Dragon fruit is an exotic and delicious fruit, which is also considered a tropical superfood because of its wealth of benefits. It is known as “pitaya or pitahaya” which comes from the genus Stenocereus and Hylocereus respectively. 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 Varieties
There are three types of dragon fruits, 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 in color, 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, while 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.
Dragon Fruit Nutrition
Dragon fruit is a healthy fruit, which is low in calories and rich in antioxidants and can be added to any weight loss diet. It is rich in proteins, fiber, lycopene, and carbohydrates. It contains carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B, thiamine (vitamin B1), and riboflavin. The mineral wealth of this fruit includes calcium, phosphorus, iron, and sodium.
Dragon fruit is believed to contain phytonutrients that prevent various diseases. Also, there are polyunsaturated fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in the seeds of these fruits.
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 rich magnesium and fiber content and extremely low calories, dragon fruit is considered a fruit rich in nutritional value and brings many benefits to overall health for users.
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