Passion fruit - Nutritional facts and Health benefits

Passion fruit – Nutritional facts and Health benefits.

Passion fruit is a type of berry, a fruit of passiflora vine. It has a tough outer rind and juicy seed filled centre. Although it is a tropical fruit, some varieties can survive in a sub-tropical climate. There are 2 types – passiflora edulis (purple) and passiflora flavicarpa (yellow). It is rich in carotenoids and polyphenols. And usually body will not absorb iron from plant. However, the iron in this fruit comes with a lot of vitamin-C, which is known to enhance iron’s absorption.

Nutritional facts of 18gms of Passion fruit:
Calories	17 gms
Fibre	2 gms
Vitamin-C	9% of RDI*
Vitamin-A	8% of RDI*
Iron	2% of RDI*
Potassium	2% of RDI*

*RDI – Recommended Dietary Intake

Health benefits of passion fruit:

Anti-oxidants: It protects our body from free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage our cells when they are present in large numbers. It protects against chronic inflammation and diseases like heart diseases and cancer.

Dietary fibre: Soluble fibre is important for keeping our gut healthy. It helps to slow the digestion of our food, which can prevent blood sugar spikes. It also lowers the risk of disease including heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Boosts immunity: It acts as an antioxidants which scavenge free radicals from the body and neutralize them before they harm internal organs and other systems.

Prevents cancer: It is also powerful source to enhance anti-carcinogenic activity in the body. Antioxidants in passion fruit primarily eliminate free radicals which are known for mutating the DNA of healthy cells into cancerous cells.

Rich in Vitamin-A: Vitamin-A is also linked to eye health benefits, including the prevention of macular degeneration, cataracts and night blindness. It is also helpful in reducing wrinkles, and promotes the proper functioning of membranes throughout the body, including the skin, to keep it hydrated and glowing.

Helps in digestion: Passion fruit is a good source of soluble fibre, which acts as a bulk laxative, moving food through the digestive tract, and reducing exposure time of the colon to any toxins.

Reduces blood pressure: Consumption of 1 serving of passion fruit every day, can satisfy ¼ of our potassium needs. So, it relaxes the tension of blood vessels and promotes blood flow because of high copper and iron content.

Improves bone health: It is a rich source of minerals like iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorous. This fruit increases the bone mineral, density and bone strength. It create additional bone matter and speeding up repair.

Treats insomnia: In passion fruit there is a medicinal alkaloid, Harman which functions as a sedative. Hence it helps in reduction of insomnia, restlessness, nervousness, anxiety.

Soothes respiratory conditions: Extract from the purple passion fruit peel creates a novel mixture of bioflavonoids, which have an expectorant, sedative and soothing effect on the respiratory system. It has been positively connected to a reduction in asthma attacks, wheezing and whooping cough.

Helps in diabetes: The low glycemic index and high fibre content of the fruit fights against diabetes. The fruit is also rich in pectin, a type of fibre that keeps us full without increasing our calorie intake. The sugar in the fruit is slowly absorbed into the blood stream and this prevents sugar crashes and cravings.

Is beneficial during pregnancy: The folate in passion fruit helps in the growth and development of the foetus and prevents neural tube defects in infants.