Who doesn’t love eating fruits?
Fruits are delicious and storehouse of essential vitamins, and minerals.
In this article, you will get to learn about a tasty tropical fruit- sapodilla and its many health benefits. [1]
Sapodilla is also known as sapote. It has a fantastic taste and is super beneficial to your health.
You can easily digest Its soft mango like pulp. You will surely enjoy it especially if you have a sweet tooth. [2]
Did you know that Sapodilla is known as “Chikoo” in the Indian subcontinent?
In herbal medicine, the consumption of sapodilla has endless medicinal values.
According to a source, Sapodilla is one of the high-calorie fruits as a 100g of sapodilla provides 83 calories.
In case, you didn’t know; there are four main types of sapodilla named as Russell, Brown Sugar, Tikal, and Prolific sapodilla.
Keep on reading to learn:
- What is sapodilla fruit?
- Major varieties of sapodilla fruit
- Top health benefits of Sapodilla
ALSO READ: Top Health Benefits of Anamu That You Don’t Want to Miss!
The Sapodilla Fruit
Sapodilla grows on a tropical evergreen tree namely Manilkara zapota that belongs to the Sapotaceae family.
It is typically in season during May and September.
Sapodilla has an oval shape and is pale yellow or brown.
Its edible flesh has around a few seeds in the center.
The fruit is around half an inch in diameter and has a thin skin with a sweet flavor that’s hard to resist. [3]
The sapodilla is usually brown.
It has a similar texture to kiwi fruit.
The fruit’s pulp is unripe with a sticky latex called as saponin.
As the Sapodilla ripens over the time, the white latex eventually disappears.
Sapodilla has black bean-shaped inedible seeds at the center. You have to remove these before eating.
The taste of Sapodilla is pleasing, and to some extent the taste is similer to pears. [4]
READ MORE: 5 Amazing Health Benefits of Pear Juice + Consumption Tips
Major Sapodilla Varieties
Let’s learn about the varieties of sapodilla.
Brown Sugar:
- This particular type of the Sapodilla family was introduced in 1948.
- This one is granular, pretty sweet, and contains the aromatic smell.
- The structure of this Sapodilla is quite tiny.
- The approximate size of this fruit is up to 2-2.5 inches.
- The skin color is mild and brown.
- The texture is slightly granular but its quality is excellent.
Prolific:
- Prolific was introduced around 1951.
- This Sapodilla is conical in shape and has brown skin.
- It has a pinkish color inside.
- The prolific sapodilla has a enticing fragrance with a sweet taste.
- The length of this fruit is 2.5-3.5 inches, and the width is same.
- In the beginning, the skin is scruffy brown, but it becomes smooth after the stage of maturation.
- This Sapodilla quality is rated as excellent.
Russell type:
- This type is large around 3 to 5 inches in diameter and length.
- The skin is brown with grey patches on the outer part.
- The inner flesh is pinkish, mildly fragrant, texture somewhat granular.
- The Flavor of Russel type is quite rich and sweet.
Tikal:
- This Tikal type is a new seedling selection with a fantastic flavor.
- It is elliptic in shape, with light brown color and it is smaller than prolific type.
- This type ripes fast and early.
Traditional Uses of Sapodilla
Not just the fruit itself is full of nutrition, but sapodilla leaves and seeds have great medicinal quality.
The seeds of the sapodilla fruit contain saponins and quercetin which can be used to treat illness.
The seeds are often turned into pastes to make topical remedies that can be applied to treat stings and bites.
Traditionally, the sapodilla pressed seeds are a natural remedy for bladder infections and kidney stones.
Health Benefits of Sapodilla Fruit
Sapodilla contains dietary fiber and is full of nutrients that can enable you to maintain overall health and deal with specific illnesses.
It contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Here are some of the proven health benefits of sapodilla.
1. Prevents Cold
If you are stressed with cold and prefer to cure it naturally rather than taking medications, then we have got the right remedy for you!
It’s sapodilla, yes a small fruit but strong enough to cure your cold.
Sapodilla fruit is high in vitamin C and helps to boost the body’s immune system by assisting to keep illness away.
Generous amounts of vitamin C from fruit like sapodilla is beneficial for preventing common viral illnesses such as cold and influenza.
There are many pieces of evidence from several types of researches which suggests that vitamin C lowers your risk of viral infections such as pneumonia.
2. Helps in Weight Control
Many of you want to lose weight but hate going to the gym.
What if you find a natural way to control your weight?
We have got a perfect solution for you: sapodilla!
The reason that fiber is right for you is that it can help fill the appetite and lower your craving for food throughout the day.
Sapodilla is extremely helpful for people who wish to shed some extra kilos.
Fibrous foods help to keep your digestive system performing at optimal levels and assist to clean out the bowels properly.
If you are want to lose weight, be careful not to intake too much of your fiber from sapodilla as it is high in calories and fructose.
Have it as regular intake of any fruit on a regular basis but don’t overeat.
ALSO READ: Fish Oil for Weight Loss- Does It Work?
3. Antioxidant Benefits
Your body keeps losing all the minerals and vitamins when you work out or stressed which is why you need antioxidants to stay healthy and fit.
Sapodilla has got the much-needed antioxidants for your body.
If you did not know, antioxidants are vital to maintain your health and mitigate the risk of illness caused by free radicals.
There are several shreds of evidence that shows antioxidant-rich foods can protect from the oxidative stress that can lead to diseases like cancer and heart problems.
Antioxidants have a protective effect on the brain which lowers the chances of developing neural conditions such as Alzheimer.
If you are worried about aging too early, then sapodilla can aid to make your skin appear younger for longer with the help of antioxidant.
So, add sapodilla in your food list and have it to reap its benefits
4. Good for Digestion
If you are among those people who silently suffer from digestion problem and are clueless how to cure it naturally, then there is a perfect remedy for you!
Sapodilla it is! After you learn how wonderfully it works for solving for digestion issue, you are sure to fall in love with it.
The best thing is that it contains fiber which is good for you and sapodilla has plenty of dietary fibre.
According to research, evidence suggests that the majority of the people don’t get the adequate amounts of fiber which results in indigestion problems.
Fiber is guaranteed to be helpful for your digestive systems.
The Sapodilla can contribute to the overall digestive health issues and help to lessen the common gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation.
ALSO READ: How to Get Rid of Indigestion Fast: 19 Home Remedies
5. Rich with B-Vitamin
Many times due to stress and anxiety, people tend to lose all the essential vitamins from their body.
Don’t worry; you can get a lot of vitamins just by having sapodilla. Surprised?
Read on to discover how you can receive vitamins from sapodilla.
Sapodilla has an immense amount of vitamin B complex in its cells.
This compound provides many positive effects on your body and overall health.
If you take sapodilla in a good proportion, you will be achieving the benefits of vitamin B complex and antioxidants.
Moreover, it also aids to control health issues such as anemia, anxiety, poor eyesight, neuron disorders, etc.
This fruit is not just a simple fruit for you to enjoy but it’s a complete health package which should intake regularly to avail of its benefits.
ALSO READ: How to Get Rid of Anxiety : 11 Effective Home Remedies
6. Boosts Immunity
Sapodilla is well known for boosting immunity in your body.
Sapodilla helps immensely in increasing your energy level by boosting immunity.
This small, simple fruit has a high level of vitamin C in it which provides a kick to your energy level hence letting you work better.
That’s why it is pretty efficient in maintaining your body’s antioxidant level that enables to boost the immune system fast.
Therefore, it allows the natural defense mechanisms in your body to automatically reach to the high level.
Having strong immunity in your body protects you from several diseases.
So, don’t forget to consume this fruit which is full of health benefits!
7. Stronger Bones
If you want to have healthy bones but don’t wish to have any medicines for that.
Then we have a natural solution for you: sapodilla.
Sapodilla is a great source to make your bones stronger.
It contains a considerable amount of calcium along with other minerals like iron and phosphorous.
All the nutrients enable to strengthen the bone density and provide strength to the bones.
Thus, having Sapodilla can be super beneficial for you as it will balance your bone elements and improving the overall bone health.
How to Eat Sapodilla?
- Sapodilla is consumed fresh by merely cutting the ripe fruit into half and bring out the flesh with a teaspoon and remove the seeds.
- You should consume fresh sapodilla only when it turns soft.
- If you want to have it differently, then you can also use sapodilla as an ingredient in jelly, milkshake or as a topping of yogurt or oatmeal.
- Remember not to eat the unripe sapodilla as its high tannin and latex content can irritate your throat and may cause trouble in breathing. [6]
Bottom Line
Sapodilla provides a bundle of benefits for your health.
However, be careful of eating excessively. Have it as a normal intake but don’t go overboard.
Did you know that this simple fruit can be beneficial to your health?
Let us know if this article was helpful to you in the comments section.
READ NEXT: 7 Caraway Seeds Benefits & Uses for Health, Skin, and Hair
