and slim and want to increase your weight, or if you are trying to build your muscles to impress some girl, or you have become weak due to a serious medical problem – you need to eat dates!

Boost Energy

Dates are high in natural sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Therefore, they are the perfect snack for an immediate burst of energy. Many people around the world eat dates for a quick afternoon snack when they are feeling lethargic or sluggish. Often when you exercise in a gym, outside or even on a stretching machine at home, you feel exhausted. Chewing few dates at such times helps you regain your energy immediately.

Maintain Nervous System Health

The vitamins present in dates make it an ideal boost to nervous system health and functionality. Potassium is one of the prime ingredients in promoting a healthy and responsive nervous system, and it also improves the speed and alertness of brain activity. Therefore, they are a wonderful food source for people as they age and their nervous system becomes sluggish or unsupported, as well as for people who want to keep their mind sharp.

Promote Heart Health

Dates are quite helpful in keeping your heart healthy. When they are soaked overnight, crushed in the morning and then consumed, they have been shown to have a positive effect on weak hearts. They are also a rich source of potassium, which studies have shown to reduce the risk of stroke and other heart-related diseases. Furthermore, they are suggested as a healthy and delicious way to reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body, which is a major contributing factor to heart attacks and stroke. Therefore, when taken twice a week, dates can seriously improve the overall health of the heart.

Treat Sexual Weakness

Studies have shown that dates are even beneficial for increasing sexual stamina. Soak a handful of dates in fresh goat’s milk overnight, then grind them in the same milk with a mixture of cardamom powder and honey. This mixture becomes a very useful tonic for increasing sexual endurance and reducing sterility caused by various sexual disorders. The science behind this phenomenon is largely due to traditional usage which stimulated formal research. In 2006, Bahmanpour studied the effects of date palms and their oil on sexual functioning and found that the high levels of estradiol and flavonoid components of dates are what increase sperm count and motility, as well as promoting increased testes size and weight. So, if you are looking for a masculine boost, eat some dates, because they are a great natural aphrodisiac!

Prevent Night Blindness

The benefits of dates are extensive and are commonly employed to fight off various conditions affecting the ear, nose, and throat. When the leaves of the date palm are ground into a paste and rubbed on and around the eyes, or when they are ingested orally, it has been shown to reduce the frequency of night blindness, and this solution is commonly used in rural areas where dates grow and are used as an alternative medicine.

Relieve Intoxication

Dates are commonly used as a remedy for alcoholic intoxication. They provide quick relief and have a sobering effect in case you feel as though you have consumed an uncomfortable amount of alcohol. They can also be used the following morning to prevent severe hangovers. Again, they should be rubbed and soaked overnight for the best results.

Treat Diarrhea

Ripe dates contain potassium, which is known as an effective way of controlling diarrhea. They are also easy to digest, which further helps alleviate the unpredictable nature of chronic diarrhea. The soluble fiber in them can also help relieve diarrhea, by providing bulk to the bowel movements and promoting normal, healthy functioning of the excretory system.

Prevent Abdominal Cancer

Research has pointed towards dates being a legitimate way to reduce the risk and impact of abdominal cancer. They work as a useful tonic for all age groups, and in some cases, they work better than traditional medicines. Since they are natural, they don’t have any negative side effects on the human body. They can be quickly and easily digested for a quick boost of energy.

Although dates carry tremendous nutritional values, great care should be taken in their selection because their surface is very sticky, which attracts various impurities. Therefore, you should only consume the ones that are processed and packaged properly. Also, make sure to wash them thoroughly before eating, as this will help remove the impurities present on the surface.

Read More

A Standing Desk Helps You Lose Weight

Start “Thinking on your feet” in the literal sense and shed those extra kilos!

A new study finds that standing during work hours could help you lose weight and get slimmer. It is no surprise that coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer are the top five conditions specifically linked to physical inactivity. If changing a minor habit at workplace helps you avoid these fatal diseases, why not start implementing it?

Energy Expenditure, Weight Loss

The study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology examined whether standing burns more calories than sitting. It was purely based on the calculation of the amount of energy spent doing both activities. Researchers at Mayo Clinic analyzed results from more than 40 studies, involving approximately 1100 participants who were on an average, 33-years-old. The results showed that on an average standing burned 0.15 kcal/min which equals to 54 kcal/day if spent six hours standing. All this without any changes in the diet or a visit to the gym.

Tiny Step, Huge Impact

Although it looks like a marginal difference, its long-term impact means losing 2.5 kg in one year and 10 kg in four years. “Standing for long periods of time for many adults may seem unmanageable, especially those who have desk jobs, but, for the person who sits for 12 hours a day, cutting sitting time to half would give great benefits,” said senior author Professor Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US.

The researchers say that their study may be an understatement because people generally tend to use more muscles when standing. “Our results might be an underestimate because when people stand they tend to make spontaneous movements like shifting weight or swaying from one foot to another, taking small steps forward and back. People may even be more likely to walk to the filing cabinet or trash bin,” added Professor Lopez-Jimenez.

Sit Less, Lose More

The statistics from America’s Health Rankings also shows that more than 31 million women and 25 million men are physically inactive. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Professor Lopez-Jimenez concluded, “It’s important to avoid sitting for hours at a time. Standing is a very good first step — no pun intended — to avoid this mindset of sitting interminably without moving. Who knows, it may also prompt some people to do a little more and take up some mild physical activity, which would be even more beneficial.”

Read More