Guava: The Ultimate Health Booster You Never Knew You Needed!
Guava is rich in nutrients, one of which is vitamin C. So, what are the benefits of guava? There are many types of guava fruit, one of which is quite popular is guava. On the market, you can find red guava and white guava.
Guava can be enjoyed immediately. Sometimes it is also served as fruit salad or made into juice. Its sweet and slightly sour taste with a distinctive aroma makes this fruit popular with many people.
Apart from its delicious taste, it turns out that red guava and white guava contain many nutrients that are healthy for the body. Following are the various benefits of red guava and white guava that you need to know.
1. Rich in nutrients
According to the Panganku website, per 100 grams of guava contains the following nutrients.
- Water: 8.6 grams
- Fiber: 2.4 grams
- Protein: 0.9 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 12.2 grams
- Calcium: 14 mg
- Phosphorus: 28 mg
- Iron: 1.1 mg
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Potassium: 52.8 mg
- Copper: 0.02 mg
- Zinc: 0.3 mg
- Beta Carotene: 27 mcg
- Vitamin B1: 0.02 mg
- Vitamin B2: 0.03 mg
- Vitamin B3: 0.8 mg
- Vitamin C: 87 mg
With the guava fruit contained above, of course there are many benefits and properties for body health.
2. Prevents constipation
One of the other benefits of guava is that it can prevent constipation. Guava contains high fiber. These nutrients can prevent constipation.
The benefits of red guava and white guava come from the ability of fiber and keeping the stool texture soft.
That way, feces can easily pass through the large intestine and be excreted from the body.
3. Increases Immunity
Red guava and white guava are among the fruits that are high in vitamin C. If guava fruit is consumed regularly, you can get many benefits from vitamin C, especially in improving the immune system.
The immune system is tasked with fighting pathogens (disease germs) that will infect the body. If your immune system is stronger, it means you don’t get sick easily.
Well, because it helps strengthen the immune system, red and white guava fruit is actually good for patients with dengue fever and other infectious diseases.
4. Streamline your diet
If you want to lose weight, you usually need to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories. Therefore, food choices must be considered. One way to outsmart this is to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruit.
Guava fruit can be the right choice for a healthy diet. Besides being rich in nutrients that nourish the body, guava can provide as much as 49 calories of energy per 100 grams.
The fiber content of guava can also last a long time in the stomach, so it makes you full longer.
5. Healthy digestion
Did you know that one of the benefits of guava is that the fiber content in guava not only prevents constipation but also makes the digestive system healthy?
The reason is, fiber can be food for good bacteria in the intestine. Maintaining a balance of bacteria in the intestine can optimize the performance of good bacteria in increasing the body’s immunity and digesting and absorbing the nutrients of food.
6. Treating Diarrhea
Not only the fruit, guava leaves are also often used as a natural remedy for diarrhea.
In research at the Medical Journal of Lampung University, it was found that there are active compounds in guava leaves that function as anti-diarrheals, namely the flavonoid quercetin and other active substances.
Quercetin can inhibit the release of acetylcholine and intestinal contractions, tannins have the effect of reducing intestinal peristalsis, and essential oils, and alkaloids act as killers of microorganisms and inhibit growth in the intestines.
7. Controls Blood Pressure
Another advantage of guava is its high potassium content, which is around 14 mg per 100 grams.
Potassium functions to increase heart rate regularity, activate muscle contractions, control body fluid balance, and help lower blood pressure.
You can get the benefits of guava by drinking juice or consuming the fruit directly on a regular basis.
8. Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease
High blood pressure (hypertension) can make the heart work harder and reduce the flexibility of blood vessels. Meanwhile, high cholesterol levels can cause plaque buildup which disrupts blood flow to the heart.
Consuming guava fruit can control blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels in the body. This effect protects the heart and surrounding blood vessels.
9. Prevent Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels in the body. This condition causes a person to get tired easily, get thirsty and hungry easily, and urinate frequently at night.
To prevent this disease, you need to increase your consumption of vegetables and fruit, such as guava which contains natural sugar.
One study in the journal Nutrition Metabolism noted that drinking guava leaf tea and eating fruit can lower blood sugar levels after eating. The effect can last up to two hours.
In addition to preventing diabetes, the benefits of guava can also be obtained by people with diabetes in managing their blood sugar so that it remains normal.
10. Controls Blood Sugar Levels
Blood glucose or blood sugar is the main sugar found in the blood and is the body’s main source of energy.
Blood sugar comes from food and the body breaks down most of that food into glucose and releases it into the bloodstream. When blood glucose rises, the body signals the pancreas to release insulin.
Then, insulin is a hormone that helps glucose enter cells to be used as energy. To keep blood sugar stable, you need to maintain your diet.
One of them is including guava, vegetables, and other fruits in the daily diet.
11. Lowers Cholesterol
Cholesterol is divided into two, namely good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Even though the body needs cholesterol, the amount is not much.
If the levels are too high, this will lead to high cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.
Consuming guava juice is known to provide positive benefits for cholesterol in the body, namely it can reduce bad cholesterol levels.
12. Accelerates Wound Healing
Guava contains vitamin C which not only strengthens the immune system. This vitamin also protects body cells from damage while supporting faster recovery of wounds, for example, wounds due to friction or acne.
So, speeding up wound recovery can be done by consuming nutritious foods, such as guava fruit.
13. Against Free Radicals
Guava contains high antioxidants. In many studies, antioxidants can fight free radicals that can damage body cells.
Free radicals can come from the body’s metabolic processes, ultraviolet light, pollution, and cigarette smoke. So, consuming guava fruit can reduce cell damage caused by free radicals.
14. Protects the stomach
Sweet guava fruit is alkaline which prevents the growth of bacteria, and has disinfectant properties.
Phytochemicals such as carotenoids, vitamin C, and potassium act as disinfectants. The activity of guava is good for stomach health because it prevents bacterial infections.
Meanwhile, there are also benefits of guava for stomach acid, which is to prevent the emergence of various symptoms of ulcers.
15. Healthy skin
Antioxidants like vitamin C are very good for skin health.
The reason is, in addition to preventing damage to skin cells due to exposure to sunlight and pollution, both support the growth of new skin cells.
You can get the benefits of these antioxidants by consuming lots of vegetables and fruits, such as guava.
16. Lowers Cancer Risk
Exposure to free radicals can cause cell damage which can trigger cells to become abnormal. Abnormal cells have the potential to become cancer cells.
Well, antioxidants can prevent cancer by protecting cells from damage. Research using guava leaf oil extract on animals can stop the development of cancer cells.
The risk of cancer can also be lowered by consuming foods rich in antioxidants, such as guava fruit.
17. Good for Pregnant Women
Guava fruit turns out to have good benefits for pregnant women because it can reduce the risk of high blood pressure to anemia. Not to mention the content of vitamin C in guava can strengthen the immune system during pregnancy.
There are so many health benefits of guava fruit and leaves, right? For that, try to eat this fruit regularly every day.