There are many benefits of dragon fruit for health and one of them is losing weight. The benefits of dragon fruit for this diet certainly cannot be separated from the various nutrients contained in it.
Dragon fruit is one type of fruit that is commonly consumed by the people of Indonesia. The fruit that comes from this cactus plant has scaly skin with a pink or purplish red color.
Based on the color of the flesh, dragon fruit consists of two types, namely red dragon fruit and white dragon fruit.
Dragon Fruit Nutrient Content
Dragon fruit has abundant nutritional content. Some of the nutrients contained in dragon fruit include:
- Fiber
- Protein
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Flavonoids
- Polyphenol
Thanks to these ingredients, dragon fruit has a myriad of health benefits, including weight loss.
Benefits of Dragon Fruit for Diet
There are several reasons that make dragon fruit good for weight loss, including:
1. Reduce appetite
Dragon fruit is one type of fruit that is high in fiber, so it can provide a longer full effect. Thus, you will not easily feel hungry and want to eat snack or eat more can be reduced.
2. Reduce calorie intake
One of the keys to a healthy diet is to reduce calorie intake while increasing physical activity so that the body can break down fat for energy.
However, reducing calorie intake by eating low-calorie foods often makes a person feel hungry easily, so it is tempting to overeat.
Although included in the type of fruit that is low in calories, dragon fruit has a high fiber content so that by consuming it you can still reduce calorie intake without feeling excessive hunger.
3. Reduce belly fat accumulation
The fiber in dragon fruit has prebiotic properties. This type of fiber serves as food intake to support the growth of good bacteria in the intestines.
Several studies have shown that the presence of good bacteria in the intestines can prevent and reduce the accumulation of belly fat that causes the stomach to look distended. However, this study is still limited to laboratory tests, so it needs to be investigated further.
Healthy Ways to Eat Dragon Fruit for Diet
Dragon fruit can indeed help diets to lose weight, so it is often an option when undergoing a fruit diet. However, you still have to pay attention to cleanliness and how to process it.
Choose dragon fruit that is still in good condition and doesn't look rotten. Don't forget to wash the dragon fruit first before you cut and eat it.
You can consume dragon fruit in various ways, for example eaten directly, processed into juice, or mixed as a filling for fruit salads. However, you should not process dragon fruit with added sugar.
Dragon fruit contains natural sugar which makes it taste sweet. Adding sugar or other sweeteners, such as syrup, to dragon fruit preparations will actually make it high in calories, so it can hamper your diet program.
In addition to consuming dragon fruit, of course you also need to exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods, and avoid fatty and high-calorie foods to lose weight.
If you want to know more about the effectiveness or benefits of dragon fruit for your diet, you can consult a doctor. Your doctor can also tell you the right way to lose weight according to your health condition.