Seriously, Eat a Rambutan!

Rambutans, the spiky, funky looking cousin of the lychee always catches my eye at the market.

I love the white flesh inside these crazy packages. They look seriously dangerous, but those spikes are soft and pliable, and are more like a koosh ball from when I was a kid. Trust me, these taste much better! Rambutans are sweet, perfumy, and super juicy. If you’ve ever had a lychee, it’s meatier and I like it better myself. A paring knife can pierce through the skin, but we usually tear the open with our fingers, and get the juice all over our hands. Not like we mind though, they are so good! Watch out for the large seed in the middle, just spit that out and keep eating.

Koosh Ball…..

     or Rambutan?

 

Although considered exotic produce,

Rambutans are actually pretty common to find here in Florida. This seems surprising since they were native to Malasia, hence their name “Rambut” meaning hairy. Grown historically throughout Southeast Asia, they’ve been cultivated in Central America and Cuba, as well as Australia. Every May, I attend a sale put on by the Rare Fruit Council (www.mrfc.org), where growers bring in exotic produce saplings and such. I love these crazy looking things so much, I may add a rambutan tree to my “Must Have” list for next year and grow them myself!

 

What’s in your fruit bowl?

 

 

Health Benefits of Rambutans

~ Cancer Fighting Antioxidants ~

Rambutans have four powerful antioxidants: Gallic acid, ellagic, caffeic and p-Coumeric acids. Each of these have been shown to be particularly effective in fighting against various types of cancers. Gallic acid is toxic to cancerous cells, but not healthy cells and also protects the body from the harmful actions of the free radicals. It also known to have anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, so there’s no wonder it is commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. The potent antioxidant flavonoids contained throughout the fruit, have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, work as efficient free radical scavengers. Eat up so they can seek and destroy!

~ Fights Symptoms of Anemia ~

Feeling tired all the time? Many symptoms of iron deficiency anemia include dizziness, lethargy, headaches and cold hands due to poor circulation. A diet high in iron can combat these symptoms, since Iron is used primarily to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is necessary to transport oxygen to the rest of the body. Containing up to 30% of your daily Iron, Rambutans also are a good source of Copper, an essential trace element. Copper works with iron to form red blood cells, and is vital for many body systems, as well as creation of connective tissues. Copper also helps reduce inflammation, reducing pressure on joints due to arthritis.

~ High Mineral Content ~

These funky fruits are laden with good for you minerals. They contain plenty of potassium, calcium, manganese, and niacin. Each one of these minerals has a multitude of their own benefits. Potassium, being an electrolyte, efficiently regulates the body’s fluid balance, and controls blood pressure and heart rate. Containing nearly 40% of you daily Manganese in 1 cup, it helps with collagen production, wound healing, and activates metabolic enzymes needed to break down carbs, amino acids and cholesterol.

~ Antibacterial and Detoxifying ~

Natural antiseptic properties make this fruit helpful in fighting against germs to prevent illness. The phosphorus contained in rambutans help remove unwanted waste from your kidneys. A study done in Thailand found that the peel and seeds were effective in killing many pathogens, one most notably a form of Staph bacteria. The flavonoids act as chelating agents, helping to bind and remove toxic metal ions.

~ Used as a Traditional Medicine ~

Malaysian natives have taken advantage of this fruits health qualities, using it to make traditional medicines. Besides the flesh, they utilized the leaves, bark, seeds and dried fruit to make treatments for headaches, fever, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even cleansing the body of parasites.

 

 

Check out this Summer Rambutan Curry Recipe from Saveur!

 

 

Sources
(1)http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/gallic-acid.php
(2)https://www.natureword.com/tag/rambutan/
(3) http://www.medic8.com/blood-disorders/iron-deficiency-anaemia.htm
(4) http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/manganese
(5) https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/view/rambutan,1546/
(6) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Go-have-a-rambutan-today/articleshow/18762207.cms
(7) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222544273_Antioxidant_and_antibacterial_activities_of_Nephelium_lappaceum_L_extracts
(8) http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/flavonoids/
(9) https://www.researchgate.net