Health Benefits of Red Dragon Fruits is difference with white one. Dragon fruit or Pitaya or Pitahaya has rise its popularity nowadays. The fruit called as dragon fruit since the shape which more likely the dragon body with red skin coat. It has sweet and a bot sour taste which make people loves to consume it especially as dessert. Imagine how its taste when we can enjoy the juicy and exotic fruit served chilled during hot day, isn’t it sound tempting?
Red dragon fruit or Hylocereus polyrhizus belong to the vine cacti from the subfamily Cactoideae of the tribe Cacteae. This plant is native to Mexico and America. There are around 16 species of Hylocereus that spread throughout Central America and Mexico and it spread to European countries after the arrival of voyagers to American continent.
H.polyrhizus or red dragon fruit has red flesh or pulp with pink skin. The flesh of red dragon fruit is delicate and juicy and it contains some amount of small soft seeds. The red dragon fruits just like other varieties of dragon fruit are covered with bracts or “scales’ hence people called it as dragon fruit. These edible fruits is so popular as pitahaya in Spanish and Latin America. The weight of red dragon fruit can reach 1 kg and its rich in nutrients.
Dragon fruit plants or the climbing cactus are grown in the open space in most tropical areas but it can grow best if it is protected from solar radiation and freezing temperatures ( if it is cultivated in subtropical are). This fruit is being cultivated on a large scale in some countries such as Malaysia, Australia, United States, Nicaragua, Columbia, Vietnam, Israel, and Indonesia. In some countries people also use red dragon fruit as ingredients to make some cakes, juice and ice cream.
Red dragon fruit contains almost same nutrients as white and other types of dragon fruits but it has higher level of antioxidant and pigment. In 100 gr of red dragon fruit you can found ;
- Calories: 35-50
- Water 80-90 g
- Vitamin C 4–25 mg
- Calcium 6–10 mg
- Carotene (Vitamin A) traces
- Carbohydrates 9-14 g
- Fiber 0.3-0.9 g
- Iron 0.3-0.7 mg
- Fat 0.1-0.6 g
- Vitamin B3 0.2-0.45 mg
- Phosphorus 16 – 36 mg
- Protein 0.15-0.5 g
- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) traces
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) traces
Health Benefits of Red dragon Fruit
Since red dragon fruits rich in nutrients, it may deliver some great benefits to your body. Below are some benefits that provided by red dragon fruit ;
1. Promotes healthy digestion
Red Dragon fruits contains some amount of fiber which can give benefit to the digestion. Benefits of promoting healthy digestion is common in most fruit but red dragon fruits certainly can maintain healthy digestion and prevent inflammation that happen in the digestion tract.
2. Prevent constipation
Fiber is not only make your digestion system healthy but it also improve bowel movement and facilitating the stool to pass the large intestine easier. Fiber in red dragon fruits add more bulk to stool and prevent constipation.
3. Fight cancer
Red dragon fruit contains more antioxidant and pigments which greater than antioxidant in other types of dragon fruit. The red dragon fruit contains Vitamin C and lycopene which can prevent from certain disease such as cancer, especially prostate cancer. A study which published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention reported that consumption of some amount of lycopene everyday can decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
4. Boost immune system
You can not underestimate the level of vitamin C in red dragon fruit. The red dragon fruits contain high amount of vitamin C which can boost immune system function. Consuming red dragon fruit provides your body not only with Vitamin C but also other phytonutrients and antioxidant that have significant effect in supporting immune system function especially in fighting disease and free radical damage.
5. Prevent diabetes
Benefits of Red dragon fruits contain fiber which can stabilize the blood sugar level in blood. It is also consider as food with low glycemic index. Consuming food with lower GI or glycemic index ( <5