Plant products has been the most important components of healthy diet for keeping human health since long ago. Fruit and plant has been known has protective effect to the body since they contains many active phytochemicals that act as antioxidant. Research reported that phytochemicals compound such as flavonoids and phenolic acids are natural antioxidants which originated from plants and they have therapeutic uses for keeping healthy body and treat some disease. Just like other kind of fruit, jackfruit is one of fruit with benefits. Jakcfruit or Artocarpus heterophyllus is the fruit of from genus Arthrocarpus and belong to Family Moraceae.
The tree of jackfruit can grow high until it reached 80 feet in height and large diameter. The tree has lots of branches and it produce white and very sticky latex. The jackfruit itself grow from plural flowers and it can grow into 35 pounds and even larger.
As recorder in Guninness book of record the largest jackfruit has 79 pounds in weight and grew in Hawaii. This fruit is well known from its size and the unique odor which can be described as mixture of grape, cheese and banana while other say that the fruit odor is like spoiled onions and sweaty gym socks and the smell of cloyingly sweet.
History of Jackfruit
Jackfruit known originated in Southwest India based on some Indian sage and philosophers and then spread to all Southeast Asia countries then later spread to other tropical countries. In some countries people have different names for jackfruit such as nangka in Indonesia, bo luop mi in China, acquier in French ,jaca, yaca in Spanish, Portuguese, lanka in Phillipines, and others.jackfruit was introduced to the Philippines in the 12th century and then it started to be cultivated there.
Nowadays we can found lots of varieties of jackfruit that are found around the world, and the fruit is usually divided into two main categories they are the soft or firm. The fruit flesh can have yellow color into dark orange and the fruit also contains large seed inside it. People in some countries like Indonesia, Inida, Philippines and other used to cooked the half-ripe fruit into curries, soups,and even stews. The unripe fruit can also be processed to make pickles, chips, dried fruit and canned one. Jackfruit chips is also a common snack in some countries and due to its odor, people add jackfruit into ice cream and other types dessert. Not only the flesh of the fruit. The seed can also be used to be boiled and consumed as snack. Indian people later processed the seed into gluten free flour that can be used as a part of celiac disease patient diet.
Nutrition Value
Jackfruits contains amount of nutrients that can help the body to maintain healthy. You can find out the nutrients based on the table below.
| Per 100-g edible portion of Ripe Fruit | |
|
Potential Value |
Edible portion (g) |
|
Moisture |
72–77.2 |
|
Calories |
98 |
|
Protein |
1.3–1.9 |
|
Fat |
0.2 |
|
Carbohydrate |
15.1–25.4 |
|
Fibre |
1.0–5 |
|
Ash |
0.8–2.2 |
|
Calcium |
22–37 |
|
Iron |
0.5–1.7 |
|
Phosphorus |
38 |
|
Potassium |
292–407 |
|
Sodium |
2–48 |
|
Vitamin C Â Â Â Â Â Â |
8–10 |
|
Thiamine |
0.03 |
|
Riboflavin |
0.06 |
|
Niacin |
0.4–4 |
|
Vitamin A |
540 IU |
Health Benefits of Jackfruit
Jackfruit is one of excellent fruit which provide your body with lots of benefits if it consumed regualrly. Below are the list of benefits of jackfruit that you must know
1. Provide energy
Jackfruit is consider as healthy snack and it can be consumed even you are on diet. Jackfruit contains calories that can make you full and it help to povide your body with quick energy. So if you needs to boost your energy faster, consuming jackfruit is one of best choice since its loaded with simple sugar carbohydrate but got no cholesterol.
2. Prevent cancer
Jackfruits contains Vitamin C, A and other phytochemical that acts as antioxidant and it aids in preventing cancer. Cancer is a degenerative disease which caused by many factors such as free radical damage and toxin in the body. According to a sstudy, jackfruit is effective in cleaning the colon and prevent it from colorectal cancer.
3. Improve vision
Loaded with high level of vitamin A, jackfruit can help you to maintain healthy vision and improve your eyesight.
4. Keep young and firm skin
Jackfruit contains high amount of Vitamin C that can promotes collagen production. As we know that collagen is a protein which keep tight bond of tissue especially in skin layer. This makes jackfruit as good choice to keep your young and firm skin.
5. Repair body cells
Protein is main building block of most body tissue and organs and it is vital fr keeping healthy body function. Jackfruit is excellent source of protein that can help to repair body cells from damage that cause by free radicals or other harmful substance.
6. Help in healing wound
The vitamin C and protein in jackfruit is best combination to cure wound which occur on outer skin surface of the body. They also work fromm inside the body and fasten the wound healing.
7. Promotes hair growth
If you wanna have a thick and healthy hair, consuming jackfruit is one of the solution. Jackfruits contains lots of nutrients that can improve blood circulation in effort to provide nutrients to whole the body especially hair roots.
8. Prevent constipation
Constipation is common digestion problem that occur in large intestine or colon. Jackfruit contains dietary fiber that can soften the stool and help bowel movement through large intestine. This will make your defecation process easier and make your stomach feel comfortable.
9. Boost immunity
Vitamin C in jackfruit can boost immune system and it improve the white cells function to fight the disease. If you get bored by just consuming orange, simply you can try the seet taste of jackfruit.
10. Lower blood pressure
By the presence of potassium, it makes jackfruit as a great food for people who dealing with hypertension or high blood pressure disease. Potassium content in jackfruit can help the body to stabilize the blood pressure and keeping normal heart pump within the body.
11. Improve digestion function
Fiber is the best thing of plant product that support healthy digestion function. Fiber which contained in jackfruit can improve bowel movement and promotes better nutrients absorption.
12. Relieve asthma
It is believed that jackfruit can relieve asthma. Asthma is a disorder which occur in respiratory tract and triggered by some allergen. This benefits may be delivered by the vitamin C and A contents of the jackfruit.
13. Keep strong bones
Who knows that jackfruits also contains calcium which can keep strong bones. Enjoying jackfruit in milky icecream will not only quench your thirst during hot day but also strengthen your bones.
14. Prevent osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disorder which the bones lose it mass and leads to bone fracture or damage. This disease usually experienced by elderly especially women after menopouse. Jackfruit contains calcium that not only promotes bones strength but also prevent the bones from losing the mass and caused osteoporosis.
15. Prevent anemia
Weakness, fatigue, losing stamina and others is some of the symptoms of anemia. Anemia is a disorder which happen cause the body lack of red blood cells due to the absence of iron. The iron is vital mineral that keep healthy red blood cells and make sure the oxygen transported to every cells in the body. Jackfruit contains iron that can prevent you from anemia.
16. Get rid of cold
High in Vitamin C makes your body relieve fast from cold. Cold or commonly known as influenza is caused by virus infection. Vitamin C in jackfruit can boost immune system work to get rid of these viruses and heal you faster.
17. Fight infections
Infection commonly happen in the body that triggered by the presence of harmful substance or microorganism such as bacteria and virus. The nutrient content in jackfruit especially Vitamin C, Vitamin A and other phytochemical are strong fighter substances that can heal and reduce infection.
18. Prevent diabetes
Even jackfruit contains sugar, consuming the flesh is can be considered save to diabetes patient since jackfruits contain manganese, mineral that can control blood sugar level and maintain it on normal condition.
19. Prevent night blindness
Night blindness which also known as nyctalopia is a problem that occur in people which lose the ability to see through darkness and low light condition. Jackfrut contains high amount of Vitamin A that can improve the vision and help to prevent night blindness.
20. Reduce the risk of heart disease
Jackfruits contains amount of nutrients especially Vitamin B6 that can protect the heart and control the homocystein level within the heart. The potassium content in jackfruit also play important role in maintaining healthy and normal heart function.
21. Treat ulcer
Not only loaded with many nutrients, jackfruit also completed with some phytochemicals that acts as anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerative properties that can reduce inflammation and treat ulcer that occur in the stomach.
22. Maintain thyroid function
Thyroid is one of important gland which control hormones production and several metabolism process that occur in the body. Jackfruit contains nutrients especially micronutrients including vitamins and minerals that can help to maintain healthy thyroid function.
23. Treat celiac disease
Jackfruit seed is gluten free and it can be processed to make flour just like South Indian people did. The flour of jackfruit seed can be used in making healthy gluten free meal for patient with celiac disease ( a disease which the body cant digest gluten; a protein that contained in grains)
24. Purify blood
The nutrients in jackruit can help liver function and detoxify the blood from toxin and other harmful substance. So if you are in detoxification diet, consuming jackfruit is totally save and can be so helpful.
25. Prevent scurvy
Scurvy used to be happen to people who lack of Vitamin C consumption. Jackfruit is high in Vitamin C and can be alternative to provide your body with Vitamin C which can aids to prevent scurvy.
26. Maintain healthy metabolism
Jackfruit deliver your body with many nutrients especially vitamin B complex such as riboflavin, thiamine, niacin and other that are known as important nutrients in metabolism process. Those vitamins are the cofactor of some metabolism enzymes which undergo the production of the energy.
27. Brighten the skin
Jackfruit as face mask is really rare but it is beleived that jackfruit seed can be use as skin treatment in effort to lighten the skin. Just soak the seed in milk and honey then grind it after ssometimes. Apply the ground jackfruit on face for about 15 minutes then rinse it with lukewarm water.
28. Maintain healthy brain
Protein and other nutrients in jackfruit especially antioxidants can help to protect the brain and promote the brain cells formation.
29. Prevent Alzheimer
Due to its effect in maintaining brain function and repair the damage on brain, the antioxidant in jackfruit can surely prevent you from Alzheimer. Alzheimer is a disorder which a person lost the memory and it used to be happen in elderly.
30. Improve healthy pregnancy
Pregnant women needs bunches of nutrients to keep her healthy body and support the development of the baby or fetus inside their womb. Jackfruit contains folate that can prevent the baby from neural tube damage and the Vitamin contents on jackfruit help in developing the body organ of the fetus.
31. Fighting alcohol effect
Alcohol has numerous side effect such as liver and brain damage. Alcohol can be harmful for the body if its consumed excessively. Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM has been used jackfruit to cure and treat alcohol effect since long ago.
Health Risk of Jackfruit
Even it has many benefits for your body you should take caution before consuming jackfruit. Jackfruit contains protein and other substance that can cause allergy in some people. it also may rise the blood sugar level in diabetes patient if being consumed excessively. People who are trying to pregnant should avoid to consume jackfruit since it can decrease the libido. It must be known that jackfruit should not be consumed by people under medication like warfarin (blood clotting medication) and those who just did tissue transplant.
How to Purchase, Store and Consume
Befor eyou purchase and start to consume the jackfruit to gain its benefits better check these following tips.
- Whether you going to buy jackfruit you can buy ripe one if you want to consume it directly but if you want to keep in for some days you can buy the fruit which is not too ripe
- Choose jackfruit with light and soft smell and ripe flesh. Avoid to purchase the fruit that has strong smell that is sign of unripeness.
- If you buy peel up flesh of jackfruit or you peel it by yourself, you can store it in fridge for about a week until 2 months
- Jackfruit skin contains white and sticky latex so before you peel and cut it, rub your hand with some oil to avoid the latex stick into your hand.
- You can directly eat raw and ripe jackfruit or add it as ingredients of any dish you like such as ice cream, cake, pudding or any tupes of dessert.
- The unripe fruit can be cookes as soup, stew, stir fry and as side dish of other meal like meat and poultry.
Thats all the health benefits and some tips that can help you to start consuming jackfruit. combine the jeacfruit flesh with other ingredients to make a delightful dish and you can get more benefits from it. Have a nice try.