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Why you should eat more jackfruit
Jackfruit can be used as a substitute for meat. Photo / Promise Twinamukye.
What you need to know:
- In Uganda, it grows majorly in the East and Central parts and scattered in the rest of the regions. While it is mainly known for the sweet fruity flavour and consumed as a fruit, jackfruit can be an excellent substitute for meat, especially for vegetarians.
Jackfruit (ffene) is a large spiky yellow or green fruit with numerous sweet fruit pods once cut open.
In Uganda, it grows majorly in the East and Central parts and scattered in the rest of the regions. While it is mainly known for the sweet fruity flavour and consumed as a fruit, jackfruit can be an excellent substitute for meat, especially for vegetarians.
According to Abhijeet Bagwe, a chef at Protea Hotel in Kampala, jackfruit can be used to make a number of dishes including tacos, biriyani, kebabs, curry, stew and juice among others.
“One of my favourites is the juice. The other is dehydrated jackfruit sheets which taste amazing. They are made by reaping the fruits and sun drying them for four to five days,” Bagwe says.
Apart from being a multipurpose fruit, jackfruit is also packed with lots of nutrients from both the flesh and seeds.
A great source of potassium
According to Ronnah Nankunda, a nutritionist, jackfruit contains good amounts of potassium, a mineral that counteracts the effects of sodium which raises blood pressure levels. This makes it a good pick for those with high blood pressure.
“The fruit is also a good source of vitamin C, which has become popular for its role in boosting immunity and the body’s ability to fight off infections,” Nankunda says.
Alongside the other phytochemicals such as flavonoids found in the fruit, vitamin C also helps reduce inflammation by counteracting the action of free radicals that cause damage to body cells.
According to Nankunda, this prevents or delays the occurrence of some chronic conditions such as cancer.
Wound healing
Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant, also aids wound healing and is important in the making of collagen, a protein vital for maintaining a healthy skin and bones, not forgetting connective tissues, such as blood vessels and cartilage.
The wound healing properties, according to medicalnewstoday, result from the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that are present in the jackfruit.
Aids in energy conversion
The B complex vitamins found in the fruit in rich amounts improve nerve function and aid the conversion of the food we eat into energy. That is one of the reasons after eating the fruit, one is advised to take a few hours before going to bed so that the energy is first set in motion.
Digestive health
The fibre content present in both the seeds and flesh contributes to better bowel movement, hence preventing constipation. The seeds, particularly, are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fibres.
In an article from medicalnewstoday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that soluble fibre can help lower LDL cholesterol levels and slow the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, which can help prevent spikes in blood glucose after eating.
Dietary fibre may also reduce a person’s risk of heart diseases, diabetes, and colon cancer. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the US recommends that women consume 25g of fibre per day and 38g for men.
Jackfruit seeds also contain prebiotics which can help support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
Although safe for most, some people, according to Healthline.com, may need to limit or avoid jackfruit. It may cause allergies , especially to those who are allergic to birch pollen.
This fruit, according to Nankunda, should be eaten anytime, but at least one to three hours before going to bed to allow for digestion and use up of some of the energy it provides.
