Pomelo is a citrus fruit that is being extensively eaten by people globally today. It usually has a pale green or yellow color, while the edible flesh inside is pulpy and white, pink, or red, depending on the variety. It abounds in valuable nutrients including dietary fibers, vitamin C benefits, and traces of minerals like iron and potassium as well as antioxidants that make it a healthy addition to our diet.
Listed below are several benefits we can obtain from pomelo and how we can easily add them to our diet.
Rich In Antioxidants
Free radicals can damage our cells. They can cause health problems and chronic diseases when they build up in our bodies at high levels. Antioxidants can fight off this damage. Some of the known antioxidants that can be found in pomelo are vitamin C, naringenin, naringin, and lycopene (1).
Aids In Digestion
Most people need about 25 grams of fiber per day. Pomelo can give the body 6 grams of fiber per serving which is almost a quarter of our daily fiber intake.
Fiber aids in digestion by preventing constipation and promote the growth of healthy bacteria in our gut by acting as a food source for that bacteria (2).
Helps Boost The Immune System
Eating just half a large-sized pomelo can supply our body with daily vitamin C requirement. This vitamin improves immunity, essential for the growth and development of all body tissues, and a key antioxidant for removing toxins from the system (3).
May Help Regulate Blood Pressure
Being a very good source of potassium, pomelo can really be good for our hearts. Potassium is a vasodilator, meaning that it releases the tension in the blood vessels, and increases blood circulation and oxygenation in the organs. In addition to this, it also reduces the strain on the heart and lowers our chances of stroke, atherosclerosis, and heart attack (4).
Helps Combat Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Because of its richness in vitamin C, pomelo may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTI).
UTIs are usually caused by bacteria that are more likely to reach the bladder or kidneys and cause an infection. Large amounts of vitamin C limit the growth of some bacteria by acidifying the urine. Vitamin C supplements have the same effect (5).
Several Ways To Consume Pomelo
Pomelo can be eaten by itself as a snack or used as a substitute for other citrus fruits in recipes. It also makes an excellent addition to salads.
We can simply cut pomelos into small pieces and have them or mix them with other fruits and have it as a fruit salad. Aside from this, we can also blend them to make fresh pomelo juice or freeze the juice to make popsicles too.
Sources:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pomelo-fruit#4.-Rich-in-antioxidants
- https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-pomelo#1
- https://www.netmeds.com/health-library/post/pomelo-health-benefits-nutrition-uses-for-skin-and-hair-recipes-side-effects
- https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/pomelo.html
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/urinary-tract-infections