Dragon fruit is an exotic and delicious fruit. The plant is native to southern Mexico and Central America. Today, it grows all over the world. There is sweet and sour dragon fruit, depending on the species, shape, and size. Its texture is like a kiwi, and its flesh is filled with small black seeds.
Although it may look intimidating, dragon fruit is actually easy to eat. Use a sharp knife and cut straight through the fruit, slicing it in half. You can also use some kind of a spoon to eat it. You may peel it and slice the fruit into small pieces. You will get its benefits if you consume them as your daily menu. There is a lot of benefits of dragon fruit. You can read below for more details:
1. Improve immunity
Dragon fruit is able to help your body's defense system. The high vitamin C found in the dragon fruit is the strongest asset for your immune system. They actively seek and eliminate free radicals and harmful things from cell metabolism that could potentially be cancer and heart disease. Dragon fruit is also able to help the defense system that is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. It can help increase the number of white blood cells in the body, which defend against toxins and also inhibit the entry or growth of fungal or bacterial infections in the organ system, stimulate cell regeneration and accelerate healing, so that cuts and bruises will heal quickly. Dragon fruit that also contains Vitamin B1, B2 and B3 can improve blood pressure, skin health, cholesterol levels to thyroid function and carbohydrate metabolism.
2. Aids in digestion
Dragon fruit has a high fiber content, which can help the body remove most of the bowel movement, facilitate the smooth digestive tract, stimulate peristaltic movement, and encourage the release of digestive juices. By regulating the function of the intestine with dietary fiber, this fruit helps in preventing various conditions such as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and even serious illnesses such as colorectal cancer.
3. Prevent cancer
Dragon fruit also contains other natural sources of antioxidants such as carotene. Carotene, found in dragon fruit is associated with anti-carcinogenic. This helps the body in reducing tumor size, boosts your immune system from all directions, so if you feel like you are often sick, under the weather, or even if you are at high risk of cancer, dragon fruit may be one solution to your health problems.
4. Increase metabolism
Dragon fruit is an excellent source of protein. Many of the proteins we get from fruits, vegetables, and meat are processed by enzymes in our body and transform into usable proteins that can accelerate cell repair, increase strength and metabolism, and help us lose weight and increase muscle mass.
5. Improve cardiovascular health
Dragon fruit has a number of unique properties, one of which is containing bad cholesterol and almost no saturated unsaturated fats. By reducing the amount of cholesterol in the blood, the possibility of plaque development in small arteries and veins, thus reducing the chances of you suffering from atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. The reputation of the fruit as "super-food" is true. Fats are beneficial to your body and dragon fruit seeds do contain these good fats, which can cause HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol). HDL cholesterol actively reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) by inhibiting the receptor binding it, in the artery wall.
6. Potassium source
Dragon fruit is loaded with minerals, especially potassium and calcium which helps in maintaining bone structure. Regular consumption of potassium is essential for our cellular, electrical, and nervous functions. In simple words, potassium keeps the water content, pH or acid balance in our body. If you are diabetic, a potassium-rich diet can help you protect your heart and kidneys.