7 Health Benefits Of Breadfruit
Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family growing throughout Southeast Asia, South India, and most Pacific Ocean islands. It is also cultivated in the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands of the Caribbean and Africa. When ripe, the breadfruit has a soft, yellow, cream colored flesh that resembles bread. To learn more, watch this video on the 7 Health Benefits Of Breadfruit.
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family growing throughout Southeast Asia, South India, and most Pacific Ocean islands. It is also cultivated in the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands of the Caribbean and Africa. When ripe, the breadfruit has a soft, yellow, cream colored flesh that resembles bread.
Here are the 7 health benefits of breadfruit.
1. Breadfruit may help support your digestive system.
Breadfruit possesses a considerable amount of fiber. Fiber stimulates peristaltic motion and increased secretion of gastric juices, which eases digestion, prevents conditions like constipation, and protects the body from more serious conditions like colorectal cancer. One cup of breadfruit contains grams of dietary fiber.
2. Breadfruit may help your blood sugar stabilize.
Foods with high amounts of sugar and low amounts of dietary fiber will break down quickly and cause blood sugar and insulin level spikes after meals, which is followed by rapidly dropping blood sugar levels. Breadfruit is more slowly absorbed into the bloodstream, which prevents sugar crashes, sugar cravings, and mood swings.
3. Breadfruit can help you maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Bananas are packed with potassium and a low content of sodium. They are well known because of its high potassium content. One cup of breadfruit contains a whopping 1,078 milligrams of potassium, compared to just 4.4 milligrams of sodium. This helps the blood vessels relax and maintains proper blood pressure.
4. Breadfruit can help you fight nasty infections.
One cup of breadfruit contains 106 percent of the vitamin C daily requirements per cup. Vitamin C is a powerful natural water-soluble antioxidant that helps the body develop resistance to infectious agents and eliminates cancer-causing free radicals in the body.
5. Breadfruit may help keep your heart strong and efficient.
The recommended 4,700 mg of potassium is not obtained by many individuals in the United States, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, despite the benefits of increased potassium intake. One study suggested that people who consumed 4,069 mg of potassium per day had a 49 percent lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease compared with those who consumed less than 1,000 mg per day.
Also, additional fiber has been known to lower "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increase "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes.
6. Breadfruit may help you sleep better at night.
Breadfruit has been known to help an individual sleep with its high content of magnesium, which is a mineral that is directly linked to improving the quality, duration, and tranquility of sleep. Breadfruit also helps regulate the metabolism, to help reduce sleep disorders and the occurrence of insomnia.
7. Breadfruit may contribute to improving your brain functioning.
Several components of breadfruit, such as potassium, folate, and various antioxidants are known to provide neurological benefits. Folate has been known to reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline. Potassium has been linked to increased blood flow to the brain, enhanced cognition, improved concentration, and efficient neural activity.
Also, breadfruit contains a considerable amount of vitamin B6. A deficiency has shown depression and nausea. Be sure not to consume too much. The vitamin B6 upper limit is set to 100 milligrams for adults over the age of 18, but adults do not need that much unless directed by the doctor.
References and Information Sources used for the Article:
Breadfruit, raw Nutrition Facts & Calories. (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2017, from http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1857/2
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