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Passion Fruit. Doesn’t sound very familiar, now, does it? It is a fruit primarily grown and found in southern Brazil and spread around in places near southern Argentina. It is not just the unique texture and appearance of the fruit that makes it stand out from the crowd; the benefits of passion fruit are just as good.
The trend concerning passion fruit has been hyped because of the unique taste it has along with the fact that even the seeds of this fruit are edible. Fascinating? That being said, apart from being a delectable exotic fruit, the passion fruit benefits are what have made it gain popularity over the years.
In this article, we are going to be discussing about the various passion fruit health benefits for not just skin and hair but for one’s overall well being.
What is Passion Fruit?
Passion fruit is considered to be a very nutritious tropical fruit which is paving its way to the table of health enthusiasts. Several botanists actually regard this fruit as a berry which is considerably small, covered with a tough outer rind with a pulpy and seedy inside.
There are primarily two different variants of Passion Fruit, one that’s considerably smaller and one is bigger in size. They even vary in colours, the most common ones being yellow and purple.
The top two common variants of passion fruit include:
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- Passiflora edulis
- Passiflora flavicarpa
Passion Fruit Nutrition Facts
With the concentration of nutrients and anti-oxidants in the passion fruit, it is not an unknown fact the passion fruit benefits people with its amazing nutritional value. If you are wondering about the constituents of nutrients in this tropical fruit, this is the section you are looking for.
A single purple passion fruit which weighs around 18 gm consists of the following nutrients in it.
| Nutrient | Amount present |
| Calories | 17 kCal |
| Fiber | 2 gms |
| Vitamin C | 9% of RDI |
| Vitamin A | 8% of RDI |
| Iron | 2% of RDI |
| Potassium | 2% of RDI |
*RDI – Reference Daily Intake
Apart from this above mentioned chart, Passion Fruit is also rich in polyphenols and carotenoids. Not just that, a study (R) shows that the content of polyphenols in a passion fruit is way more than what you would expect in any other tropical fruits like that of lychee, mango, papaya or even banana.
Even the iron concentration of the passion fruit is beneficially absorbed by the body because of the presence of Vitamin C along with it.
Health Benefits of Passion Fruit
1. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Anxiety
One of the most crucial passion fruit benefits lies in its contribution to calming down your mind. If you are someone who suffers from situational or even chronic anxiety, chances are that the consumption of passion fruit or even passion flower can have impactful benefits in relaxing your mind.
Passion fruit and even the tea made out of passion flower aids in increasing the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in your brain. This is an inhibitory hormone which aids in calming down the hyperactivity, thereby bring down the signs and symptoms related to anxiety.
Even in a study, a group of people were fed with an herbal dose of the tea made from passionflower and the results were pretty astonishing given the fact that it helped cure the signs and symptoms related to insomnia in patients suffering with the problem.
This itself emphasizes the passion fruit health benefits for the treatment of anxiety as well as insomnia.
2. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that not just restricts you from eating refined sugar or unnecessary levels of glucose, it also abstains you from eating several kinds of fruits because of their high glycemic index (GI).
Passion fruit has a very low GI along with high fiber content (R) of 10.4% of fibers like pectin which makes it one of the most favourable options for patients who suffer from diabetes (R). It helps in promoting proper digestion along with absorption of the nutrients which is what maintains the proper rate of metabolism.
3. Benefits of Passion Fruit as a Rich Source of Antioxidants
With the kind of life that we lead, it is not uncommon for our body to generate an excess amount of free radicals. These free radicals have disastrous effects on our body’s healthy cells. Passion fruit is loaded with beneficial antioxidants (R) which help fight off the presence of these excessive free radicals.
It is loaded with a generous concentration of Vitamin C, beta-carotene as well as a number of polyphenols. The presence of heightened levels of beta-carotene in our diet has also been associated with lowered risks of cancer which is definitely an added bonus.
4. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Cancer
Passion fruit has an amazing blend of not just Vitamin A but antioxidants too. While the Vitamin A has cancer-protective properties, the presence of Vitamin C and other forms of antioxidants help in reducing the levels of excessive free radicals in the body.
The cumulative functions of these antioxidants help prevent the destruction of the healthy cells and helps protect them from the risks of cancer (R) because of the possible exposure to free radicals.
5. Benefits of Passion Fruit During Pregnancy
Apart from being loaded with beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, passion fruit is also rich in natural alkaloids (R) which are very beneficial during pregnancy. One such amazing alkaloid found in passion fruit is known as “Harman” which has natural sedative properties that promotes sound sleeping and keeps restlessness and anxiety at bay.
Not just that, even the extracts of passion fruit have expected results in alleviating the signs and symptoms related to vigorous coughing, wheezing or even asthma. The benefits of passion fruit in keeping these issues at bay are very beneficial during times of pregnancy.
6. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Weight Loss
Would you believe if I said that the consumption of passion fruit can contribute to weight loss? Probably not, right? It does though.
Studies show that the less quantity of calories along with the high levels of fiber in the fruit is what promotes in regulating the levels of cholesterol and blood sugar. Not just that, it also prohibits the excess accumulation of the cholesterol and fat which is yet another way in which it boosts the rate of metabolism (R) to aid weight loss.
The rich fiber content also helps clear out the colon which is definitely an added boost to the process of weight loss.
7. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Dengue
Dengue is the disease characterized by the drastic loss of platelet count caused by the mosquito bites bearing the virus. The sudden drop in the platelet count often tends to negatively hamper the body’s overall immunity, attacking it and breaking its stability for the overall functioning of the body.
Passionfruit benefits the condition because of its amazing presence of Vitamins and antioxidants which prove beneficial in boosting one’s overall health when they have been attacked by the dengue virus. The Vitamin C in the passion fruit, along with boosting one’s cellular immunity (R), also helps prevents the troublesome hemorrhagic fever that one suffers from during dengue.
8. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Boosting Digestive System
The considerable presence of fiber in the passion fruit is what promotes the proper health of the digestive system of an individual. The nutritional facts of the passion fruit suggest that just the consumption of one portion of passion fruit is more than enough to fulfill around 98% of our fiber (R) needs.
A healthy diet including passion fruit benefits the overall digestion and bowel movement in an individual. Both the pulp along with the rind of the passion fruit are loaded with amazing soluble fibers which boosts one’s overall gut health.
It acts as a bulk laxative and drives the bolus forward into the digestive tract for further digestion or absorption. The proper bowel movement and colon cleansing also ensures to keep the toxins off of the body.
9. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Heart Health
The passion fruit health benefits relay down to the protection of one’s overall heart health as well. The presence of antioxidants along with the natural dietary fibers cumulatively contributes to not just get rid of the harmful free radicals in the body but also promotes the overall digestive health of an individual.
It is believed that the consumption of foods rich in soluble fibers helps keep the risks of heart diseases, diabetes, and even obesity at bay. All of these cumulatively work for the betterment of one’s heart health.
The antioxidants help regulate the overall metabolism of the body owing to the proper maintenance of the levels of free radicals in the body. The effective combination of these properties contributes to the proper maintenance of the cardiovascular system.
10. Benefits of Passion Fruit for Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders primarily arise from the process of improper digestion and irregularities in the functioning of any part of the GI tract. The good concentration of the soluble fibers in the passion fruit ensures to promote he smoother digestion in an individual, thereby keeping the signs and symptoms related to Gastrointestinal Disorder at bay.
The proper levels of fiber aids in the proper cleansing of the colon which helps rid the body of all the unnecessary and accumulated toxins that were rather harmful for the body and could have definitely contributed to the degradation of the GI tract.
Side Effects of Passion Fruit
Passion fruit, on an overall basis, is not something people need to be very aware of because it doesn’t effectively impose many side effects on an individual. That being said, there are a few minimal side effects that you might want to look out for.
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- People suffering from latex allergy might aggravate their situation with the consumption of passion fruits.
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- Purple passion fruit comprises of chemical compounds like that of cyanogenic glycosides. These, when combined with enzymes in the body, may often form cyanide compounds which are poisonous and toxic for the body.
- The outer skin of the passion fruit is not edible and can’t be easily digested
How to Eat Passion Fruit?
This topical fruit, which almost resembles the shape of a ball needs to either be completely peeled or cut in half in order to consume the juicy and seedy pulp.
There is a white film present in between the outer rind and the pulp which is what separates them both. While many people actually eat that white film, some tend to not be very fond of it because of its rather bitter taste.
Because of its amazing exotic and unique flavors, passion fruit can easily be used any kind of form-
Drinks: the pulp is often extracted and the extract of it is added to juices or mocktails to enhance their flavor and taste.
Desserts: if you are fond of cakes and pastries, you would know that the pulp of the passion fruit is often used as a topping or “icing” for the cake.
Salad dressings: passion fruit, on its own, or mixed with other ingredients can be used a salad dressing to add a bit of sweetness and crunch to the salad.
Yogurt flavoring: this fruit can even be added to the plain white yogurt to enhance its flavor and taste. This, along with crackers, makes up for an amazing snack.
Passion fruit is a very versatile fruit which is known for its amazing and tropical taste and flavor but also for the amazing benefits of passion fruit. We hope this article was helpful in convincing you why passion fruit is more than just a trend on your Instagram feed.
