Also known as the Dragon Fruit, the Pitaya is a stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense colour and shape, magnificent flowers and a delicious taste. The fruit, apart from being refreshing and tasty, contains a lot of water and minerals with many different nutrition ingredients. It tastes light sweet and it’s good for liver, laxative, supplementing fiber and very suitable for diet.
Besides, dragon fruit is also good for person who has a high blood pressure. According to popular experience, obese person who has eaten dragon fruit regularly can reduce his/her weight naturally and have a beautiful balanced body but it does not influence on his/her health. Moreover, eating this fruit can stop and reduce diabetes. Hence, dragon fruit is a favorite fruit of many people especially Asian customers.
Benefits of eating the Dragon Fruit
1. Enhance the body metabolism (Protein)
2. Improve digestion (Fiber)
3. Reduce Fat (Fiber)
4. Improve memory (Carotene)
5. Maintain the health of the eyes (Carotene)
6. Strengthen bones and teeth development (Calcium)
7. Tissue development (Phosphorus)
8. Help to metabolise carbohydrates and produce energy (Vitamin B1)
9. Improve appetite (Vitamin B2)
10. Moisturise and smoothen skin and decrease bad cholesterol level (Vitamin B3)
11. Improves the immune system and promotes healing of cuts and bruises (Vitamin C)
USEFUL TIPS:
How to Select and Store
They should be full-colored and free of moldy spots. Dragon Fruit should be refrigerated, unwashed, for up to 5 days. Serve chilled.
Dragon Fruit Salad recipe
Ingredients needed :
1 package of ready to use pre-made sugar cookie dough
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 dragon fruit, peeled and sliced
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1/4 cup apricot glaze
Directions
Rolled out cookie dough into a 12 inch round.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare fruit by washing and slicing it into 1/4 inch slices.
Cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice.
When the crust is cool, top with the cream cheese mixture.
Lay fruit in a circle on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Spread apricot glaze over fruit.
Chill until ready to serve.
December 7, 2007 at 10:52 am
Research by a malaysian university reveals that eating one dragonfruit a day would help control diabetes.
December 20, 2007 at 8:30 am
URGENT!!!!!!
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I am a S’porean, aged 46yrs’ of age, could u plse let me know where I can purchase the DRAGON FRUIT?’ from & also what is it known in the Malay & Chinese language?????
U See, I am in the midst of losing all my OBESE weight & I believe eating this fruit would help me further to enhance my already extremely low metabolic rate!!!!
Thks & Best Rgds,
December 21, 2007 at 6:45 pm
In Singapore, you can purchase it easily at supermarkets such as NTUC and as well as neighbourhood fruit stalls. They are easily available in Malaysia too.
January 11, 2008 at 2:21 am
[...] about its benefits and salad recipe. As it is beneficial to health, I posted it here under “Why Dragon Fruit?“. Only then did I notice that there is a RED SKIN Dragon Fruit with RED FLESH (Hylocereus [...]
May 16, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Hi, I understand that Dragon Fruit helps improve digestion but also reduce weight, hence, is it safe for my 22mths old child to consume the fruit to aid her chronic constipation problem? She has been loosing weight recently because her body is not absorbing the nutrients from the food she eats, and with the constipation and bloatedness, she is not eating much. Can you tell me whether the Dragon Fruit is beneficial to my child?
May 20, 2008 at 3:42 am
Although the Dragon fruit as a dietary supplement is well known to ease constipation, chronic condition for a 22mths little child as you have described should be brought for immediate professional medical attention.
July 2, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Hello, I’m a student from Cavite Nat’l Science High School from Philippines, I would like to know the contents of the skin of this dragon fruit for my research. I chose this as the subject because in this fruit, the most disposed part is the skin,so i would like to know another really useful purpose of this and also to help our community or even in our country. Please, can you reply as soon as you can? Thank you very much!
May 31, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Dragon fruits are very popular in Thailand and Vietnam. Right now, they are in season and very cheap. You can buy one for about 10 baht in the supermarkets here in Thailand.
September 26, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I use dragon fruit to make fruit juice with either pineapple or grages. It tastes great.
September 26, 2008 at 1:09 pm
wrong spelling…. it should be grapes. anyone can suggest mixture with other fruits?
October 10, 2008 at 10:58 am
Is there any difference between the white & red flesh dragonfruit? Is the red ones injected during their growth or its natural?
October 24, 2008 at 3:00 pm
i’m currently using dragon fruit as one of my research additives and i would lke to know if there are studies conducted or published to show if the claims to these health benefits are true.
June 2, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Hi
I have a dragon fruit plant in my planter at 11 floor of a condominium. Recently it start to grow flowers but the flower dry off after a few day. May I know why is it like this? Is It too hot since my planter is facing western sun? Should I water more to compensate the hot weather?
Peng
June 18, 2009 at 8:57 am
juz to share with all. whenever i peel the dragon fruit skin, the fruit.. i chilled it to be eaten later but the skin, i use to spread on my face.. the same to banana skin, which still have the fiber in it..
July 3, 2009 at 8:29 am
Hi
Kristelle Ann B. Perez.
I dont know, what is the contents of the skin of dragon fruit but what I know, it really make my skin fresh & energetic.
Im fromSingapore, the climate in my country are very hot & humid, so.. if I place the fruits in the fridge, once it is chilled & peel it, I will spread it on my face, lips, body, underarm or whichever area that u wish to.
Do not use the skin if the fruit are too ripe.. otherwise u will feel sticky.
Last but not least, I only use the red dragon fruit & not the white.
Happy trying & all the best with your research.