Health Benefits of Red Dragon Fruits is difference with white one. Dragon fruit or Pitaya or Pitahaya has rise its popularity nowadays. The fruit called as dragon fruit since the shape which more likely the dragon body with red skin coat. It has sweet and a bot sour taste which make people loves to consume it especially as dessert. Imagine how its taste when we can enjoy the juicy and exotic fruit served chilled during hot day, isn’t it sound tempting?
Red dragon fruit or Hylocereus polyrhizus belong to the vine cacti from the subfamily Cactoideae of the tribe Cacteae. This plant is native to Mexico and America. There are around 16 species of Hylocereus that spread throughout Central America and Mexico and it spread to European countries after the arrival of voyagers to American continent.
H.polyrhizus or red dragon fruit has red flesh or pulp with pink skin. The flesh of red dragon fruit is delicate and juicy and it contains some amount of small soft seeds. The red dragon fruits just like other varieties of dragon fruit are covered with bracts or “scales’ hence people called it as dragon fruit. These edible fruits is so popular as pitahaya in Spanish and Latin America. The weight of red dragon fruit can reach 1 kg and its rich in nutrients.
Nutrition facts
Dragon fruit plants or the climbing cactus are grown in the open space in most tropical areas but it can grow best if it is protected from solar radiation and freezing temperatures ( if it is cultivated in subtropical are). This fruit is being cultivated on a large scale in some countries such as Malaysia, Australia, United States, Nicaragua, Columbia, Vietnam, Israel, and Indonesia. In some countries people also use red dragon fruit as ingredients to make some cakes, juice and ice cream.
Red dragon fruit contains almost same nutrients as white and other types of dragon fruits but it has higher level of antioxidant and pigment. In 100 gr of red dragon fruit you can found ;
- Calories: 35-50
- Water 80-90 g
- Vitamin C 4–25 mg
- Calcium 6–10 mg
- Carotene (Vitamin A) traces
- Carbohydrates 9-14 g
- Fiber 0.3-0.9 g
- Iron 0.3-0.7 mg
- Fat 0.1-0.6 g
- Vitamin B3 0.2-0.45 mg
- Phosphorus 16 – 36 mg
- Protein 0.15-0.5 g
- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) traces
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) traces
Health Benefits of Red dragon Fruit
Since red dragon fruits rich in nutrients, it may deliver some great benefits to your body. Below are some benefits that provided by red dragon fruit ;
1. Promotes healthy digestion
Red Dragon fruits contains some amount of fiber which can give benefit to the digestion. Benefits of promoting healthy digestion is common in most fruit but red dragon fruits certainly can maintain healthy digestion and prevent inflammation that happen in the digestion tract.
2. Prevent constipation
Fiber is not only make your digestion system healthy but it also improve bowel movement and facilitating the stool to pass the large intestine easier. Fiber in red dragon fruits add more bulk to stool and prevent constipation.
3. Fight cancer
Red dragon fruit contains more antioxidant and pigments which greater than antioxidant in other types of dragon fruit. The red dragon fruit contains Vitamin C and lycopene which can prevent from certain disease such as cancer, especially prostate cancer. A study which published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention reported that consumption of some amount of lycopene everyday can decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
4. Boost immune system
You can not underestimate the level of vitamin C in red dragon fruit. The red dragon fruits contain high amount of vitamin C which can boost immune system function. Consuming red dragon fruit provides your body not only with Vitamin C but also other phytonutrients and antioxidant that have significant effect in supporting immune system function especially in fighting disease and free radical damage.
5. Prevent diabetes
Benefits of Red dragon fruits contain fiber which can stabilize the blood sugar level in blood. It is also consider as food with low glycemic index. Consuming food with lower GI or glycemic index ( <55 ) can give benefits to your body and it make the insulin can work properly while high GI food can promotes insulin resistance and trigger the development of diabetes.
6. Prevent heart disease
Heart disease is number one disease that should be aware by all people. It is the first leading cause of death based on World Health Organization (WHO) data. Red dragon fruit contain fiber that can reduce bad cholesterol amount in blood and protect the blood vessel lining from cholesterol effect which can increase the risk of heart disease. The antioxidant in red dragon fruit also play important role in keeping the heart from oxidative stress that caused by free radical damage.
7. Slower aging process
Everyone want have healthy and young life, by consuming red dragon fruit it won’t be impossible. Red dragon fruit is completed by numerous amount of antioxidant that can slower the aging effect in the body. For your information, aging that happen in human body is mostly caused by free radicals effect.
8. Maintain cholesterol level
Cholesterol or also known as Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is type of fat which consider as bad fat. The excessive amount of cholesterol will cause several problem such as atherosclerosis or arteries wall thickening. The cholesterol will enter the blood vessel lining and make the arteries narrower. When the arteries got thickened, the blood will flow in high pressure which is dangerous and can cause stroke as well as heart disease. Red dragon fruits contains high amount of fiber that can lower the cholesterol level within the blood. The fiber will bind the cholesterol and get it rid of the body.
9. Help in weight lost
If you wanna have snack but worry if you gaining more weigh, you can just try to consume red dragon fruit. Red dragon fruit contain high fiber that will make your stomach feel full and satisfied. It prevent you from early hunger and reduce the fat cell in the body.
10. Promotes healthy hair
Red dragon fruit juice can enhance your hair beauty. Just apply some juice of red dragon fruit on scalp and hair stem or use it as hair mask. Red dragon fruits contains high antioxidant and more nutrients that can enhance the colour of the hair and make it smooth.
11. Prevent acne
Acne is one of the most annoying thing that can be experienced by many people especially teenagers. Acne occur mostly on face and it is caused by the infection of P. Acne bacteria and clogging pores. Red dragon fruit flesh can be ground or mashed then used as face mask to prevent and treat acne. Red dragon fruit contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can fight bacteria infection and cleaning clogged skin pores.
12. Maintain healthy skin
Drinking red dragon fruit juice everyday not only will make you healthy but will make your skin glowing and firm. High antioxidant content in red dragon fruit can prevent the free radicals effect on skin which can cause wrinkle and dullness. The vitamin C in red dragon fruit is also beneficial to brighten skin and get rid of dullness.
13. Treat sunburn
Red dragon fruit contain vitamin B3 that can help to moisturize the skin and release the heat which cause by sunburn. If you are getting sunburn and feel pain just mix the red dragon fruit juice with some cucumber or aloe vera. This mixture will surely make your skin feel better.
14. Repair body cell
Red dragon fruit also contains protein that can help the body in regenerate and repair body cell. Protein is main building block of almost all body organ and lack of protein can cause several problem such as slower healing process.
15. Prevent anemia
Iron is vital mineral which is required in keeping normal red blood cell number and function. Lack of iron can cause anemia and it will make you weak whole day. Eating some amount of red dragon fruit flesh provides you with iron and prevent your body from anemia.
16. Maintain strong bones
Red dragon fruit contain several number of calcium that can help to protect the bone mass and prevent from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis usually happen to elderly people especially women, this is why It is suggested that women who have experience menopause should consume red dragon fruit regularly
17. Reduce arthritis pain
Arthritis is a common symptoms of autoimmune disease which affected the joint. Autoimmune disease is a condition where the body has greater amount of immune cells and those immune cells consuming healthy cells in the body. Red dragon fruit contain anti-inflammatory properties which can reduce the symptoms of arthritis and relieve the pain.
18. Improve appetite
It is believed that red dragon fruit can treat stomach upset and get rid of discomfort feeling in stomach also increase the appetite.
19. Improve vision
Red dragon fruit contains beta carotene and other plant pigment which can protect the eye from free radical effect and prevent eye from developing certain disease such as cataract and macula degeneration.
20. Improve brain function
Brain is one of the vital organ in the body. It is known that red blood cells contains vitamin, mineral and other phytonutrients that can protect brain from damage and promote healthy nerve function.
21. Fasten healing wound
Red dragon fruits health benefits is best for healing wound in fast ways. If you getting cut on skin or having wound, rubbing some red dragon flesh juice on skin can fasten the healing wound process. Drinking red dragon fruit also can help to heal the wound faster from inside.
Tips to Consume Red Dragon Fruit
There is no case reported after consuming red dragon fruit and we can say that red dragon fruit is totally save to be consumed even for kids and pregnant women. Check these tips before you going to consume the red dragon fruits and if you want to get the benefits of this exotic fruit :
- Purchase fresh red dragon fruit in market by watching the color and the texture of the fruit. Fresh dragon fruit has firm texture and not too soft
- Choose ripe fruit if you want to consume it directly and you can also purchase unripe fruit if you want to keep it in fridge for several days
- Clean the red dragon fruit before you cut it
- Cut the fruit with clean knife and cutting board
- Just separate the fruit by two section of cutting and take the flesh out of the fruit by using spoon
- You can eat the red dragon fruit raw or you can also enjoy it various way such as make it as fruit salad, smoothies or even ice cream and cake.
So, if you getting bored by apples, banana, mango and other types of fruit, don’t be hesitated to try the delicate and juicy flavor of red dragon fruit and get all the benefits while enjoying it. Have a nice try