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Dragon fruit, also known as Pitaya fruit or Hylocereus, is a member of the cactus family. Dragon Fruit is not a kind of mythical weapon that can beat a dragon. It is a tropical fruit, mainly in the color red, with scales and flowers on the outside. There’s also the pink, white and purple dragon fruit. It’s unique look and superfood powers have made the dragon fruit popular among the health-conscious people. Because of that, this article takes a closer look at the dragon fruit nutrition facts and health benefits. Read further!
Dragon fruit is highly nutritious!
All kinds of dragon fruit have a lot of nutritional value. It’s full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. For example, it is a decent source of iron, magnesium and fiber. Down here we have enumerated the general dragon fruit nutrition facts per serving of 6 ounce (=170 grams):
- Calories: 102 kcal
- Protein: 2 grams
- Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 22 grams
- Sugars: 13 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Vitamine C: 7% of the RDI
- Iron: 7% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 15% of the RDI
RDI stands for Reference Daily Intake. The RDI is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of a healthy individual. So if you eat 1 dragon fruit, you already get 15% magnesium of the recommended daily intake for magnesium. This is 15% of 300-400 mg magnesium, depending on the age and gender.
Carbs in dragon fruit
Dragon fruit is from nature, a low-calorie food, with the most calories from carbohydrates. There are two main carbohydrates in dragon fruit, namely sugars and fibers. You get 13 grams of naturally common sugar and 5 grams of fiber. This is 20% of your daily intake of fiber, when you eat the whole fruit. So when your goal is to eat more fiber, then dragon fruit is an amazing source of fiber. Fibers will help you with better digestion.
The exact Glycemic Index (GI) has not been recorded. According to one study of pubmed, it has the same GI as the banana (GI: 50). Foods with a GI higher than 55 are considered as high glycemic index foods. So the dragon fruit is a food with an average GI, which is fine.
Fats in dragon fruit
There is almost no fat in dragon fruit. The seeds in the dragon fruits contain a little bit of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which are healthy for you. Do you want to get enough omega 3 fatty acids? Then you should eat salmon, linseed oil or walnuts.
Protein in dragon fruit
There is also almost no protein in dragon fruit. You will get about 2 grams per serving. For protein you should eat animal-based food, like eggs, meat or cottage cheese.
Vitamins and minerals in dragon fruit
As you may have noticed dragon fruit has a lot of vitamins and minerals, like vitamine C, vitamine E, iron and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals are indispensable for the growth and maintenance of a well-functioned and healthy body and to prevent your body from chronic sickness. The greatest source of mineral is magnesium. Dragon fruit provides about 15% of your daily recommended intake. All the vitamins and minerals have a lot of health benefits, which will take care for a healthy body.
Dragon fruit health benefits
Now we have discussed the dragon fruit nutrition facts, we can take a look at the health benefits dragon fruit provides. Because of all the nutritional value, all the different types of dragon fruit also have a lot of healthy benefits. We have summed up the benefits of dragon fruit hereunder.
- Dragon fruit improves a healthy gut: Dragon fruit contains prebiotics that can improve the balance of good bacteria in your gut. Fiber helps to boost satiety and digestion.
- Dragon fruit helps manage blood sugar: According to some studies, dragon fruit can improve blood sugar levels in people with pre-diabetes.
- Dragon fruit strengthens your immune system: The vitamin C and the carotenoids in the dragon fruit can boost your immune system and prevent you from infections and diseases.
- Dragon fruit reduces inflammation: Dragon fruit contains an antioxidant , named flavonoids, which can help to repair damaged cells caused by stress.
- Dragon fruit may boost low iron levels: To strengthen your iron levels, it is important to eat iron-rich foods.
- Good source of magnesium: The dragon fruit contains a lot of magnesium in opposite of other fruits, which can support bone health.
When to eat dragon fruit?
You can eat dragon fruit any time. Our advice is to vary with other sources of fruit and eat about 2 to 3 times a week a dragon fruit. When you buy dragon fruit, you can keep it in the refrigerator for a few days. Preferably you want to consume dragon fruit as soon as possible, because it can overripe and then it will lose some of the beneficial nutrients. Because of all the valuable dragon fruit nutrition facts and healthy benefits you need to try it, when you haven’t eaten it yet. In our webshop you can see all types of dragon fruit and buy your own. Let us know your experience with the dragon fruit in the comments!
Should I eat dragon fruit?
Dragon fruit is in most cases safe to be eaten by everyone. If you have eaten a dragon fruit and you don’t feel so well or you get allergic reactions, then you should not eat dragon fruit. No studies have been done on the allergies of dragon fruit for people.
Dragon fruit is a natural food in contrast to processed foods, like candy, biscuit, fast food, etc. So eating dragon fruit as a snack is always much healthier than processed foods!
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