6 Top Tropical Fruits and their Life-Changing Health Benefits

December 14, 2013
DUNIA Contributor
Posted in Home and Wellbeing

Mango: Just one cup of mango supplies 100% of the body’s daily needed vitamin C, one-third of daily vitamin A needed, a decent dose of blood pressure lowering potassium, and up to 3 grams of fiber for healthy digestion. Research has shown that antioxidant compounds such as quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat which are plentiful in the mango fruit have been found to protect against colon cancer, breast cancer, leukemia and prostate cancers. In some parts of the world, Mango leaves are boiled in water, left to soak through the night and then filtered and consumed the next morning to help regulate insulin levels.

Avocados are known in some parts of the world as pears because of their shape and skin color. The combination of brain healthy omega-3 fatty acids plus natural vitamin E in avocados is believed to help prevent advancement of Alzheimer’s disease and can even reverse the disease in its earliest stages. Avocadoes are super-brain foods. Avocados are also loaded with plant phytonutrient polyphenols and flavonoids both anti-inflammatory agents which the body needs to fight off diseases.

Sour Sops are delicious exotic fruits known worldwide. The sour sop’s seeds, fruit, and leaves are used traditionally to ease stomach complaints and fevers, and as a sedative in some parts of the world. The sour sop leaf is known to effectively target and kill malignant cancer cells especially in colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancers. These leaves are believed to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing down the growth of cancer cells compared to chemotherapy. Sour sops are known to cure hemorrhoids, waist pain, and help improve appetite. Rich in Fiber, sour sop also helps improve digestive health.

Coconut: For anyone who grew up in Asia, Africa and the South American islands, coconut is a much beloved fruit. As written by Aimee Dancereau on Care2.com: Eating coconuts are excellent for one’s immunity. They are antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic, meaning they kill harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Because of that, if you consume coconut in any of its various forms (whether it be raw coconut, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, etc.), it can help treat some of mankind’s worst and most resilient of illnesses such as influenza, giardia, lice, throat infections, urinary tract infections, tapeworms, herpes, gonorrhea, bronchitis, and numerous other ailments caused by microbials.

Water melon: Did you know that water melon is 92% water? Watermelon is rich in vitamins A and C and also vitamin B6. “The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body,” says Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station. According to Sciencedaily.com, scientists are finding out that watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body’s blood vessels and may even increase libido.

Papaya commonly known as paw paw is also known as the ‘Fruit of Angels’. Delicious and refreshing, papaya is well known for its potent health benefits and medicinal properties. World Healthiest Foods summarizes papaya’s most important benefits as follows: Loaded with vitamins C, E and A, papaya helps in preventing the oxidation of cholesterol. Only when cholesterol becomes oxidized is it able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, forming dangerous plaques that can eventually cause heart attacks or strokes … Papaya is also highly anti-inflammatory because it contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes including papain and chymopapain. These enzymes have been shown to help lower inflammation and to improve healing from burns. In addition, the antioxidant nutrients found in papaya, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, are also very good at reducing inflammation. This may explain why people with diseases that are worsened by inflammation, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, find that the severity of their condition is reduced when they get more of these nutrients.

As you can see, these tropical fruits are seriously loaded with health benefits. Do not pass them by the next time you go grocery shopping!

This week’s DUNIA poll: