Gac fruit or Momordica cochinchinensis is also known as baby jackfruit. If we mention jackfruit, it seems that it is easier for you to guess what does gac fruit look like. Well, just like the jackfruit, gac fruit has thorny yellow skin.
However, the similarity only comes from its overall appearance. If we investigate it closer, gac fruit is totally different with jackfruit. In term of size, it is smaller. And when it comes to the inside, gac has red juicy pulps, instead of yellow meaty flesh just like jackfruit.
Gac fruit is originated from southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is known that gac fruit contain high phytonutrient content. It is usually consumed as juice and able to present the health benefits of gac juice.
The Nutrition Facts of Gac Fruit
In a form of juice, gac fruit can give us the health benefits of gac juice. But what are the beneficial nutrition we can get from this annual fruit? Here is the nutrition fact of gac fruit.
- Carbohydrates
- Sugar
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Iron
Gac fruit is known to be very low in calories. It also doesn’t contain any fats and cholesterol. So, it can be your alternative of high antioxidant fruit juice and get the health benefits of gac juice.
The Health Benefits of Gac Juice
The most praised compound in gac fruit is vitamin A. this is the main reason why you should consume gac juice and get the health benefits of gac juice. Here are some of the benefits you can get.
- Enhance eye health
Consuming gac juice is claimed to be able in enhancing eyes’ overall health. Gac juice contains zeaxanthin which can protects tissues of the eyes from exposure to ultraviolet. Zeaxanthin in gac juice can also reduce oxidation of eye tissue.
In addition to the health benefits of gac juice for eyes, the beta-carotene in gac juice effectively maintain good vision, especially at night. Moreover, regular consumption of beta-carotene can reduce the risk of blindness, just like the Health Benefits of Purple Berries and Benefits of Sugarcane Juice for Eyes.
- Improve heart health
Foods and beverages with high antioxidants content are always good for heart health. For example, Health Benefits of Green Olives Stuffed with Garlic.
With the similar effect, gac juice n=can also improve heart health by preventing atherosclerosis or the hardening arteries. As we know, hardening arteries are often becoming the main cause of heart attack.
- Enhance skin health
Having gac juice regularly will also be very good for your skin. Again, the benefit comes from the excellent antioxidants in gac fruit.
The lycopene and beta-carotene in gac fruit can enhance skin health by fighting against the oxidative damage in tissue. It prevents cells’ rusting process which contribute to healthier looking skin.
- Treat burns
Gac fruit when it is consumed as juice can give you various health benefits of gac juice. As mentioned in the previous point, gac juice is very good to maintain skin health.
Furthermore, it can also deal with skin problems such as treating burn. The high antioxidants in gac fruit help our skin to quickly recover. If you got burn, you can apply gac juice as topical treatment to reduce inflammation and fight infection.
- Improve immune system
Our immune system is highly related to the development of white blood cells. It is because white blood cells can be said as our soldiers to guard the diseases off.
In this case, beta carotene in gac fruit which is converted into vitamin A when we drink gac juice can help the healthy development of our white blood cells. Of course, it will significantly affect our better immune system.
- Aid reproductive function
In term of reproductive function, gac juice can be beneficial as the beta-carotene in gac juice can enhance sperm production. Therefore, gac juice is very good for men who aim to enhance fertility and for women, consuming gac juice during the pregnancy can support healthy embryonic development.Â
- Reduce risk of prostate cancer
A study taken place in Japan suggested that gac fruit might be an effective anti-cancer agent. The study proved that the extract of gac fruit can inhibit the growth of tumor cells. So, we can say that gac fruit is effective to reduce the risk of cancer.
Further study found that the lycopene in gac fruit and gac juice effectively help prostate problems, including prostate cancer. This benefit can also be obtained from Benefits of Chamomile Tea for Fertility Health .
The other health benefits of gac juice are:
- Relieve stress
- Anti-aging property
- Prevent anemia
- Lower cholesterol level
Recommendation in Preparing Gac Juice
Instead of jackfruit, the inner part of gac fruit is more likely like passion fruit. It has juicy pulps with tiny black peeps. And the easiest way to consume it is by make it into a juice. However, compared to passion fruit, gac fruit has less aroma and taste.
So, it is a good idea to combine gac fruit with the other beneficial natural ingredients to add taste and aromas of your healthy juice. You can still get the health benefits of gac juice when you combine it with healthy sweetener such as honey.
Not only enhance to taste, honey will also give the addition Benefits of Honey for Heart Disease and Prevention. Or else, you can also add your gac juice with the other sweet fruit such as banana or apple. The fruit combination for your gac juice will never go wrong. Especially if you plan to take it every day, you can combine it with any fruit you like.
However, you should be careful with the thick inner part of the gac skin. Sometimes it tastes bitter if you include this on your juice. Not only bitter, the skin and the outer rind may also be toxic for some people. Well, it will not cause death, but it is enough to make you sick for several days. So, make sure that you only include the red part for juicing