Indigenous to Asian countries like India, jackfruit is a food rich with nutrients. So many jackfruit benefits are the reason why it is a widely exported item. The fruit itself has up to 150 seeds inside the flesh. It has a distinctive and sweet flavor used in various dishes, offering nutritious health benefits. Native to South India, jackfruit is part of the Moraceae plant family(1).
Jackfruit carbs and calories add up to a nutrient-rich snack. Jackfruits are now available in different parts of the world, including the US. Its flesh, fruit pods, and seeds make it an excellent vegan substitute for meat. Let’s find out what also makes jackfruit health benefits easy to attain.
Jackfruit Nutrition Facts
The best part of the jackfruit is that its seeds also have substantial nutritional value. Per 100 grams of serving, the following calories and micronutrients are noted:
|Dietary Fiber||2 gm|
A cup of sliced fruit provides 155 calories, 40 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and protein each. It contains 10% of recommended daily intake of vitamin C and 18% of vitamin A. Besides, 11% of the RDI of riboflavin and 15% of the RDI of magnesium are also associated with the fruit. The fruit offers 14% of RDI for potassium, 15% for copper, and 16% for manganese.
What makes jackfruit benefits apparent is its high protein content. It offers more than 3 gm of protein per cup, as against 1 gram in fruits like mangoes and apples. Jackfruit is also rich in vitamins like A, C, thiamine, calcium, riboflavin, potassium, iron, sodium, zinc, phosphorus, and niacin, among others. High antioxidant content makes it perfect for gaining health benefits.
Jackfruit Health Benefits
1. Improves Immunity and Energy Levels
Jackfruit contains vast amounts of antioxidants that boost immunity and stave off infections. It also contains 94 Kcal of energy in 100 grams serving, besides being loaded with excellent jackfruit carbs. For those who eat jackfruit, nutrition is easy to obtain. It offers an instant energy boost, and sugars in the fruit help the body to raise energy levels.
[Read: Essential Oils for Immunity]
2. Good for Heart Health
Jackfruit ensures better heart health and regulated blood pressure. The right amount of potassium provides balanced sodium regulation in the body. If left unregulated, it damages the arteries and the heart. Potassium also coordinates and maintains muscle function within the heart muscles, making it ideal for good cardiovascular health. Jackfruit boosts heart functioning and blood circulation in this way.
3. Boosts Digestion
Jackfruit has two different types of fibers – insoluble and soluble. Eating soluble fibers produces energy, while insoluble fiber eases bowel movements.
4. Prevents Cancer
Jackfruit comes imbued with antioxidants, flavonoids, and plant-based nutrients. This undoes the oxidative stress and free radical damage linked to cancer.
5. Enhances Vision
Rich in vitamin A, or beta carotene, jackfruit offers excellent eyesight as one of its benefits. It guards the eyes against bacterial and viral infections, removing free radicals that can cause harm. It also saves the eyes from harmful and intense light waves, reducing cataracts and preventing retinal damage.
6. Strengthens Bones and Lungs
Jackfruit benefits come from the tremendous amount of calcium, which increases the bones’ strength, potassium which prevents calcium loss in the kidney, and control of asthmatic attacks, making it ideal for lung health. Jackfruit can be a potent cure for inflammations and disorders like osteoporosis(2).
[Read: Benefits of Apricot Seeds ]
7. Improve Blood Quality
Jackfruit also has a lot of irons, which help in preventing disorders like anemia besides aiding in metabolism. Copper, vitamin C, and magnesium also improve blood quality.
8. Manage Blood Sugar Levels
Jackfruit health benefits include blood sugar management. It has a low GI, which measures how quickly blood rises post the ingestion of food. The fiber it offers slows down digestion by preventing blood sugar spikes. This fiber promotes effective blood-glucose level management.
Diets rich in low GI-foods are essential for blood-sugar control. Jackfruit also offers protein to prevent blood sugar levels from rising post meals. Studies have found jackfruit benefits include significant blood-sugar level improvements. Jackfruit also contains flavonoid antioxidants, that balance blood-glucose levels.
[Read: Uses of Fruits for Constipation]
9. Stave Off Chronic Diseases
Antioxidants in jackfruit benefit health in distinct ways. Jackfruit contains vitamin C, which prevents cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants like vitamin C control oxidative stress and prevent inflammation due to free radical damage. Carotenoids lower inflammation(3) and lower the risk of diabetes. Flavanones reduce the swelling linked to blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels.
Besides, jackfruit also contains immunity-boosting nutrients that reduce the risk of viral diseases. It prevents skin problems like vitamin C, which improves skin health and slows down skin aging. Jackfruit also reduces heart problems and stomach ulcers, besides dealing with conditions like asthma and diarrhea.
Risks and Precautions To Be Undertaken While Eating Jackfruit
While jackfruit is safe for most individuals, some may be allergic to it, if they are also allergic to birch pollen. On account of the potential to lower blood glucose levels, jackfruit can require medication dosage change in diabetic individuals. Consuming jackfruits has not caused severe side effects in most people, though.
[Read: Benefits of Jackfruit Seed]
Ways to Take Jackfruit
Jackfruit is versatile and can be cooked or eaten raw. For preparing it, slice it in half and remove yellow fruit pods and seeds from the core and the skin. Remember that fibrous parts of the fruit are sticky while handling the fruit. Jackfruit can be consumed alone or in savory or sweet issues based on ripeness.
Unripe fruits taste best in delicious recipes. Unlike green jackfruit, the sweetness of ripe fruit is excellent for desserts. Since it is an exotic fruit, fresh jackfruit is available in grocery stores and even stored canned. Jackfruit seeds can also be roasted, boiled, or combined with seasonings and are edible for making hummus, too.
[Read: Benefits of Dried Mango]
Jackfruit is among the most massive trees bearing fruits in the world. For a fit and healthy body, jackfruit health benefits are plentiful. Besides boosting immunity, jackfruit also contains antioxidants excellent for warding off chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions.
[Also Read: Health Benefits of Longan Fruit ]
1. How Should Jackfruit Be Stored?
A jackfruit may ripen, go brown, and become damaged. To ensure freshness of the fruit, storing it in the fridge is essential. When it is kept in a cool, dry place, jackfruit can last for six weeks.
2. What Precautions Need to Be Taken While Consuming Jackfruit?
When jackfruit allergy occurs, birch pollen allergy co-exists along with it. Allergic reactions include itchy mouths and swollen lips. Other foods like apples, carrots, cherries, almonds, celery, and hazelnuts may trigger allergy and also belong to this food class.
3. How Should Jackfruit Recipe Be Prepared?
While jackfruit benefits are aplenty, making this fruit fit for consumption is hard. Firstly, it is tough to peel off on account of sticky saps. To prevent the jackfruit from gumming the knife and hands, you need to rub your palms with cooking oil before slicing the fruit open.
Then, separate the fleshy bulks before eating the sturdy strips of the membrane, removing the seeds from the bulb. Green jackfruit is also easy to prepare, by cutting into chunks and boiling in salty water, till they are tender. Seeds can be boiled or even roasted, much like chestnuts.