While fruit is always a healthy, sweet food to enjoy as part of a healthy diet, it’s even more fun to have a fruit salad or a piece of fresh fruit to cool off in these warmer months. And while there’s no reason to ignore some of your staples like berries, citrus fruits, apples, and iced fruit, there are some lesser known fruits that are worth checking out. break. Persimmon is one of them, as there are many benefits that make it an underrated fruit worth a try.
The persimmon is a bright orange fruit that tastes sweet, bold and fragrant, almost like honey. It really doesn’t taste like any other fruit. You can eat them fresh, dried or cooked – they’re very versatile.
There are several varieties of persimmon, but the most common are fuyu and hachiya. Lyssie Lakatos, RDN said: “The fuyu is stiffer when ripe and looks like a yellowish tomato, while the hachiyas are orange-red in color and have a more acorn-like shape”, said Lyssie Lakatos, RDN.
When buying persimmons, you want to choose one that is heavy in size and has glossy skin, and is not damaged or dark. That way, you’re looking for a good quality ripe fruit, so you can get the most out of your money and really enjoy that unique, delicious taste.
Furthermore, the benefits of persimmons go beyond their diet-friendly properties, as they are low in calories and pack a good amount of nutrients. Here is the nutritional information:
For an average 6 oz persimmon fruit: 118 calories, 0.3 g fat, 1 g protein, 31 g carbs, 25 g sugar, 6 g fiber, 70 percent DV Vitamin A, 20 percent DV Vitamin C.
Here are some other benefits of persimmons to keep in mind:
- The persimmon can help you poop
Eating persimmons can help you maintain regularity. “They can help fight constipation and keep your digestive tract healthy, thanks to their high fiber content”, says Lakatos.
With 6 grams of fiber in one persimmon, that’s almost a quarter of the recommended daily fiber intake for women, she adds. That’s a lot – one serving per day can really make a difference and increase! Combine with cheese and nuts for a complete snack.
2. Persimmons are good for heart health
Persimmons may protect against heart disease. “They are rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, including quercetin and kaempferol, which help fight oxidative damage and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease”, Lakatos said.
“Persimmon is also a good source of tannic acid and gallic acid, which has been shown to lower high blood pressure, inflammation and high cholesterol levels, all of which are major risk factors”, she added. heart disease. So chop them up and enjoy them with simple Greek yogurt for breakfast or add to a salad of grilled salmon and green leaves with chopped pistachios for a quick and healthy lunch.
3. Persimmons can enhance eye health
Persimmons can help keep your eyes healthy and promote eye health. “They are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoid antioxidants that help fight age-related macular degeneration”, she explains. They also contain 70% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, an essential nutrient needed for normal vision.
4. Persimmons can improve joint health
Since they can reduce inflammation in the body, their benefits may extend to having positive effects on joint health. They may also protect against arthritis. “The persimmon is superstar when it comes to reducing inflammation, and inflammation is linked to arthritis”, she said.
5. Persimmons may lower the risk of cancer
While more research is needed, persimmons have been linked with potential anti-cancer effects. “They may protect against cancer because they are rich in flavonoids and carotenoids, like beta-carotene, which may be especially beneficial against lung and colorectal cancer”, she said.
“This inflammatory effect is partly due to the high content of Vitamin C in persimmons, which eliminates damage caused by free radicals, suppresses inflammation and thus keeps c-reactive protein and inertleukin-6, two substances are created. when the body becomes inflamed, to a lesser degree”, she said.
How to enjoy the benefits of persimmons?
“You can start your day by adding sliced persimmons to a yogurt cup, or over hot or hot cereal, pancakes or French toast”, says Lakatos. Either enjoy them as a snack or over lunch by slicing them up and adding them to salads or using them in a green protein smoothie.
You can make your own roll fruit for a quick, sweet snack, or you can simply roast them to use as a salad filler or as an ingredient in trail mix Healthy DIY to enjoy on the go.
