Dragon fruit for immunity boost
A POWERHOUSE OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS, DRAGON FRUIT IS A GREAT SOURCE OF BUILDING ONE’S IMMUNE SYSTEM, WHICH IS A NECESSITY NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. IT ALSO GIVES AN INSTANT BOOST OF ENERGY.
Yshruti.shende@hindustantimes.com ou might have often come across a pretty pink fruit during one of your grocery shopping escapades. With little leaf-like structures covering it from the outside, dragon fruit, also called pitaya, tastes like an amalgamation of watermelon, berries and kiwi, and makes for a perfect meal or salad option.
What’s more, this wonder fruit is loaded with health benefits, too. It is filled with magnesium, vitamins and a host of other essential nutrients necessary to improve well-being. It boosts iron levels in the body, strengthens immunity, helps cleanse the gut and keep it healthy. It may even help in fighting chronic ailments such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis.
So, if you plan on including dragon fruit in your diet, here are three ways you can do so. Smoothies: To kick-start your day on a healthy note, there can be no better option than a dragon fruit smoothie. Add a few chunks of nicely scooped out dragon fruit to a strawberry coconut milk smoothie, for an instant boost of energy. Salads: Add dragon fruit to a bowl of greens for a pop of colour and extra nutrients with sweetness. Its mellow flavour works wonderfully with milder greens, making for a perfect bowl of salad. You can also drizzle your salad with cinnamon vinaigrette for added flavour, or add some lemon juice on top to absorb nutrients efficiently.
Salsa: You can also enjoy this fruit in your main course, in the form of a delicious dressing. Mix dragon fruit chunks with chopped grilled pineapple, olive oil, cilantro and lime juice vinaigrette to create fresh salsa, and enjoy it as a topping on any dish of your choice.
Inputs by nutritionists Gunjan Jain, Kavita Devgan and
Tripti Tandon