Guava Has 4 Times More Vitamin C Than Oranges—Here’s How a Dietitian Recommends Eating It

There is a cause why people have engineered seedless grapes and watermelons: the seeds in fruit could be fairly unappetizing. Relying on the fruit, seeds can typically be tremendous laborious and tough to eat (or technically edible however not nice to devour). However some fruits conceal the very best of their advantages inside their seeds. It is true of pomegranates (these attractive pink arils are literally seeds!) in addition to many tropical fruits like papaya and keenness fruit. However what about guava, the crown jewel of tropical fruit? Are you able to eat guava seeds?

The brief model: Sure, you may, says Lauren Manaker, RDN, LD, CLEC, CPT. However that is not the one cause to take pleasure in guava. When absolutely ripe, guava fruit will go from a darkish inexperienced shade to a lighter, lime-green hue. When it comes to style, ripe guava could be very fragrant and has a considerably delicate candy and tangy taste profile just like papaya, strawberry, and pear. The within flesh of the fruit is a cross between the feel of a ripe banana and a crunchy apple—pink guava variations may have a vibrant pink flesh due to carotenoids.

There’s lots to like about guava, however you may need lingering questions on learn how to eat these seeds (and why, for the skeptics on the market). Preserve studying for all the solutions.

What are the well being advantages of guava?

Taste apart, guava is among the greatest fruits in the marketplace (actually) in the case of their excessive antioxidant and vitamin content material. Manaker calls it “a powerhouse of vitamins.” She says consuming guava comes with a bevy of well being advantages that assist immune, pores and skin, and coronary heart well being (and extra).

1. Guava is filled with vitamin C

“It is a pure supply of vitamin C, containing greater than what you discover in oranges, which helps immune well being and pores and skin well being,” Manaker says. For context, you get 53 milligrams of vitamin C in a 100-gram serving of orange. In the meantime, an equal quantity of guava accommodates a whopping 228 milligrams of vitamin C—that is 4 instances greater! Orange, who?

2. It accommodates a lot of fiber

Guava can be filled with tons of gut-loving fiber, which is important for wholesome digestion. “Guavas are a supply of dietary fiber, aiding in digestion and selling common bowel actions,” Manaker says. The soluble fiber in guava may soak up fatty acids because it strikes by your intestine, which might help cut back ldl cholesterol and preserve your coronary heart wholesome. One guava has about three grams of fiber, per the USDA—getting you midway to your objective of getting six grams of fiber per meal. Simply be sure that to complement that with different fiber-rich meals.

3. It’s wealthy in antioxidants like lycopene

Apart from its intestine well being advantages, guava is an effective supply of highly effective antioxidants like lycopene. “Some knowledge suggests lycopene could assist cut back the chance of sure cancers¹. Different knowledge hyperlinks lycopene consumption to a possible profit for males who’re making an attempt to conceive²,” Manaker says. “Lycopene can also play a task in defending pores and skin in opposition to sunburn and UV injury³, contributing to pores and skin well being.” The lycopene in guava can also assist your coronary heart well being. “Research counsel {that a} weight loss program excessive in lycopene can enhance cardiovascular well being by lowering blood stress and LDL levels of cholesterol⁴,” she says.

4. Guava is greater in protein than different fruits

Manaker notes guava is among the high (if not the highest) fruits highest in protein in the marketplace. Do not anticipate to begin bulking up on guava alone although; a 100-gram serving of the fruit accommodates 2.55 grams of protein, per the USDA. (Fruits, as a rule, have a tendency to not have that a lot protein in comparison with different meals.) Different high-protein fruits embrace avocados (two grams of protein per 100-grams), bananas (one gram of protein per 100-grams), and jackfruit (1.72 grams of protein per 100-grams), to call just a few.

Are you able to eat guava seeds?

Sure, you may eat guava seeds, says Manaker. (No want to choose them out—and it is okay to swallow guava seeds.) And actually, all of us ought to eat the entire fruit, together with the seeds, since they’ve a number of their very own well being advantages, she says.

“Wealthy in vitamins resembling vitamin C, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, these seeds contribute not solely to the fruit’s well being advantages, but additionally to [guava’s] distinctive texture,” Manaker says. The seeds are significantly filled with fiber, Manaker says, making certain that they’ll assist in digestion, promote common bowel actions, and probably cut back the chance of constipation. In the meantime, she explains that the antioxidants within the seeds assist cut back oxidative stress and irritation within the physique. Both approach you select to eat them—guava seeds or not—this fruit is a superb supply of a number of key vitamins that assist total well-being. #TeamGuavaSeeds

Is soaking guava seeds mandatory?

Manaker says that you just need not soak guava seeds earlier than consuming them, though it would make them simpler to digest.“Prepping guava seeds by soaking just isn’t sometimes mandatory, as they’re sufficiently small to be consumed straight with the fruit,” she says. “Nonetheless, for individuals who discover them tough to digest or chew, soaking would possibly make the method simpler, softening the seeds and making them much less of a problem to swallow.”

Why does my abdomen harm after consuming guava?

For some of us, Manaker says that the excessive quantities of fiber present in guava fruit and seeds would possibly trigger an upset abdomen. “Consuming guavas can typically result in abdomen discomfort attributable to their fiber content material. For people not used to consuming massive quantities of dietary fiber, this sudden enhance may cause digestive points resembling bloating, fuel, and abdomen ache,” she says. To mitigate this, enhance how a lot water you drink (since your physique wants water to assist transfer fiber by your system), and progressively enhance your fiber consumption so your physique will get used to it.

“Moreover, guavas comprise fructose, a kind of sugar that some folks discover tough to digest. This situation, generally known as fructose malabsorption, may lead to belly discomfort after consuming fruits excessive in fructose, like guavas,” Manaker provides.

That mentioned, consuming guava carefully shouldn’t be a trigger for concern for most people.

What are the results of consuming guava seeds?

In some restricted instances, consuming guava seeds may cause some challenges for sure folks. “Though small and customarily thought of secure to ingest, guava seeds can, in uncommon instances, result in intestinal blockage, significantly in people with pre-existing digestive points,” Manaker says. She explains that signs of a possible obstruction embrace extreme belly ache, vomiting, and constipation, which might require fast medical consideration.

Manaker additionally says of us with dental considerations ought to be cautious about consuming guava seeds. “For these with weakened dental well being, the hardness of guava seeds can probably injury tooth enamel or lead to dental fractures, emphasizing the necessity for cautious consumption,” she says. When doubtful, you may all the time attempt mixing guava to reap its well being advantages with out probably damaging your tooth on the seeds.

What number of guavas do you have to eat a day?

For optimum well being advantages, Manaker suggests consuming roughly one to 2 guavas per day. Nonetheless, she urges of us to be conscious of extreme sugar consumption relying on what else you eat all through the day. There’s about 9 grams of sugar per 100-gram serving of guava.

Have to poop? Guava to the rescue: