The fact that fruits have a lot of benefits to human health is no longer a secret but do you know that there are so many rare and exotic fruits in this world? Have you ever heard about canistel fruit? Well, when talking about fruits, the first thing that crosses people’s mind is like apple, orange, grape or banana but if you want to broadening your knowledge about fruit world, canistel is one of the fruits you should get to know.
What Is Canistel Fruit?
Canistel fruit has scientific name Pouteria campechiana is an evergreen tree from family Sapotaceae. Though canistel fruit is originated from Mexico and Central America but this fruit is very famous around Asia regions and has been commercially cultivated in Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka and some tropical regions in Taiwan. The flesh of canistel fruit is very sweet and this fruit is often consumed fresh though canistel fruit is also able to be made into marmalade or jam.
Nutritional Value of Canistel Fruit
When it comes to the nutritional value of canistel fruit, this fruit is packed with some vitamins and minerals. The bright yellow color of the fruit is the absolute proof that this fruit is an excellent source of beta-carotene, pro-vitamin A, vitamin A and vitamin C. The juicy texture of the fruit is very watery and packed with minerals such as iron and calcium. Furthermore, this fruit is also moderate source of carbohydrate, calories and fats.
- Excellent Source of Fiber
One of the main health benefits of canistel fruit is this fruit is an excellent source of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is not something that your body could absorb but its function is very essential. Fiber is also responsible in lowering the cholesterol by binding the bad cholesterol to be washed off from the body system.
- Lowering the Risk of Cataract
As mentioned above the bright yellow color is the clear sign that this fruit is an excellent source of beta-carotene. One of the health benefits of beta-carotene is lowering the risk of all kind of diseases caused by macular cell degeneration mostly occur in senior age and among those diseases, cataract is the most common case.
- Great for Digestion
As mentioned in the point number one, canistel fruit is excellent source of fiber. One of the main health benefits of fiber is to promote better digestion. Fiber in your digestive system is essential for normal bowel movement, preventing constipation and at the same time binding all unnecessary properties to be washed off and clear the intestine.
- Promotes Healthy Bone
Some studies have stated that canistel fruit is packed with certain minerals such as calcium, iron and phosphorus. It is a common knowledge that calcium and phosphorus are excellent for bone health and iron is essential for the production of red blood cells that prominent in body and bone development.
- Healthy for Heart
If you are currently suffering symptoms of high blood pressure, it means there is something wrong with your heart. Consuming canistel fruit could help you regulating blood pressure and at the same time promoting healthy heart because canistel fruit is packed with certain minerals especially potassium to prevent the worst effect of sodium in your blood stream to your heart.
- Natural Immunity Booster
The reason why canistel fruit is an excellent and natural immunity booster is due to its vitamin C benefits. The bright yellow color of canistel fruit is enough proof that this fruit is packed with high dosage of vitamin C. This vitamin is super potent antioxidants that will provide protection to your body.
- Contains Anti-Microbial Effect
Several studies about canistel fruit have shown that those who are consuming this fruit regularly may enjoy the anti-microbial effect of the fruit. By consuming it regularly you could fight conditions caused by bacteria and fungal naturally. It is highly recommended for children in development stage.
- Prevents Cancer
As mentioned above, canistel fruit is excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and beta-carotene. They are some types of antioxidants that have been proven to be effective in preventing the development of cancerous cells. Moreover, this fruit is also packed with some vitamin from vitamin B complex that well known to be effective to fight cancer.
- Home Remedy to Cough and Flu
Cough and flu could be really annoying and a lot of people prefer home remedy to fight them instead of taking medicine or meeting a doctor. It is actually an excellent solution because taking medicine is only making your body lazy to learn to fight it naturally but consuming fruit like canistel fruit will help your body fighting the flu and cough effectively in natural way.
- Treatment to Arthritis
The fact that canistel fruit is also an excellent source of anti-inflammatory properties is the reason why this fruit is an excellent treatment for arthritis. Though perhaps, further studies are required to find out more about the possibility of this fruit to be used as natural pain killer.
Cautions of Canistel Fruit
Canistel fruit is probably among the rare fruit in the world and its health benefits are not something you could put into question but still there are some possibilities that this fruit could be harm and below are some cautions of canistel fruit you should know.
- If you are allergic to fruit like star apple and it is better for you to avoid canistel fruit because they come from the same family with similar texture, appearance and flavor.
- As mentioned above, one of the characteristic of canistel fruit is its sweet flavor, so those who have been diagnosed with certain types of diabetes should avoid this fruit at all cost to prevent the spike of blood sugar level.
- As the moderate source of carbohydrate, calories and fats, this fruit is excellent source for energy but those who are currently in weight loss program should avoid this fruit.
If you are so into fruit world, perhaps adding canistel fruit to the list of fruit you should eat before you die is highly recommended because even among the locals, canistel fruit is not type of fruit they could easily find in the nearby market as well. In other words, if you have a chance to taste this fruit, don’t hesitate to take a bite, unless you have allergic, then it is wise for you to not taste it.