Pomelo: health benefits and harms

Mistletoe is a fruit that was given to the world by China. This exotic fruit belongs to the citrus family, and it is one of the largest representatives of the family, as mentioned earlier. The taste of pomelo has notes of orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime.

The fruit’s pulp consists of large “capsules” with delicately sweet and sour citrus juice. There is a slight bitterness on the palate, like a grapefruit, an unobtrusive sweetness of a ripe orange, and a spicy aroma with pronounced lime-lemon notes. For this taste and aromatic composition, many fall in love with the pomelo irrevocably!

The benefits of this fruit for the human body are also very high. Therefore, it is worth getting acquainted with a detailed description of the properties and features of this exotic fruit.

Pomelo: health benefits and harms

To understand how pomelo is helpful for the body, it is worth referring to the composition of this fruit. After all, the original chemical “filling” sets the main focus on the properties of the fruit.

The composition of the ripe pomelo fruit contains a balanced set of vitamins and minerals.

• Vitamins: C, B1, B6.
• Minerals: potassium, phosphorus, copper, iron, zinc.
• Bioactive substances: antioxidants, enzymes, organic acids, essential oils.

Nutritional value per 100 grams of product:

• proteins – 0.76 gr;
• fats – 0.04 gr;
• carbohydrates – 8.62 gr.

The total energy value is 38 kcal.

The fruit contains about 1 gram of dietary fiber and water.

Particular attention should be paid to the content of ascorbic acid. Pomelo bypasses lemon, orange, and lime in the leadership race by saturation with vitamin C. One medium-sized pomelo contains up to 68% ascorbic acid. If you eat a couple of slices of fresh fruit a day, you can well nourish your body with vitamin C, which is necessary for raising immunity and maintaining health in general.

In terms of vitamin A and PP (folic acid) content, as well as calcium and iron, however, the benefits of pomelo are substantially exaggerated. Although these substances are present in the composition of the fruit, their proportion is so small that the choice of pomelo as a source of the listed microelements is biased. But to make up for the iron deficiency in the body with the help of a pomelo. You have to eat a lot of juicy citrus pulp, which is no longer a helpful solution.

How and where does pomelo grow

Juicy pomelo fruits grow on trees, the distribution area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is the Pacific Islands and China. The tree is very tall – up to 10 meters in height. The fruits are also significant – from 1 kilogram. The color of a ripe pomelo varies depending on the variety, and there are about a dozen of them.

Pomelo can be bright yellow, greenish, or red. The flesh is usually pale yellow, maybe with a “pink,” red, deep pink. Pomelo is harvested from August to November. This period is considered the season of ripening juicy citrus fruits. And the beginning of the period of fruit creation and maturation is preceded by an exquisite flowering season. Pomelo blooms with large, fragrant flowers. Trees at this time are a true decoration of the environment.

It is interesting! In China, the pomelo is considered a symbol of prosperity and prosperity. Ripe fruit is given for the New Year and presented as a symbolic present for no particular reason, just as a sign of respect.

This tasty and healthy fruit came to Europe by the British navigator Sheddock. That is why in some countries, pomelo is known under a completely different name – sheddok.

Useful properties of pomelo

Due to its rich composition, the pomelo fruit is endowed with useful properties.

The benefits of pomelo for the body are as follows:

• pomelo has a beneficial effect on the state of the gastrointestinal tract;
• promotes gentle, safe weight loss;
• eliminates extra fluids and poisons from the body;
• promotes the breakdown of fatty tissue;
• lowers blood pressure;
• neutralizes free radicals;
• prevents the development of diseases in the heart and blood vessels;
• supports bowel function;
• accelerates metabolism;
• influences the condition of the neurological system positively;
• stabilizes the hormonal background.

The special value of the pomelo lies in the high content of the enzyme, which contributes to the rapid and reliable breakdown of fats. That is why pomelo is included in the list of staples in many diets. Pomelo is a natural and safe “fat burner.”

This exotic fruit contains a large amount of fiber. As a result, the pomelo has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the intestines by promoting peristalsis of the intestinal muscles. The fiber also makes this fruit beneficial for people with diabetes. The glycemic index of fresh pulp does not exceed 50. This means that when eating this product, one should not expect sharp jumps in sugar. Carbohydrates are absorbed slowly, making the sugar curve smooth and not exceeding a certain norm.

Important! One of the most valuable parts of the fruit is the veins. Many mistakenly perceive them as the “garbage” component of the fetus. However, they have an important property for the intestines. With the help of veins, this body part can be reliably cleaned. Despite the bitter taste that the veins are endowed with, you should not throw them away, but it is better to try to eat, at least a little.

Benefits for men and women

It is worth noting the benefits of pomelo for men. It is believed that this fruit’s vitamin and mineral composition helps restore and maintain male reproductive function. If you regularly eat pomelo, you can reinforce male strength and increase the fertility of the seed.

This fruit is fraught with no less but more useful properties for the female body. Ladies will appreciate the saturation of this fruit with ascorbic acid during menstruation and menopause. Pomelo helps smooth out hormonal surges and has a mild analgesic, anti-inflammatory effect. It is useful for women, like men, to eat pomelo in preparation for conception. And pomelo is a reliable assistant in preserving youth and beauty and a smart figure. The fruit is actively used in home cosmetology, dietetics, and traditional medicine.

During pregnancy and lactation

The benefits and harms of a pomelo during the period of bearing and feeding a baby are ambiguous. On the one hand, this fruit saturates with useful vitamins and microelements. Pomelo helps the intestines, which is valuable during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth. At the beginning of pregnancy, pomelo helps to cope with the toxicosis of the first trimester. In the final stage of gestation, this fruit effectively combats late toxicosis symptoms, eliminates edema, and lowers blood pressure.

This fruit helps a woman recover from a difficult stage of life (pregnancy, childbirth) and provides the necessary nutrients to the future and already born baby (through mother’s milk). However, on the other hand, pomelo is, first of all, citrus, which has a high allergenicity rate. The inclusion of pomelo in the diet of a pregnant or breastfeeding woman should always be determined after consultation with a doctor.

Pomelo to children

This fruit has undoubted benefits for the children’s bodies. For example, pomelo will be a good addition to the children’s diet during the flu and cold season. This fruit is good as a source of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium for a growing organism. However, children can try this fruit no earlier than reaching three years. The first samples of juicy pulp should be carried out with caution.

The child needs to be given a small piece of pulp and carefully observe the body’s reaction. With normal product tolerance, you still have to limit the amount of citrus consumed. Children should not be given more than 1-2 slices of pomelo once or twice a week.

Pomelo: harm

In addition to benefits, pomelo can also harm the body. This can happen if you use this product carelessly, ignoring the list of contraindications.

There are such contraindications as:

• individual intolerance to citrus fruits, including pomelo;
• the presence of food allergies to other products (with caution);
• chronic hypotension;
• acute bowel disorder;
• stomach and duodenal gastritis and peptic ulcers;
• chronic diseases of the liver and kidneys;
• cholelithiasis;
• children’s age up to 3 years.

Any chronic diseases and acute pathological conditions may be associated with contraindications to using pomelo. If you have any questions, you should visit a doctor.

Particular harm to pomelo lies in the peel. This part of the fetus is often treated with harmful and toxic antibiotics. This treatment is used for long-term storage and transportation of the crop. Therefore, you should not consume the peel of these citrus fruits unless you are certain they were cultivated, transported, and kept without applying specific chemical substances (thiabendazole, imazalil, SOPP antibiotics).

The recommended norms for using pomelo are worth observing to prevent negative consequences. An adult should not exceed 100-150 grams of pomelo pulp daily. It is important to consider other citrus fruits eaten during the day. If, for example, oranges, tangerines, and lemons were eaten during the day, it is important to consider the volume of citruses consumed to reduce the mass of pomelo prepared for a snack.

When overeating citrus fruits, the following negative consequences can occur:

• bloating, flatulence;
• stool disorder;
• inflammation of the gallbladder;
• rashes on the background of an allergic reaction;
• pathological decrease in blood pressure.

Such a vivid manifestation of the negative consequences of using pomelo is extremely rare! This happens when the permissible norm is significantly exceeded or contraindications are ignored (not identified).In a typical circumstance, the only side effects of consuming too much of this fruit are mild diarrhea and skin rashes such as urticaria.

How to choose a pomelo

Despite the increased popularity of this exotic gift of nature for our country, few know how to choose the right ripe version of the pomelo. But the level of benefit received, and the enjoyment of taste depends on this choice.

There are a few simple selection rules that you should consider when going to the store for this fruit.

1. It is important to examine the fruit from all sides. Even though pomelo is often sold on a net in our area, this is quite easy. A quality fruit looks beautiful and has a uniform color. There should be no imperfections (putrid, overdried).
2. It would help if you pressed on the peel. The fruit should be elastic, the sides do not fall through, and the dent that appears from pressing quickly returns to its original position after the pressure is released.
3. It is difficult to determine the aroma through the shrink film, in which the pomelo is often packaged. But if such an opportunity nevertheless presents itself, it is important to remember that fresh fruit has a pleasant smell, citrus, sweetish-fresh, and attractive.
4. You can shake the fetus near the ear. If the product is fresh, no sound will come from inside. Nothing should splash, spill, ring, or crunch inside the fruit peel.
5. It is important to pay attention to the place of attachment of the stem. This area should be dense and elastic and should not fail.

For those who are pretentious about the taste of the chosen product, the following information will be useful.

• Pomelo with pink flesh is the sweetest option. But in such a fruit, there will be many seeds.
• Red pulp has a pronounced bitterness.
• The yellow flesh can be sweetish-herbaceous, that is, without pronounced “sourness” and sweetness.

The color of the flesh is usually indicated on the label or price tag.

Pomelo is a bright, juicy, fragrant fruit that gives the human body a charge of vivacity and health! If there are no contraindications, you should try to include this fruit in your diet.