Custard apples, also well known as ‘sitaphal‘ in Hindi, ‘Seetha Palam‘ in Telugu, ‘Seetha Pazham‘ in Tamil, ‘Sita Pazham‘ in Malayalam, ‘Sitaphala‘ in Marathi, ‘Sita Phal‘ in Gujarati and ‘Sharifa‘ in Punjabi.
Custard apples are rich in anti-oxidants like vitamin
C, which help get rid of free radicals from the body. It is also rich in
calcium, magnesium, iron, niacin & potassium.
This post on benefits of custard apple will change your
mind.
Custard apple, also known as chermoyas and are native to
South America, West Indies and some parts of Asia. The fruit is soft and chewy
with a hard exterior. The flesh is white in colour and has a creamy texture.
The pulp coats black shiny seeds that are not consumed, as they are slightly
TOXIC. Custard apple with its high calories and natural sugars are great as a
dessert and as a nutritious snack.
The fruit can be consumed just by itself or in the form of
shakes, smoothies, deserts and ice cream. Moreover, this tasty fruit is an
excellent alternative to dairy products, making it perfect for those who are
allergic to dairy products as it provides the same nutrition.
Custard Apple during Pregnancy:
Custard apple helps develop the brain, nervous system, and
immune system of a fetus effectively. Regular consumption of custard apple also
reduces the risk of miscarriage during pregnancy and minimizes the extent of
labour pain during childbirth.
The pregnancy-wonder fruit also helps the expectant mother
to cope with morning sickness, fight nausea, numbness and mood swings. Regular
consumption during pregnancy is excellent for production of breast milk.
Benefits for the fetus:
- Custard
apple helps in developing the brain of the fetus.
- It
also develops the nerves and immune system of the baby effectively.
- Regular
consumption of custard apple reduces the risk of miscarriage during
pregnancy.
In addition, it also minimizes the extent of labor pain
during childbirth. Experts believe that seethaphal can be an ideal alternative
for milk.
Therefore, it makes the perfect choice for those who are
allergic to dairy products. Regular consumption of custard apple during
pregnancy is best for the creation of breast milk as well.
Seethaphal is a miracle fruit during pregnancy. It is
stuffed with plenty of nutritional benefits that come to help collectively. For
its manifold nutritional attributes, the fruit is considered best for the
pregnant woman.
Eating a custard apple daily along with other food stuffs
will surely help a would-be mother in giving birth to a healthy child.
Healthy Skin and Hair:
Thanks to the high-levels of vitamin A, custard apple is
great for healthy skin, healthy hair and better eyesight.
It plays a role in moisturisation and anti-aging.
The creamy flesh or pulp can be used as a balm to treat
boils and ulcers.
The outer skin of custard apple is helpful in combating
against tooth decay and gum pain
Additional Benefits
- Very
sweet and pleasant flavour annonas contain an impressive list of essential
nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
- The
fruit has calories equivalent to that of mangoes . 100 g of fresh fruit
pulp provide about 75 calories. It, however, contain no saturated fats or
cholesterol. The fruit characteristically is a good source of soluble
dietary fiber (3 g% or 8% of RDA) which helps lower absorption of
cholesterol in the gut. The fiber also helps protect the colon mucosa from
exposure to toxic substances by binding cancer-causing chemicals to it.
· Cherimoya
contains several polyphenolic antioxidants. Among them, the most prominent in
Annona family fruits are Annonaceous acetogenins. Acetogenin
compounds such as asimicin, bullatacinare, etc., are powerful
cytotoxins and have been found to have anti-cancer, anti-malarial, and
anti-helminth properties.
Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not
intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions
expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All
content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or
available through this article is for general information purposes /
educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.
Thank you …It is very good in vitamin-C. Vitamin-C
is a powerful natural antioxidant. Soursop (A.muricata) relatively has more
vitamin-C (34% of RDA). Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin-C helps the human
body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful,
pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
Also, cherimoya fruit is a good source of B-complex
vitamins, especially vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine). 100 g fresh fruit provides 0.257
mg or 20% of daily recommended levels. Pyridoxine helps keep up GABA
neurochemical levels in the brain. High GABA levels calm down nervous
irritability, tension, and headache ailments.
Want to add a word or two?
Further, it has a well-balanced sodium-potassium ratio. A
good potassium level in the body helps control heart rate and blood pressure,
and thus, counters bad influences of sodium.
It also contains more minerals weight per weight than many
common fruits like apples, being rich in copper, magnesium, iron, and manganese.
Your comment ….?
Benefits of eating Custard apple:
- It
is a natural anti-oxidants.
- It
reduces stress levels.
- It
promotes collagen development.
- It
reduces bronchial inflammation.
- It
keeps skin young.
- It
prevents digestive problems.
- It
is good for arthritic patients.
- It
regulates blood pressure.
- It
lowers bad cholesterol.
Why is 'custard apple' called that, even though no one
ever puts it in the custard?
Let me try and answer your question with mine:
Q1. Does "Eggplant" produce Eggs?
Q2. Are only people with their name as 'Jack', eat
Jackfruit?
As far as names are concerned, quite often there isn't a
rationale behind it....or if does exist, it is long lost in the annals of
history.....
Why custard apple is called "Sitafal" in
Hindi?
Even though some people say that it gets its origin from
being the fruit that Godess Sita had during her Vanvaas, another explanation,
which I found more reliable is that it comes from to Sanskrit words
"Sheet" meaning cold and "phal" which of course means fruit,
as it is known to cool the body. The regular use made Sheetaphal to sitafal.
I have four sitaphal tree in my garden.