12 Things You Never Knew About Dragon Fruit (We Love #6)

Photo credit: bigstock.com

2. It Can Help You Lose Weight

Dragon fruit has a tiny 60 calories in an average sized fruit, but it is big on fiber. This can help you to feel full on fewer calories. Increasing your fiber intake can also improve your metabolic rate, which can help you to lose weight naturally. The sweet taste of dragon fruit can also help to curb that sweet tooth so many of us seem to have.

3. Helps to Suppress Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. This causes intense pain and immobility. Eating more dragon fruit can help you to fight arthritis because it contains natural anti-inflammatories. In fact, dragon fruit’s benefits for those suffering from arthritis are so well-known that in many South American countries, it is commonly called “the anti-arthritis fruit.

4. Fights Diabetes

Dragon fruit is high in fiber, which helps the body maintain normal blood sugar levels. This means that dragon fruit can help to curb the spike of sugar that occurs in the body due to certain foods or hormones. Regular consumption of high fiber foods, such as dragon fruit, can help those with diabetes maintain a more normal blood sugar level, which can drastically improve overall health.

5. Reduces the Signs of Aging

Dragon fruit is super rich in important antioxidants, which fight the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are the main contributor to premature aging, especially of the skin. Eating dragon fruit can fight free radical damage and give you more youthful, firmer looking skin.

6. Lowers the Risk of Prostate Cancer

Studies have shown that men who ate a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those containing a substance called lycopene, had a much lower risk of developing prostate cancer. One study showed that tropical fruits, such as dragon fruit, inhibit the human cytochrome P450, which has been linked to a higher risk of several types of cancer including prostate cancer.

7. Incredibly Rich in Nutrition

These funny looking fruits have a surprising number of phytonutrients. Each one contains about 10 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin C, several of the B vitamins, super rich in antioxidants, polyunsaturated (healthy fats) fatty acids, protein, and carotene. Dragon fruits also have calcium and phosphorus, both of which are important for healthy bones, blood, and tissue formation. These fruits have zippo when it comes to complex carbs, so foods can be more easily broken down.

Continue to Page 3