Guava Has 4 Times More Vitamin C Than Oranges—Here’s How a Dietitian Recommends Eating It

There is a purpose why people have engineered seedless grapes and watermelons: the seeds in fruit might be fairly unappetizing. Relying on the fruit, seeds can typically be tremendous onerous and troublesome to eat (or technically edible however not nice to eat). However some fruits conceal one of the best of their advantages inside their seeds. It is true of pomegranates (these attractive crimson arils are literally seeds!) in addition to many tropical fruits like papaya and fervour fruit. However what about guava, the crown jewel of tropical fruit? Are you able to eat guava seeds?

The quick model: Sure, you may, says Lauren Manaker, RDN, LD, CLEC, CPT. However that is not the one purpose to get pleasure from guava. When absolutely ripe, guava fruit will go from a darkish inexperienced coloration to a lighter, lime-green hue. By way of style, ripe guava could be very fragrant and has a considerably delicate candy and tangy taste profile just like papaya, strawberry, and pear. The within flesh of the fruit is a cross between the feel of a ripe banana and a crunchy apple—pink guava variations may have a vibrant pink flesh because of carotenoids.

There’s quite a bit to like about guava, however you may need lingering questions on eat these seeds (and why, for the skeptics on the market). Preserve studying for the entire solutions.

What are the well being advantages of guava?

Taste apart, guava is without doubt one of the finest fruits available on the market (actually) relating to their excessive antioxidant and diet content material. Manaker calls it “a powerhouse of vitamins.” She says consuming guava comes with a bevy of well being advantages that assist immune, pores and skin, and coronary heart well being (and extra).

1. Guava is full of vitamin C

“It is a pure supply of vitamin C, containing greater than what you discover in oranges, which helps immune well being and pores and skin well being,” Manaker says. For context, you get 53 milligrams of vitamin C in a 100-gram serving of orange. In the meantime, an equal quantity of guava incorporates a whopping 228 milligrams of vitamin C—that is 4 instances greater! Orange, who?

2. It incorporates a lot of fiber

Guava can be full of tons of gut-loving fiber, which is essential for wholesome digestion. “Guavas are a supply of dietary fiber, aiding in digestion and selling common bowel actions,” Manaker says. The soluble fiber in guava may soak up fatty acids because it strikes by means of your intestine, which will help scale back ldl cholesterol and hold your coronary heart wholesome. One guava has about three grams of fiber, per the USDA—getting you midway to your purpose of getting six grams of fiber per meal. Simply ensure to complement that with different fiber-rich meals.

3. It’s wealthy in antioxidants like lycopene

Apart from its intestine well being advantages, guava is an efficient supply of highly effective antioxidants like lycopene. “Some information suggests lycopene could assist scale back the danger of sure cancers¹. Different information hyperlinks lycopene consumption to a possible profit for males who’re making an attempt to conceive²,” Manaker says. “Lycopene might also play a task in defending pores and skin in opposition to sunburn and UV injury³, contributing to pores and skin well being.” The lycopene in guava might also assist your coronary heart well being. “Research recommend {that a} weight-reduction plan excessive in lycopene can enhance cardiovascular well being by decreasing blood strain and LDL levels of cholesterol⁴,” she says.

4. Guava is greater in protein than different fruits

Manaker notes guava is without doubt one of the high (if not the highest) fruits highest in protein available on the market. Do not count on to start out bulking up on guava alone although; a 100-gram serving of the fruit incorporates 2.55 grams of protein, per the USDA. (Fruits, as a rule, have a tendency to not have that a lot protein in comparison with different meals.) Different high-protein fruits embrace avocados (two grams of protein per 100-grams), bananas (one gram of protein per 100-grams), and jackfruit (1.72 grams of protein per 100-grams), to call a couple of.

Are you able to eat guava seeds?

Sure, you may eat guava seeds, says Manaker. (No want to select them out—and it is okay to swallow guava seeds.) And truthfully, all of us ought to eat the entire fruit, together with the seeds, since they’ve a variety of their very own well being advantages, she says.

“Wealthy in vitamins akin to vitamin C, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, these seeds contribute not solely to the fruit’s well being advantages, but in addition to [guava’s] distinctive texture,” Manaker says. The seeds are significantly full of fiber, Manaker says, making certain that they will assist in digestion, promote common bowel actions, and doubtlessly scale back the danger of constipation. In the meantime, she explains that the antioxidants within the seeds assist scale back oxidative stress and irritation within the physique. Both means you select to eat them—guava seeds or not—this fruit is a good supply of a number of key vitamins that assist general well-being. #TeamGuavaSeeds

Is soaking guava seeds essential?

Manaker says that you just need not soak guava seeds earlier than consuming them, though it’d make them simpler to digest.“Prepping guava seeds by soaking is just not sometimes essential, as they’re sufficiently small to be consumed straight with the fruit,” she says. “Nonetheless, for many who discover them troublesome to digest or chew, soaking may make the method simpler, softening the seeds and making them much less of a problem to swallow.”

Why does my abdomen damage after consuming guava?

For some people, Manaker says that the excessive quantities of fiber present in guava fruit and seeds may trigger an upset abdomen. “Consuming guavas can generally result in abdomen discomfort on account of their fiber content material. For people not used to consuming massive quantities of dietary fiber, this sudden enhance may cause digestive points akin to bloating, fuel, and abdomen ache,” she says. To mitigate this, enhance how a lot water you drink (since your physique wants water to assist transfer fiber by means of your system), and steadily enhance your fiber consumption so your physique will get used to it.

“Moreover, guavas include fructose, a kind of sugar that some folks discover troublesome to digest. This situation, referred to as fructose malabsorption, may end in belly discomfort after consuming fruits excessive in fructose, like guavas,” Manaker provides.

That mentioned, consuming guava moderately shouldn’t be a trigger for concern for most people.

What are the results of consuming guava seeds?

In some restricted circumstances, consuming guava seeds may cause some challenges for sure folks. “Though small and usually thought-about protected to ingest, guava seeds can, in uncommon circumstances, result in intestinal blockage, significantly in people with pre-existing digestive points,” Manaker says. She explains that signs of a possible obstruction embrace extreme belly ache, vomiting, and constipation, which might require quick medical consideration.

Manaker additionally says people with dental considerations must be cautious about consuming guava seeds. “For these with weakened dental well being, the hardness of guava seeds can doubtlessly injury tooth enamel or end in dental fractures, emphasizing the necessity for cautious consumption,” she says. When doubtful, you may all the time strive mixing guava to reap its well being advantages with out doubtlessly damaging your tooth on the seeds.

What number of guavas do you have to eat a day?

For optimum well being advantages, Manaker suggests consuming roughly one to 2 guavas per day. Nonetheless, she urges people to be conscious of extreme sugar consumption relying on what else you eat all through the day. There’s about 9 grams of sugar per 100-gram serving of guava.

Must poop? Guava to the rescue: