Pitaya - Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is a fruit of the cactus plant that grows in the tropical and subtropical areas which includes Asia and Latin America. It has a yellow or red peel with green scales on it, which are spiny, inside a white, magenta or pink flesh and it has many tiny black seeds – the overall shapes resembles a dragon and hence the name Dragon fruit. Dragon fruit provides a number of essential nutrients and has some potential health benefits as well. The other name of Dragon fruit is Pitaya (1).


16 Benefits Of Dragon Fruits:The two risk factors for heart diseases are having a high level of oxidative stress and stiff arteries. Consuming dragon fruit help us to improve these conditions.

1. Dragon Fruit Lowers Your Cholesterol:Dragon Fruit is low in cholesterol content and has no unhealthy cholesterol fats that harm the human body (2).


2. Dragon Fruit Is High In Fats & Proteins: Dragon Fruit consists of a small amount of healthy monounsaturated fats because the fruit contains many seeds in its edible part. The seeds and the nuts in the dragon fruit contain fats and proteins (3).

3. Dragon Fruit Is A Rich Source Of Fiber: Dragon fruit is also best known for its cleansing properties of the digestive system. The fibers in the fruit help to get better bowel movements. It is also a good solution for constipation (4).

4. Dragon Fruit Is A Natural Source Of Antioxidants: Dragon fruit is a natural source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help out a person from any free radicals that cause cancer as well as unwanted health damages (5).


[ Read: Bitter Gourd Health Benefits ]

5. Dragon Fruit Prevents Arthritis: Dragon fruit helps to decrease the irritation of joints, so it is called as an anti inflammatory fruit. The symptoms of arthritis are alleviated once the swelling of the joints are reduced (6).

6. Dragon Fruit Improves Your Heart Health: The greatest of dragon fruit advantages if for cardiovascular health (7). It decreases bad cholesterol levels from the body and then increases good cholesterol levels. This fruit is a good source of mono saturated fats which helps to keep our heart in good condition.

7. Dragon Fruit Helps Control Diabetes: Dragon fruit contains a high amount of fiber that helps a person stabilize his blood sugar levels. It also avoids sugar spikes that are often observed after eating high glycemic index foods. Therefore, it is good for a diabetic patient though you should consult your doctor before consumption (8).

8. Dragon Fruit Fights Signs Of Aging: This fruit is a rich source of antioxidants (9). It helps us to fight free radicals in our body. It also helps to slow down the aging process after the free radicals are reduced. Due to this, the skin looks young, flexible and tight.

9. Dragon Fruit Helps In Weight Management: Dragon fruit is low in calories. It is also a rich source of fiber (10). Therefore, it helps us to feel full after a meal without adding extra pounds.  It cleans and improves our metabolic system thereby helping us to maintain a healthy weight.

[Read:Benefits Of Mandarin Oranges]

10. Dragon Fruit Prevents Asthma: Dragon fruits contain high amounts of Vitamin C which strengthens the immunity system (11) against and helps fight against respiratory disorders like Asthma.

11. Dragon Fruit Is High In Vitamins and Minerals: Dragon fruit contains high amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B1, B2, and B3. It is also rich in many important minerals as iron, calcium, phosphorus (12). Apart from this, it contains a good proportion of protein, fiber and niacin and last but not the least, 80 percent water. Hence you can easily call it a ‘super fruit’ that helps in enhancing nutrition and corrects body ailments. Not only that, dragon fruit can be a vital ingredient in your daily beauty regime even. Dragon fruit seeds contain unsaturated fat and fights bad cholesterol.

12. Dragon Fruit Face Pack To Fight The Aging Process: To prevent premature aging, you may apply a dragon fruit facial mask once in a week. To make this mask, take half of dragon fruit and make a smooth paste out of it. Mix one tablespoon of yogurt to it and apply entire face and neck. Wait for 20 minutes and rinse it off with lukewarm water. Owing to its antioxidant properties this facial mask effectively slows down aging progression of cells.

13. Dragon Fruit Face Pack To Treat Acne: As dragon fruit is rich in vitamin C, it is really useful for treating acne. Take a quarter of dragon fruit. Make a smooth paste out of it. Apply it on affected area. Rinse off with lukewarm water once it gets dry. Apply this regularly, if possible twice a day for best result.

14. Dragon Fruit Face Pack To Soothe Sunburned Skin: Take one tablespoon each of dragon fruit juice and cucumber juice. Add one tablespoon honey with it. Mix these well in a bowl and apply this pack on sunburned skin. Let this face pack stay at least for half an hour, so that it can cool your skin. Rinse it off with lukewarm water and continue with ice cold water.

As dragon fruit is rich in vitamin B3, it soothes and moisturizes dry sunburned skin. So next time you suffer from sunburn, don’t forget to apply this pack. The dragon fruit juice also works as a wonderful sun shield. Before going out, soak some cotton ball into some dragon fruit juice. Apply it on face. Allow the skin to absorb the juice and wash your face with cold water. This will protect you from the harmful effects of UV rays.

15. Dragon Fruit Face Pack For Bright Glowing Skin: Take a dragon fruit. Scoop out its flesh. Make a smooth paste of it. Apply it on face, neck, and on the rest of your body. Let it absorb in your body. Take a shower. Do it twice a week.

16. Dragon Fruit Juice Treats Coloured Hair: Dragon fruit juice works really well on chemically treated hair and coloured hair. Apply some dragon fruit juice on your scalp. Wait 15-20 minutes. Wash your hair with shampoo.

How To Eat Dragon Fruit? The best way of enjoying a dragon fruit, is cutting it into two halves and eating its creamy pulp by scooping it out with a spoon. Chilled dragon fruit juice is really tasty and refreshing. You may also use dragon fruit as an ingredient in your fruit salad. A delicious dragon fruit smoothie can be tried as a healthy treat in the evening instead of French fries or burgers. Here is one simple recipe, which you can try at home.

Dragon Fruit Smoothie Recipe:Blend one cup dragon fruit pulp, one banana, one cup of coconut water and one teaspoon ginger paste all together in a mixer grinder. Pour the mixture into a tall glass. You may add a dash of lemon if you like. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder on it. If you don’t bother about any extra calories, you may even add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It tastes heavenly.

How To Choose Dragon Fruit?Avoid buying over ripe dragon fruit. Over ripe dragon fruits have too many blotches on it. So you can easily identify whether the fruit is over ripe or not. You also should not buy those dragon fruits, if you find them in dry condition. Bright and even color dragon fruit is best to consume. You can also buy dragon fruit jam and make your tasty sandwiches with it.

After reading the various benefits of dragon fruit, I am sure you will not mind adding this wonder fruit in your diet. Do share your comments below.

Dragon Fruit Key Ingredients And Nutrition Facts:Dragon fruit is a good source of nutrients which are very beneficial for our health. It contains high amount of Vitamin C as well as iron, calcium, Vitamin B, potassium, fiber, other vitamins and minerals.

NUTRITIVE VALUE PER 100 G OF DRAGON PRINCIPLENUTRITIVE VALUE
Total Fat 0.61g 
Protein0.229g
Ashes0.68g
Water83.0 g
Potassium436 mg
Calcium8.8g
Cholesterol0 mg
Dietary Fiber0.9g
Calories99

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