Sugar apple known as Annona squamosa is most widely cultivated of tropical fruits in Annonaceae family. This fruit is being grown widely throughout the tropicals and warmer subtropicals including in Southern Mexico, Central and South America, tropical Africa, Australia and Indonesia.
Generally, sugar apple looks like a round in shape with little pine cone-alike on its skin. This fruit weighs 100-230 g and has sweet-smelling fragrance. Moreover, the fleshy fruit is very sweet in taste and has white creamy to light yellowish color. In addition, this fruit is known from being ripened when its color becomes brown or yellowish as it will fall apart from the tree.
Sugar Apple Nutrients Value
It is known that sugar apple is one of the most nutritive fruits which has an excellent source of essentials minerals and vitamins for our body. Then, to give you more information, we list the detail of sugar apple’s nutritional value below.
| Information | Amount per 100 g | % Daily Value |
| Calories | 94 | |
| Total Fat | 0.3 g | 0 % |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium | 9 mg | 0 % |
| Potassium | 247 mg | 7 % |
| Total Carbohydrate | 24 g | 8 % |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.4 g | 17% |
| Protein | 2.1 g | |
| Vitamin A 0% | Vitamin C 60% | Calcium 2% |
| Iron 3% | Vitamin B-6 10% | Magnesium 5% |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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As you can see on the table, sugar apple highly contains precious nutrients inside. Thus, we will describe more about the benefits you can get from this fruit below.
1. Boosts Energy
Tired is one of the symptoms that indicates the deficiency of energy. Since people need more energy to start the day, they may consume supplements in order to boost their energy needs. In another hand, sugar apple comes with its natural benefit as your energy booster. As it contains vitamin B1 as known as thiamin, it will help you to convert sugar from food into energy. Also, this important vitamin in metabolism will help you to fight tiredness and weakness of your body. Then, you may want to have this fruit as your food as it will be energy powerhouse for your body.
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2. Improves Eyes Health
People usually consume carrots to improve their eye’s health. While sugar apple is a good source of vitamin C and riboflavin, it will help you to promote eyes health. Moreover, this fruit will help you to prevent some eye diseases such as macular degeneration, night blindness, and poor eyesight. As a result, it is good for enhancing good vision.
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3. Improves Bones Health
A high amount of calcium and magnesium are helping our body to improve bones health and keeping the bones strong. Therefore, sugar apple is always ready to help you. As this fruit contains a high amount of both calcium and magnesium, it will help you to improve bone density. Besides, you may also have other good sources of calcium and magnesium such as nuts and lettuces as another option.
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4. Helps Gain Healthy Weight
Some of you may think that gaining more weight is a bad idea. Nevertheless, if an option offers you to gain healthy weight for your body, you may do not want to refuse. There, sugar apple offers you healthy calories and sugars to boost the metabolic process in our body. Then, by consuming sugar apple regularly will help you to gain healthy weight.
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5. Improves Heart Health
The high amount of magnesium in sugar apple helps to reduce the risks of heart attack and stroke. In fact, magnesium composition contained in sugar apple helps defend the heart from cardiac attack. Also, it helps relax the heart muscles. Besides, there is vitamin B6 which takes part in improving heart health. This vitamin is an essential source for preventing the accumulation of homocysteine in the blood.
Furthermore, this fruit also contains niacin, a vitamin B which has a role in increasing the good cholesterol in our body. As a result, they collaborate to reduce the risks of any heart diseases that could happen.
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6. Promotes Healthy Digestion System
Everyone needs a healthy digestion system. For every little food they have eaten, it will be processed in the digestion system. That’s why we have to keep our digestion system healthy in order promoting a good absorption of nutrients. Then, as sugar apple has a good source of dietary fiber, this fruit may help you to increase the performance of our digestive system. Further, it also helps to remove toxins from the intestines. For this reason, this fruit is responsible for avoiding the risks of constipation, gastritis, and stomach pain.
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7. A Sweet Food Option
Having a healthy food is a must, still, you may have a delicious food option to eat, too. At this point, sugar apple is a good idea to choose. This very sweet fruit can be served as ice creams, drinks, and even for desserts. Indeed, this fruit will add some sweetness in your day.
8. Prevents Asthma
Asthma is a disease involving the airways that carry air to and from your lungs. In the same way, you may suffer from this disease, if you have some asthma symptoms such as chest tightness, coughing, and some breathing problems.
Then, to prevent this disease, it is recommended to eat sugar apple routinely, since it is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants which may help minimize the risks of asthma. Besides, with vitamin B contained, it is essential for preventing any bronchial inflammation. Otherwise, it may lead to a condition where it is narrowing the access of the air that passes through the lungs.
Related: Symptoms of Asthma
9. Regulates Blood Sugar Level
For some people, it might seem hard to control the blood sugar level. Thus, by eating sugar apple, it may help you to regulate your blood sugar level. As it has an excellent source of dietary fiber, it will minimize the risks of having diabetes type-2. Also, this fruit will help absorb the blood sugar contained in your body. Then, consuming sugar apple is one of the ways to get your body away from certain blood sugar diseases.
Related: Diabetes Treatments – Types of Diabetes
10. Controls Blood Pressure Level
If you add some sugar apple flesh in your food bowl, you may help in controlling your blood pressure level. This condition caused by the presence of potassium which lessens the effects of sodium. Consequently, it is an effective way to have sugar apple as the controller of your blood pressure level.
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11. Controls the Cholesterol Level
When it comes to a function which may control the cholesterol level, it may lead to the role of sugar apple. Further, this fruit has niacin contained which involve in controlling the cholesterol level in our body. Thus, if you want to lower the cholesterol level in your body, you may have sugar apple as an option to eat.
Related: Foods That Lower Cholesterol Level
12. Prevents Anemia
Those who are suffering from anemia may consume sugar apple to recover. This disease comes up caused by the iron deficiency in the body. In another hand, the symptoms of this disease may vary. However, the most frequent symptoms that could happen are the presence of dizziness and chronic fatigue. Then, at this matter, sugar apple is a good option to help you in preventing anemia as it has an essential source of iron composition inside.
Related: Symptoms of Anemia
13. Anti-cancer Properties
Some recent studies show that several fruits and vegetables contain nutrients which may act as anti-cancer properties. In the same way, studies also have shown that sugar apple helps to prevent the risks of having cancer. Due to the presence of alkaloids and acetogenin contained in sugar apple, this fruit will help you prevent the growth of tumor cells. Thus, it is clearly to see that sugar apple has a role in preventing the risks of cancer.
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14. Acts As Detoxifier
Our body cannot live without a process of detoxification. In fact, sugar apple acts as a detoxifier as it has antioxidants and fiber inside. The regular intake of this fruit may help you in removing some toxins in your body. Indeed, this is an excellent way to detoxify our body. Moreover, as the toxins are being removed, your body will be healthier than before.
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15. Improves Muscles Function
Have you ever feel tired and weaker than before? This condition is caused by the deficiency of potassium composition in our body. Meanwhile, the presence of potassium in sugar apple may help you to fight and improves the muscles function. In addition, by eating sugar apple and doing a workout at the same time is a great way to achieve good muscles.
16. Promotes Thyroid Health
Due to the absence of thyroid hormone in your body, it may lead you to certain thyroid diseases. Therefore, sugar apple provides you a good amount of copper which may help you to reduce the risks of thyroid problems. At this point, the substance helps you to produce the thyroid hormone called thyroxine.
Related: Symptoms of Hyperthyroid
17. Neutralizes Free Radicals
We all know that consuming fruits and vegetables will give us many benefits to our body. In another hand, our body’s system enemy is the presence of free radical. At this matter, sugar apple provides you a good source of vitamin C to help fights free radicals in our body. Then, it is shown that sugar apple is having a role in neutralizing free radicals.
18. Acts As Anti-Inflammatory
This great sugar apple has a potential as an anti-inflammatory agent. Also, the leaves of this fruit provide anti-inflammatory properties. Then, it works by maintaining the water level and reducing acids from joints. Thus, it is shown that sugar apple may help in relieving the pain of certain inflammation diseases.
19. Neutralizes Menstruation
The presence of essential nutrients such as iron and copper is essential for menstruating women. These nutrients take parts in replacing some lost minerals in the body. Afterward, sugar apple’s leaves decoction may also help menstruation women to boost the blood flow. Then, regular intake of this fruit may help you in neutralizing your menstruation phase.
20. Promotes Pregnancy Health
It is folate that has the main role in promoting pregnancy health. Folate as known as vitamin B9 has a role in preventing neural tube defects. As sugar apple contains a high amount of folate (folic acid), it will help you to improve the health of the pregnancy. Then, by consuming sugar apple during pregnancy, it may reduce the risk of miscarriage. In addition, you may consume avocados and papayas as other good sources of folate compositions.
Related: Health Benefits of Breastfeeding
21. Promotes Skin Health
Another good benefit from consuming sugar apple is the way this fruit promotes skin health. Since sugar apple is an excellent source of nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and antioxidants, these nutrients are promoting a healthy and beauty skin.
By consuming sugar apple, it is delaying earlier aging and renewing the skin cells. Besides, this fruit also produces collagen which helps to make your skin elastic. Hence, if you want to have a great healthy skin, give a try to yourself to consume sugar apple routinely.
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22. Promotes Hair Health
Sugar apple’s seeds oil is beneficial in promoting hair health. Moreover, it will make your hair become moisturized and nourished as well. Further, it is known that sugar apple prevents hair loss and stimulates the hair growth. Also, it prevents from graying. Thus, it has proven that not only for promoting the skin’s health, but sugar apple also takes an important part in improving hair health.
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23. Cures Skin Irritation
Sugar apple is also known as a cure for skin irritation. By applying crushed sugar apple’s leaves will help you to speed up the healing of skin irritation.
Here are the health benefits of sugar apple as your daily treatments:
24. Treats The Wounds
It is known that sugar apple is taking a role in treating wounds. All you have to do is squeezing and applying sugar apple leaves to wounds. Moreover, you can apply the crushed leaves as a paste to be used as wounds treatment. Besides, the juice of an unripe sugar apple may help you to treat insect bites and stings.
25. Treats Toothache
Next, the way sugar apple helps us in protecting our body is very amazing. This sugar apple may help in reducing the pain of a toothache. For this reason, you can simply grind the rinds, and mix it with the water. Then, apply them on your tooth to relieve the pain. Such a great treatment, right?
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26. Treats Infections
Indeed, vitamin C contained in sugar apple provides you many great benefits. One of them is the way this fruit treats certain diseases such as psoriasis, boils, and eczema. Furthermore, this fruit’s leaves decoction may also help you in treating certain infections such as cold and fever.
27. Treats Rheumatism Pains
Research shows that a decoction of sugar apple leaves may help rheumatic pains. It reduces the rheumatic pains by equalizing the water balance in the body to remove the acids. Moreover, the presence of magnesium contained in sugar apple will help in controlling the normal fluid and electrolyte balance in our body. As a result, it is lowering the risks for having certain inflammation including arthritis and rheumatism.
28. Treats Arthritis Pains
As the previous statement described, it shows that sugar apple helps treat arthritis pains. It is chloroplatinate that works in our body to treat this disease. And at this point, the chloroplatinate contained in sugar apple leaves can be used as the herbal bath.
29. Treats nausea
You can have sugar apple as a treatment of nausea by crushing this fruit’s leaves. Afterward, it will help you in relieving the nausea pain. Thus, if you suffer from nausea, it must be great to choose sugar apple as your food option.
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30. Eradicates Lice
It has been known that unripe sugar apple powder can be used to eradicate lice. Simply mix it with coconut oil or water into a paste form. Apply it on the scalp and let it stay for at least 15 to 20 minutes before washing. However, you must prevent any contact of this powder with your eyes. Otherwise, it will irritate your eyes and what’s worse is it may cause blindness. Even, if it is swallowed incidentally and applied to the uterus, it induces abortion. So, everything must be taken carefully, right?
As a result, there are many health benefits of sugar apple that gives you the reason to try this fruit now. Also, here is the best tips to consuming it.
In conclusion, it is recommended to add sugar apple in your daily food menu. With a rich source of nutrients contained, it will give you the health benefits you may never expect. Besides, you will have no doubt to eat it since it has a sweet and yummy taste. Then, try to consume sugar apple from now on, in order having a healthier body!