Passion fruit is a creeper vine species of passion flower, a kind of berry available in both round to oval shapes. The outer skin comes in various colours - ranging from yellow, golden or purple.

On the exteriors, the fruit can be both soft and firm to the touch and the interiors are filled with abundant seeds and juice with a gel-like consistency.

Passion fruit is generally consumed as juice and most often mixed with other fruit juices to enhance its taste, while the exotic flavour of the fruit can be consumed in salads, desserts and dips.

The impressive health benefits rendered by passion fruit are due to the abundance of the dense nutrient profile including antioxidants, flavonoids, minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and vitamins A, C, B1 and B2.

Health Benefits Of Passion Fruit

Immune Booster

The richness of antioxidants in passion fruit includes Vitamin C, carotene and cryptoxanthin protecting the body from free radical damage and prevents conditions like cancer, heart disease and premature ageing. The phenolic compounds in passion fruit possess strong anti-cancer properties that prevent oral and lung cancer. A serving of passion fruit is loaded with 30 mg of Vitamin C, and helps in improving the defense system and safeguards you from a common cold, fever and cough. Also Checkout: 5 Splendid Summer Fruits To Build Your Immune System –Infographic

Regulates Blood Sugar

The abundance of fibre (10.4 grams) and being low on the glycemic index, passion fruit is one of the preferred choices of fruits for diabetics. The soluble fibre pectin keeps you satiated, lowers the gastric emptying time and prevents you from overeating.

Promotes Eye Health

Passion fruit is super rich in Vitamin A that aids in preventing age-related macular degeneration, cataract and night blindness. In addition, power-packed with antioxidant passion fruit aids in lowering wrinkles, and even improves skin health by keeping it well hydrated and glow naturally.

Improves Gut Health

Passion fruit is loaded with fibre, a single serving of fruit meets almost 50% of the daily requirement. It is a good source of soluble fibre that acts as a laxative, regulating bowel movement, promotes digestion of foods, get rids of excess cholesterol and prevent colorectal cancer.

Treats Insomnia

One of the powerful medicinal compounds in passion fruit an alkaloid Harman functions as a sedative. This compound is beneficial in reducing restlessness, insomnia, and nervous anxiety thereby helping you to get a good night's sleep. The next time when you are troubled getting a sound sleep, try some passion fruit.

Augments Skin Health

Being an excellent source of antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, carotene, riboflavin, etc., passion fruit is the ultimate superfood to improve skin health. Not only does it delay the signs of premature ageing like acne, wrinkles, fine spots, blemishes, etc., but also moisturises and nourishes the skin. Eating this fruit or applying the juice as a face mask does wonders for the skin by bestowing a rejuvenated glow.

Enhances Cardiac Functioning

The abundance of potassium, a mineral required for regulating blood pressure, passion fruit plays an important role in regulating blood pressure levels in the body and keeping hypertension at check. It also helps dilate the blood vessels, thereby reducing the heart rate and flow of blood. Regular intake of this incredible fruit also lowers cholesterol and prevents deposition of debris within the capillaries, which in turn prevents ailments like atherosclerosis and lowers the risk of heart attacks and heart blocks. Also Read: Top 10 Superfoods For A Healthy Heart

Remedies Respiratory Troubles

Owing to its prevailing expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, and anti-asthmatic properties, passion fruit plays a pivotal role in treating the common cold, asthma, wheezing, cough and flu symptoms. It also thins and loosens phlegm deposits within the chest and nasal cavities and hence eases breathing and helps the body to get rid of mucus accumulation.

Can You Have Passion Fruit on Keto?

Keto or Ketogenic diet has been around for quite sometime and is a big hit among those planning to lose weight just by restricting the intake of food. Low on carbs, high on fats, Keto diet prescribes restricting carbs to less than 20 to 50 grams per day but one can include ample amounts of high fat and protein. This diet plan also insists on cutting down on processed fats, packaged foods and stay away from beverages loaded with sugar.

If you are on Keto diet, you must choose the food times on the plate very carefully. It may be surprising to know that certain vegetables and fruits should stay off limits owing to high carb content. When it comes to Passion fruit nutritionists differ on opinion, if it should be included in the keto diet plan or not. While few experts opine that Passion Fruit should not be included as it contains 23 grams of carbs per serving, some other dieticians recommend it in the moderate amounts owing to its rich array of antioxidants, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and potassium.

Also Read: 5 Nourishing Leaf Juices That Nurture Physical And Mental Wellbeing - Infographic

Well, if you are on Keto or not, Passion Fruit is delectable and try this simple recipe:

Passion Fruit and Lemon Juice:

Ingredients:

20 ml fresh Passion Fruit juice

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1 cup water

Mint leaves for garnish

Method:

Cut Passion Fruit into half and scoop out the seeds

Put the seeds into a mesh strainer (like a tea strainer) and press on it to extract the juice into a bowl

Mix freshly extracted juice, lemon juice, sugar and water. Give it a good mix

Garnish with mint leaves and chilled

Nutritional Content:

Passion Fruit is rich in dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and potassium and serves as an instant energizer. Lemon juice meets your daily requirement for vitamin C, fibre and also contains various compounds and minerals that are good for building immunity. Chew on mint leaves to get potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous in ample amounts.