Eat custard apple - it helps fight pollution, cancer and skin problems (diabetics can have it too)
One fruit that can help immensely during these pollution-ridden times is custard apple, popularly known as sharifa and sitaphal in Hindi. That is because it is rich in the elusive vitamin B6, pyridoxine, which helps reduce bronchial (tubes that go to the lungs) inflammation that the toxic air we breathe these days inflicts on us, besides helping prevent asthmatic attacks.
By a happy providence, this delicious, creamy fruit is in season now, giving us a good enough reason to dig into it to help keep our lungs clean.
But first we need to break the myths about this fruit. Just because it is very sweet, most people think it is very high in calories and, so, best avoided. That is baseless. 100gm gives close to only 100 calories, which is nothing compared to the goodness that comes packed in this fruit.
And its sweetness is actually its biggest strength, as less goes far, and it can easily replace high-calorie desserts (and help cut off the damage that they wreak on our body), and still be an effective fatigue buster and energy-giving food. Also, it is impossible to eat it really fast (because of so many seeds), so one has to eat it slowly, savouring small bits at a time.
The good news about this fruit doesn't end with its anti-pollution stance and delicious taste. This sodium and cholesterol-free fruit is loaded with nutrients — it’s an excellent source of vitamins B6 and C, fibre, potassium, manganese, copper and a good source of vitamins B1, B2, zinc, magnesium and iron — and delivers immense other benefits too.
Besides helping our lungs, the B6 in it also supports our nervous system’s health, and helps in the production of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that allow the brain to function effectively and communicate amply with nerve cells, and prevent cognitive decline.
B6 is also involved in the production of haemoglobin, the protein in blood that carries oxygen throughout the body, thus its deficiency can actually contribute to fatigue and low energy. So, a custard apple a day can help keep anaemia away. And most importantly it makes sitaphal a “happy fruit” too as it helps the body make the hormones serotonin (regulates mood), norepi-nephrine (helps cope with stress) and melatonin (helps sleep).
Thanks to the amazing amount of vitamin A in it, custard apple works as a beauty aid — it is great for our skin as well as hair; it plays an effective role in natural skin moisturisation and anti-aging and helps keep our eyesight sharp.
Custard apple also decreases the clustering of melanin granules, reduces brown spots and pig-mentation, and helps reverse the pigmentation caused due to free radicals.
It has loads of the antioxidant vitamin C, which protects us from free radicals, harbingers of most lifestyle diseases. Besides, the vitamin is anti-inflammatory and boosts immunity. Antioxidants asimicin and bullatacin found in it have shown anti-cancer properties.
The high potassium it delivers helps keep our blood pressure tamed and fights muscle weakness, while the magnesium in it protects our heart. Custard apple also contains a decent amount of calcium, which is vital for bone health. With compounds like acetogenin and alkaloids, this fruit also reduces the risk of cancer and renal failure.
It also delivers significant amount of fibre (2.4gm per 100gm), which protects the colon mem-brane and helps flush out the toxins from the intestine, aiding in proper functioning of the bow-els. The fibre in custard apple slows down the absorption of sugar in the body, reducing the risk of type-two diabetes.
So that’s another myth busted — that it is off-limits for diabetics.
In fact, in moderate amounts, it might actually benefit them as it leads to the stimulation of insulin production and enhanced uptake of glucose by muscles, leading thus to stable blood sugar levels.
Vitamin C and magnesium in custard apple also help in stimulating the insulin in your body and, thus, glucose regulation.
So make this underrated fruit a part of your diet and enjoy it while it is in season to gain from its immense goodness.