Fruits from the cactus family are not too well known throughout much of the United States, but most of them are nutritional powerhouses that provide an extraordinary amount of antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.

Among those that are known in the U.S. is the dragonfruit, which can be found at many grocery stores and just happens to be one of the most beneficial, and tasty, fruits of its kind.

What is a Dragonfruit (Pitaya)?           

The dragonfruit offers many unique heath benefits.

If you’ve never had a dragonfruit before, you’re in for a treat. The dragonfruit is:

-A Tropical Exotic Fruit in the cactus family

-Grown in Asia, South America, Australia and the United States (Hawaii & Florida)

-Tasty, refreshing & juicy

-Mild in flavor, tasting like a melon-cucumber hybrid, some describe it as a kiwi-watermelon hybrid

-The seeds are similar to the crunchiness of kiwi seeds

The health benefits of dragonfruit include:

-Incredible refreshment; a great source of electrolytes

-Lower cholesterol & blood pressure

-Excellent at preventing cancer

-Potentially capable of regulating blood sugar levels; doctors prescribe them in Taiwan

Dragonfruit nutrition stats:

-60 calories

-1.2g unsaturated fat (healthy/good fat & omega-3’s)

-1g fiber

-2g protein

-Vitamins: A, B1 (thiamine),B2(riboflavin), B3 (niacin) & C

-Iron

-Calcium

-Potassium

-Phosphorous

-Magnesium

-Antioxidants

-Phyto-albumins

Dragonfruit smoothie recipe

You can’t go wrong eating dragonfruit to obtain its many benefits, but taking it in a smoothie might be the best way to enjoy its unique, refreshing flavors.

What you will need:

-A blender (any blender will work including the Nutribullet, the dragon fruit is soft!)

–A Vitamix was used for the purposes of this recipe

To fill up the Vitamix blender we used:

-3 dragon fruits

– dragonfruits we froze (to give it a nice cold and refreshing taste without having to use ice); Or you can chill all of your dragonfruits without having to freeze them

-Blend – it should take no longer than a minute and you’re good to go!

Serving size

-Enough for 2 people; makes 16-20 ounces

The content of this article and video were provided by the Facebook page Get Your Health Up, which can be found by clicking here. Check out their page for more recipes! 

Sources:

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/dragon-fruit-health-benefits-3717.html

http://www.livestrong.com/dragon-fruit/

http://navitasnaturals.com/product/555/Dragonfruit-Slices.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814609013181

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