When we think about food, we often associate it with comfort and pleasure. This is why lots of restaurants and grocery stores nowadays offer soul-satisfying dishes that leave us asking for more. Unfortunately, while they make our tastebuds happy, these meals are usually filled with additives that can be bad for our bodies.
Treating ourselves to tasty but unhealthy meals may not seem like a big deal, but its effects may add up over time. For example, fat tissue can accumulate. When that happens, we increase our risk of developing hypertension, respiratory issues, heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. On the other hand, the more we eat healthily, the more we protect ourselves from diseases and maintain a healthy weight.
To take better care of your health, start eating more fruits! In particular, granadilla fruit is an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals.
What’s Granadilla Fruit?
Granadilla, also called sugar fruit, is one of the several varieties of passion fruit. It is native to South America, and it grows on a vine and thrives in tropical conditions.
What makes this fruit distinguishable from the rest of the passion fruit family is its green, yellow, or bright orange color, edible seeds, and slightly sweeter taste. It also has a gelatinous pulp with a bright, tangy flavor and black seeds with a nutty flavor.
When young, granadilla is smooth, firm, and green. It turns orange-yellow as it starts to ripen.
Granadilla Fruit Nutrition Facts
Granadilla fruit is a good source of nutrients. A single fruit contains:
- Proteins: 0.340-0.474g
- Fat: 1.50-3.18g
- Crude fiber: 3.2-5.6g
- Calcium: 5.6-13.7mg
- Iron: 0.58-1.56mg
- Phosphorus: 44.0-78.0mg
- Vitamin B1: 0.00-0.002mg
- Vitamin B2: 0.063-0.125mg
- Vitamin B3: 1.42-1.813mg
- Vitamin C: 10.8-28.1mg
Granadilla Fruit Health Benefits
Incorporating granadilla fruit into your diet helps you become healthier. Here are some of its health benefits:
1. Strengthens Immune System
Granadilla is rich in various essential vitamins, particularly vitamin C. Eating the fruit regularly boosts your immune system and improves your body’s ability to fight against invaders, such as foreign bodies, bacteria, and viruses. As a result, you become better protected from infections.
2. Protects Cells Against Free Radicals
This wonder fruit has antioxidant properties that help disarm disease- and aging-causing free radicals in the body. It prevents cell damage and inflammation and improves blood circulation, particularly in the brain and nervous system.
3. Promotes Skin Repair
Attaining healthier skin is possible when you add granadilla to your diet. This fruit is packed with vitamin C, which is required for generating collagen. It can help heal wounds faster, build new skin, and slow down aging.1
4. Promotes a Healthy Heart
When eaten with seeds, this tropical fruit can help remove excess cholesterol. It is loaded with fiber, which can reduce the risk of heart disease, regulate the heart rate, and normalize blood pressure.
5. Keeps the Gut Healthy
Granadilla fruit contains a lot of dietary fiber, which is vital for gut health. Eating it regularly may help improve digestion and prevent constipation and bowel disorders. It can also reduce cholesterol and promote a healthy heart.2
Read More: Best Fruits To Boost Metabolism
6. Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
If you have diabetes and want to treat yourself to a sweet snack, consider having granadilla as your dessert. This fruit has a low glycemic index (GI) value, so it won’t cause your blood sugar levels to spike after eating it. It also makes for a great alternative to pineapple or melon.
7. Helps Reduce Anxiety
Coping with anxiety and stress can be done by seeking treatment, taking medications, or trying acupressure. Another home remedy that’s worth trying is eating granadilla.
This tropical fruit can be a healthy alternative to any comfort food. It has magnesium, a mineral linked to decreased stress and anxiety levels. Therefore, you may feel better after eating it.3
Granadilla is also a natural relaxant. It serves as a mild sedative, making it an ideal snack for those who cope with insomnia.
8. Prevents Anemia
Granadilla fills your body with B vitamins, iron, and potassium. It boosts the production of red and white blood cells. This helps prevent iron-deficiency anemia, especially for those on a plant-based diet who struggle to maintain healthy iron levels.
9. Supports Weight Loss
Weight loss can promote health benefits, like lower blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure. It also lessens the stress on the joints and helps the bones work less hard.
If you are on a plant-based diet, you may notice that you’re more likely to have greater weight loss than those on higher-fat eating plans. This is likely due to the high fiber content of lower-fat vegan diets.
To speed up your progress, start incorporating granadilla into your diet. It has high fiber levels that may help satisfy your hunger and make you feel full while eating less.
You May Also Like: Best Dry Fruits For Weight Loss
10. Lowers Blood Pressure
Thanks to its high potassium levels, granadilla increases sodium excretion. As a result, this wonder fruit helps reduce blood volume and keeps blood pressure down. It then lowers the risk of kidney damage and stroke.
How to Eat Granadilla Fruit
Eating granadilla is easy. All you need to do is cut it into two halves and scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon. You can also eat the seeds.
The fruit is commonly eaten raw by itself. However, its exotic taste makes it an excellent ingredient for desserts, cocktails, and salads. It can also be served as a snack or turned into pie filling, cake frosting, or jelly.
In Short
There’s no quick and easy way to achieve optimal health. It requires maintaining a healthy diet. This involves staying away from highly processed food and replacing nutritionally poor snacks with healthier options, like granadilla fruit.
Granadilla is a wonderful option for breakfast, snacks, or dessert. Best of all, you can enjoy its health benefits without preparing a complex recipe. So make sure to have it available at home at all times!
There’s another passion fruit called Lilikoi that is amazing for your health. Read more about it here: Lilikoi nutrition facts and health benefits.
You can also discover the benefits of eating Atemoya fruit, Pacay and Korean Melon.
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