New Delhi: Dragon fruit is cactus based fruit that has loads of health benefits. It resembles a dragon and that is how this fruit got its name. This post helps you understand the benefits of dragon fruit and what nutritional value it provides to you and your loved ones.
- It’s rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, phenolic acid, and betacyanin. These natural substances protect your cells from damage by free radicals — molecules that can lead to diseases like cancer and premature ageing.
- It’s naturally fat-free and high in fiber. It makes for a good snack because it can help keep you full for longer between meals.
- It may help lower your blood sugar. Researchers say this might be partly because it replaces damaged cells in your pancreas that make insulin, the hormone that helps your body break down sugar. But the studies were done on mice, not people. It’s unclear just how much dragon fruit you’d have to eat to get these benefits.
- It contains prebiotics, which are foods that feed the healthy bacteria called probiotics in your gut. Having more prebiotics in your system can improve the balance of good to bad bacteria in your intestines. Specifically, dragon fruit encourages the growth of the probiotics lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. In your gut, these and other helpful bacteria can kill disease-causing viruses and bacteria. They also help digest food.
- It can strengthen your immune system. Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, which are good for your immune system.
- It can boost your iron levels. Iron is important for moving oxygen through your body and giving you energy, and dragon fruit has iron. And the vitamin C in dragon fruit helps your body take in and use the iron.
