Dragon fruit or also known as pitaya, is a fruit that has a unique shape. Where the skin texture is said to resemble dragon scales. Well, dragon fruit itself has several variations, some have white flesh, some have red flesh. Both of them are healthy foods because they have a high nutritional content.
Red dragon fruit is considered to have a higher antioxidant content. This can be seen from the red color of dragon fruit, which naturally comes from an antioxidant compound called anthocyanin. As a result, consuming red dragon fruit can certainly provide many health benefits. What do you think? Let's find out the info here!
First Know the Nutrition Content
Before discussing what the benefits are, it's good to know the nutritional content of red dragon fruit. Reporting from Indonesian Food Composition Data, the nutritional content of 100 grams of raw red dragon fruit is:
Water: 85.7 grams.
Energy: 71 cal.
Protein: 1.7 grams.
Fat: 3.1 grams.
Carbohydrates: 9.1 grams.
Fiber: 3.2 grams.
Ash: 0.4 gram.
Calcium: 13 milligrams.
Phosphorus: 14 milligrams.
Iron: 0.4 milligrams.
Sodium: 10 milligrams.
Potassium: 128 milligrams.
Zinc (Zinc): 0.4 milligrams.
Vitamin B1: 0.5 milligrams.
Vitamin B2: 0.3 milligrams.
Niacin: 0.5 milligrams.
Vitamin C: 1 milligram.
In addition to the nutritional content, the fruit is also reported to contain several other important compounds. For example, such as anthocyanin and carotenoid antioxidant compounds, as well as lycopene compounds.
These are the Benefits of Red Dragon Fruit
Here are some of the health benefits that are believed to be obtained when consuming this one fruit, namely:
Strengthens the Immune System
The content of vitamin C and carotenoids in dragon fruit can neutralize free radicals and protect white blood cells from harm. So it can be concluded that these two ingredients can certainly prevent various kinds of infections, so they can improve and maintain the immune system.
Maintain Intestinal Health
Reporting from Healthline, red dragon fruit contains prebiotics, so it has the potential to improve the balance of good bacteria in the intestine. Well, prebiotics themselves are a special type of fiber that can encourage the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. In particular, dragon fruit can also encourage the growth of two healthy bacteria in the body, namely lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria.
Healthy Skin
Red dragon fruit contains nutrients that are good for skin health. One of them is the content of vitamin C which is proven to have many benefits for the skin. Examples include brightening skin tone, reducing hyperpigmentation, repairing skin, while increasing skin elasticity.
Interestingly, the high antioxidant content in red dragon fruit also has anti-aging properties. This is because these antioxidants inhibit enzymes that break down skin components such as collagen and hyaluronic acid. Compounds in dragon fruit are also said to be able to control sebum production, so it can overcome acne.
Helps Overcome Anemia
One of the most common types of anemia is iron deficiency anemia, which is caused by too low levels of iron in the body. Well, red dragon fruit is a good source of iron because one portion contains 8 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Interestingly, dragon fruit is also enriched with vitamin C, which can help the process of absorption of iron in the body. Therefore, consuming this fruit regularly is believed to be able to prevent and treat anemia, especially in pregnant women.
Well, that's an explanation of what are the benefits of consuming red dragon fruit. Starting from boosting the immune system, to being believed to be able to overcome the occurrence of anemia. Based on its content, dragon fruit can be a source of important nutritional intake for the body that needs to be fulfilled.