Ambarella fruit, also called golden apples or jew plums, are sweet and spicy tropical fruits that can be eaten both ripe and unripe. When unripe, these fruits are green, hard, and crispy on the inside with a sour taste. As they ripen, ambarellas turn yellow and juicy with a bit of pineapple and mangle and have a floral and tropical aroma. Ambarellas are packed with important nutrients that play a major role in your overall health. Eating them has been linked to improved heart, gut, eye, and skin health and maintaining a healthy immune system.
How Do You Eat Ambarella Fruits?
Ambarella is one of the most versatile tropical fruits. To eat it whole, wash off all the dirt and remove the stem and the peel. You can eat it as it is or section it into smaller pieces.
Since ambarellas are tasty and highly nutritious, they can be juiced or made into jams, jellies, and delicious smoothies. Some people enjoy eating sweet and sour fruits with a bit of chili powder and salt to reduce the fruit’s bitterness.
You can also bake slices of ambarella to make delicious chips. Unripe ambarella can be made into jellies and pickles and are excellent for making sour flavorings for soups and sauces.
Additionally, the leaves of unripe ambarella can be eaten raw as a seasoning or steamed and eaten as a vegetable. Mature ambarella leaves are also used in salads with other herbs and spices to enhance their flavor.
Ambarella Fruit Nutrition Facts
One Ambarella fruit contains, on average:
- 69.12 kcal of energy
- 0.45% protein
- 16.65% carbohydrate
- 3 mg of iron
- 22 grams of phosphorus
- Dietary fiber
- 0.08% fat
- Sodium 3018 mg/ Kg,
- Potassium 344 mg/ Kg
- Calcium 94.7 mg/ Kg
- Vitamins A
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
Health Benefits of Ambarellas
Ambarella fruits and leaves are known to be natural antioxidants. They also contain antimicrobial agents, which protect you from infection; agents used to treat thrombosis; and cytotoxic compounds, which kill harmful cells, including cancer cells.
Vitamin C in ambarellas has numerous benefits. It:
- Promotes absorption of iron needed to fight anemia
- Protects your cells from damage
- Helps the body recover, especially after a strenuous activity
- Dissolves blood clots responsible for both heart attacks and strokes
- Stimulates the production of collagen, an important protein that heals wounds and protects the skin from radical damage.
Other benefits of ambarellas are that it:
Treats digestive problems. The water content and fiber in the ambarella fruit prevent dehydration and help clear the bowels, thus reducing symptoms of constipation. If you have loose stool, fiber may help to solidify your stool. Fiber plays a major role in heart health as it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. Fiber may also reduce insulin resistance in people with diabetes. Additionally, dietary fiber improves mental health by reducing symptoms of depression.
Treatment of inflammation. Ambarella leaves are also used in the treatment of inflammation. The bark and leaves of ambarella trees can be used to treat dysentery, an inflammation of the intestines, and sore throat caused by inflammation.
Improves vision. Because ambarellas are rich in vitamin A, a decoction from its leaves can be used to treat sore eyes. Vitamin A improves the retina’s health and is crucial in the treatment of night blindness.
Increase endurance. Ambarellas contain sugar stored as sucrose. Most athletes need this natural carbohydrate in their diet to act as a quick fuel source during endurance exercise training.
Prevents premature aging. Rich in Vitamin C, ambarellas play a major role in preventing signs of premature aging. It is a natural antioxidant that prevents premature aging caused by factors like solar radiation, pollution, and smoking.
Maintains healthy bones and teeth. The calcium and phosphorus in ambarella fruits keep bones healthy by providing hard tissue for support and mobility. Calcium strengthens enamel in teeth to prevent damage caused by chewing, grinding, and extreme temperatures.
Ambarella and Pregnancy
Ambarella fruits have a mild diuretic effect. While diuretics are not recommended during pregnancy, they go a long way in treating hypertension and cardiac diseases during pregnancy. Eating ambarellas may help women during the last stages of pregnancy.
Conclusion
Ambarella is an incredibly delicious tropical fruit loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds crucial for your overall health. Whether you eat it whole, juiced, or as a flavoring in soups and sauces, this fruit will grace your taste buds with a spicy yet scrumptious flavor that will leave you wanting more. (webmd.com, written by Cyrus Wahome, reviewed by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD)
