You might have heard more about jackfruit recently, as this understated fruit is cropping up as a healthy meat alternative for vegetarians and vegans alike. But you don’t have to be a non-meat eater to enjoy the delicious taste and endless benefits of jackfruit. In this video, we’ll assume that you’re a jackfruit newbie who wants to learn more – so we’ll cover a little bit about what jackfruit is, and let you know why it’s worth adding to your diet today.
So, what is jackfruit? Originally indigenous to India, this orangey yellow fruit is derived from a tropical plant and is full of nutrients.
Jackfruit’s taste is the most interesting part of the fruit. The fleshy part can be eaten as is, or cut up and cooked. When unripe, the fruit is remarkably similar in texture to chicken, making it an excellent substitute for meat. In fact, canned jackfruit is sometimes referred to as “vegetable meat”. Yep, fruit really can taste like meat.
jackfruit offers a whole host of impressive health benefits, including:
1. Improves Immunity
Jackfruit contains a high amount of vitamin C and antioxidants which helps boost your immune system and makes it stronger when fighting an infection. This is backed by recent clinical trials, which have found that antioxidant supplementation can significantly improve certain immune responses.
Antioxidants found in foods like jackfruit protect your cells from the effects of free radicals and can help reduce an overabundance of inflammation in your body. Vitamin C helps encourage the production of white blood cells, which help protect the body against infection.
2. Replenishes Energy
A 100 grams serving of the jackfruit contains 94 calories and is loaded with good carbohydrates. It instantly gives you an energy boost upon consumption. The sugars in jackfruit are very easy to digest and are really healthy for our body.
You should also be sure to save your jackfruit’s seeds and add them to your bowl of morning granola, as they’re rich in vitamins which help in turning the food you eat into energy.
3. Ensures a better cardiovascular health and a regulated blood pressure
Consuming the right amount of potassium ensures a balanced regulation of sodium in our body. If our sodium levels are off, it can cause damage to the arteries and the heart. Potassium also coordinates and maintain muscle function including the muscles of the heart, so it’s pretty essential for a perfectly functional system.
Jackfruit is rich in potassium, with one serving of the fruit containing 739 milligrams of the mineral, or just over 20% of your advised daily intake. It thereby helps in supporting the fitness of our heart and circulatory system.
4. Improves Digestion
Jackfruit is rich in two kinds of fibres – soluble and insoluble. Anyone who knows even a little bit about eating well will know the importance of eating a healthy amount of fibres in our daily diets. Soluble fibre is quickly broken down by our body to produce energy, and insoluble fibre adds bulk to your stool, easing up your bowel movements.
Many people with digestive issues like IBS can benefit from eating jackfruit as part of a constipation preventing diet. The fibre found in jackfruit can also improve bowel health, help control sugar and cholesterol levels, and even help you to lose weight.
5. Prevents Cancer
Jackfruit is rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids. The presence of these antioxidants eliminates toxins produced by the body, as well as unstable molecules known as free radicals, which can cause everything from early skin aging to cancer. Toxins have also been known to cause cancer in the body.
So how exactly do antioxidants eliminate toxins and free radicals? Early research suggests that antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals, and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. Laboratory evidence from chemical, cell and animal studies indicates that antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the development of cancer – so if you’re looking to stay cancer-free into old age, consuming antioxidant-rich jackfruit might help you along the way.
6. Enhances Vision
Being rich in vitamin A, otherwise known as beta carotene, jackfruit provides healthy nutrition for our eyes. It protects the eyes from bacterial and viral infection, and also rids them of free radicals that can lead to age-related eye diseases like macular degeneration. It also protects the eyes from intense and harmful light waves like ultraviolet rays and helps to keep the eyes healthy.
Vitamin A is especially effective in preventing degeneration of the retina and reduces the risk of cataracts. Many people choose to supplement with vitamin A, but there’s no need to do that if you’re eating fruits like jackfruit on a regular basis!

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