Faculty of Allied Health Sciences > Nutrition and Food Engineering
Fruit's nutrition in our everyday life
Golam Kibria:
Papaya fruit nutrition facts
Exotic papaya fruit or pawpaw is jam-packed with numerous health benefiting nutrients. The fruit is one of the favorite of fruit lovers for its nutritional, digestive and medicinal properties. Papaya tree is grown extensively all over the tropical regions and cultivated for its fruits and latex papain, an enzyme that is used in food industry.
[b]Scientific name : Carica papaya.
Papaya fruit health benefits[/b]
*The fruit is very low in calories (just 39 cal/100 g) and contains no cholesterol; but is a rich source of phyto-nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
* Papayas contain soft, easily digestible pulp/flesh with good amount of soluble dietary fiber that helps to have normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation.
*Fresh, ripe fruit is one of the fruit with highest vitamin-C content (provides about 103% of DRA, more than in oranges, or lemons). Research studies have shown that vitamin C has many important functions like free radicals scavenging, immune booster and anti-inflammatory actions.
*It is also an excellent source of Vitamin-A (provides 1094 IU/100 g ) and flavonoids like beta carotenes, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthins. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties; help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play role in aging and various disease processes. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes known to protect body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
*Papaya fruit is also rich in many essential B-complex vitamins such as Folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish and play vital role in metabolism.
*Fresh papaya also contains good amount of potassium (257 mg per 100 g) and calcium. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids and helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure countering effects of sodium.
*Papaya has been proven to be a natural remedy for many ailments. In traditional medicine, papaya seeds are anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, and analgesic, and they are used to treat stomach-ache and ringworm infections.
Golam Kibria:
Plums nutrition facts
Scientific name: Prunus domestica.
Health benefits of Plums
*Delicious, fleshy, succulent plums are low in calories and contain no saturated fats; but contain numerous health promoting compounds, minerals and vitamins.
*Certain health benefiting compounds present in the plum fruits, such as dietary fiber, sorbitol, and isatin are known to help regulate the functioning of the digestive system and thereby used in constipation conditions.
*Fresh plums are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.
*Fresh plums, especially yellow Mirabelle type, are very good source of vitamin A and beta carotene. Vitamin A is essential for vision. It is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin A known to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
*The fruit is also good in health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin in significant amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process. zeaxanthin, an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions.
*Plums are rich in minerals like potassium, fluoride and iron. Iron is required for red blood cell formation. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
*Rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid. These vitamins are acting as cofactors help body metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They also provide about 5% RDA levels of vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for many clotting factors function in the blood as well as in bone metabolism and helps reduce Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.
Golam Kibria:
Guava fruit nutrition facts
Guava is another tropical fruit rich in nutrition. With its unique flavor, taste, and health-promoting qualities, the fruit easily fits in new functional foods category, often called “super fruits.â€
Health benefits of guava fruit
*Guavas are low in calories and fats but contain several vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant poly-phenolic and flavonoid compounds that play pivotal role in prevention of cancers, anti-aging, immune-booster etc.
*The fruit is very rich source of soluble dietary fiber (5.4 g per 100 g of fruit, about 14% of DRA), which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time to toxins as well as binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
*Fresh guava-fruit is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin-C; provides more than three times the DRI (daily-recommended intake). Outer thick rind contains exceptionally higher levels of vitamin C than central pulp.
*Scientific studies shown that regular consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge cancer causing harmful free radicals from the body. Further, the vitamin is required for collagen synthesis in the body. Collagen is the main structural protein in the body required for maintaining the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones.
*The fruit is very good source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and cryptoxanthin. The compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for optimum health. Further, vitamin-A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotene is known to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
*Studies suggest that lycopene in pink guavas prevents skin damage from UV rays and offers protection from prostate cancer.
*Fresh fruit is a very rich source of potassium; contains more potassium than banana per 100 g of fruit weight. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
*It is also a moderate source of B-complex vitamins such as pantothenic acid, niacin, vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin E and K, and minerals like magnesium, copper, and manganese. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells.
Golam Kibria:
Health benefits of grapes
*Grapes are rich in polyphenolic phytochemical compound resveratrol. Resveratrol is one of powerful anti-oxidant, which has been found to play protective function against cancers of colon and prostate, coronary heart disease (CHD), degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease and viral/ fungal infections.
*Resveratrol reduces stroke risk by altering the molecular mechanisms in the blood vessels. It does so firstly by reducing susceptibility of blood vessels damage through decreased activity of angiotensin (a systemic hormone causing blood vessel constriction that would otherwise elevate blood pressure) and secondly, through increased production of the vasodilator substance, nitric oxide (a beneficial compound that causes relaxation of blood vessels).
*Anthocyanins are another class of polyphenolic anti-oxidants present abundantly in the red grapes. These phyto-chemicals have been found to have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, as well as anti-cancer activities.
*Catechins, a type of flavonoid tannin group of anti-oxidants found in white/green varieties has also shown to have these health protecting functions.
*In addition, the berries are very low in calories. 100 g fresh grapes just provide 69 calories but zero cholesterol levels.
*Grapes are rich source of micronutrient minerals like copper, iron and manganese. Copper and manganese are an essential co-factor of antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is specially concentrated more in raisins. In addition 100 g of fresh grapes contain about 191 mg of health benefiting electrolyte, potassium.
*They are also good source of vitamin-C, vitamin A, vitamin K, carotenes, B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine, riboflavin, and thiamin.
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Golam Kibria
Golam Kibria:
How much fruit nutrition should be included in our daily diet?
Research studies suggest that one may eat any servings of fruits daily. It is recommended to eat at least 2-3 servings of fresh fruits every day.
The term one fruit serving is about 250 g of cleaned, edible-portion of the fruit, excluding discards like peel, seeds etc.
Include seasonal fruits in the daily diet. Variety of fruit's type, color, and flavor should be encouraged to get maximum health benefits. Yellow and orange color fruits are rich sources of α and β carotenes, zea-xanthins and crypto-xanthins, while blue, black colored like black or blueberries are good source of poly-phenolic anthocyanin anti-oxidants.
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