HEALTH BENEFITS OF GUAVA FRUIT
The health benefits of guava include treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, cough, cold, skin care, high blood pressure, weight loss and scurvy.
Weight loss: Guava is very helpful for those who want to lose weight without compromising with their intake of proteins, vitamins and fiber. Guava, being very high in roughage and very rich in vitamins, proteins andminerals, but with no cholesterol and less digestible carbohydrates, is very filling and satisfies appetite very easily. Guava, especially raw guava, also has far lesser amounts of sugars as compared to apple, orange,grapes, and other fruits. Just have a medium sized guava in the lunch and you will not feel hungry till evening. But ironically, it helps gaining weight in lean and thin people. This is probably due to its richness in nutrients, which keeps your metabolism right helping proper absorption of nutrients.
Diarrhea & dysentery: Guava is very rich in astringents (compounds those make your gums feel tighter and fresh after you chew guava leaves or eat a raw guava or use some toothpaste) which binds up loose bowels in diarrhea. These astringents are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties, thus help cure dysentery by inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines. Further, other nutrients in guava, such as vitamin-C, Carotenoids and potassium strengthens and tones up the digestive system and disinfect it. Guava is also beneficial in gastroenteritis due to reasons stated above.
Constipation: Guava is one of the riches sources of dietary fiber. Its seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent laxatives. These two properties of guava help forming bowels, retaining water and clean your intestines and excretory system thoroughly. It is said that single constipation can lead to seventy two types of ailments. It is absolutely true. Every way to your total health goes through proper digestion and more importantly, proper excretion. Guava ensures both of these.
Studies suggest that lycopene in pink guavas prevents skin damage from UV rays and offers protection from prostate cancer.
Fresh fruit is a very rich source of potassium. It contains more potassium than other fruits like banana weight per weight. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
Cough & cold: Juice of raw and immature guavas or decoction of guava-leaves is very helpful in giving relief in cough and cold by loosening cough, reducing mucus, disinfecting the respiratory tract, throat and lungs and inhibiting microbial activity due to its astringent properties. Guava has one of the highest quantities of vitamin-C and iron among various fruits.
Skin care: Guavas can help improve your skin texture and avoid skin problems more than the best of beauty creams or skin toner gels can do. This is chiefly due to the abundance of astringents in its fruits (more in immature ones) and in leaves.
High blood pressure: Guava helps reduce cholesterol in blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure. Studies have shown that food stuffs which lack fiber (such a refined flour) add to blood pressure, due to quick conversion to sugar. Guava, being very rich in fiber and hypoglycemic in nature, helps reduce blood pressure.
Scurvy: Guava can outdo many other fruits, including orange and other citrus fruits, when it comes to concentration of vitamin-C, whose deficiency causes scurvy and which is the only remedy to it. It contains five times the vitamin-C in oranges.
Other benefits: Where to begin? Shall I start with the fact that guava helps control diabetes, protects prostrate, its Lypocene reduces the risk of cancer, the juice of the leaves cures toothache, swollen gums & oral ulcers, heals wounds when applied externally, convulsions, epilepsy, bacterial infections and so on and so forth.
Guava Nutritional Information
Guava (Psidium guajava), fresh
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Nutritive Value per 100 g.
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(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
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Principle
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Nutrient Value
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Percentage of RDA
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Energy
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68 Kcal
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3.50%
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Carbohydrates
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14.3 g
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11.50%
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Protein
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2.55 g
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5%
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Total Fat
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0.95 g
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3%
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Cholesterol
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0 mg
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0%
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Dietary Fiber
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5.4 g
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14%
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Vitamins
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Folates
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49 mu g
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12.50%
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Niacin
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1.084 mg
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7%
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Pantothenic acid
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0.451 mg
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9%
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Pyridoxine
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0.110 mg
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8.50%
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Riboflavin
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0.040 mg
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3%
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Thiamin
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0.067 mg
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5.50%
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Vitamin A
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624 IU
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21%
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Vitamin C
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228 mg
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396%
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Vitamin E
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0.73 mg
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5%
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Vitamin K
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2.6 mu g
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2%
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Electrolytes
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Sodium
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2 mg
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0%
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Potassium
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417 mg
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9%
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Minerals
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Calcium
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18 mg
|
2%
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Copper
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0.230 mg
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2.50%
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Iron
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0.26 mg
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3%
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Magnesium
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22 mg
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5.50%
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Manganese
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0.150 mg
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6.50%
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Phosphorus
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11 mg
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2%
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Selenium
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0.6 mcg
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1%
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Zinc
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0.23 mg
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2%
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Phyto-nutrients
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Carotene-�
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374 mu g
|
--
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Crypto-xanthin-�
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0 mu g
|
--
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Lycopene
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5204 mu g
|
--
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The nutritional values in Guava fruit
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