Dragon Fruit

Food 2 Minutes

Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that’s low in calories and high in fiber and antioxidants. Some people say it tastes like a cross between a pear and a kiwi. You can slice and eat the fruit as-is, try it with yogurt, or add it to a smoothie or salad.

Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Though people primarily enjoy it for its unique look and taste, evidence suggests it may provide health benefits as well. Dragon fruit grows on the Hylocereus cactus, also known as the Honolulu queen, whose flowers only open at night. The plant is native to southern Mexico and Central America. Today, it is grown all over the world.

It goes by many names, including pitaya, pitahaya, and strawberry pear. The two most common types have bright red skin with green scales that resemble a dragon — hence the name. The most widely available variety has white pulp with black seeds, though a less common type with red pulp and black seeds exists as well. Another variety — referred to as yellow dragon fruit — has yellow skin and white pulp with black seeds.

Dragon fruit may look exotic, but its flavors are similar to other fruits. Its taste has been described as a slightly sweet cross between a kiwi and a pear. Animal studies suggest that dragon fruit may provide various health benefits. Many of these are likely due to its fiber and antioxidant content.

Both red and white varieties of dragon fruit have been shown to reduce insulin resistance and fatty liver in obese mice. In one study, mice on a high-fat diet who received an extract of the fruit gained less weight and had reductions in liver fat, insulin resistance, and inflammation, which were attributed in part to beneficial changes in gut bacteria.

Dragon fruit contains prebiotic fiber that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut — potentially improving metabolic health.  Although this fruit may improve certain features of metabolic syndrome — a condition associated with type 2 diabetes — not all effects may be favorable.

In a 2014 study in mice on a high-fat, high-carb diet, the group that received dragon fruit juice had better blood sugar responses and reductions in some liver enzyme markers, while another liver enzyme marker significantly increased. In another older study, rats with diabetes treated with an extract from the fruit had a 35% reduction in malondialdehyde, a marker of free-radical damage. They also had less arterial stiffness, compared to the control group.

Study results on the effects of dragon fruit on type 2 diabetes in people are inconsistent, and more research is needed to confirm these beneficial effects.

Though it may look intimidating, dragon fruit is very easy to eat.

Here’s how to eat dragon fruit:

Select a ripe fruit with bright red, evenly colored skin that gives slightly when squeezed.

Use a sharp knife and cut straight through the fruit, slicing it in half.

You can use a spoon to eat the fruit out of the skin or peel the skin off and slice the pulp into small pieces.

Ideas for serving dragon fruit:

Simply slice it up and eat it as is.

Chop it into small pieces and top with Greek yogurt and chopped nuts.

Include it in a salad.

SOURCE: HEALTHLINE

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Published by pat frederick

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69 thoughts on “Dragon Fruit”

  1. Morning All

    cloudy again this morning…but that’s okay. my hamstrings and knees are aching after all that bending and stooping to pick up sticks in the yard. need to do some stretching i think.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Citizen Free Press

    @CitizenFreePresYesterday Letitia James asked the judge to disallow Trump’s $175M bond. There will be a hearing Monday. Notice at the 45-second mark how Letitia says she is upset by how Trump treated Obama. This prosecution smells like a Valerie Jarrett operation.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Cory Mills

    @CoryMillsFL

    No flag except the American Flag 🇺🇸 should ever be flown or brought into the U.S. Congress chamber. I wish those who waved flags of Ukraine on the chamber floor loved America and our open borders as much as they do foreign nations. It’s a sad day in the US Congress when many of those who cheer for Ukraine funding vehemently opposed support to US border security.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Liked by 1 person

  8. another BLM fraudster who used donation to buy things for himself…shocker. stole $450,000

    FTA

    Yet another Black Lives Matter activist has been convicted of defrauding donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

    In a press release on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio confirmed that Sir Maejor Page, 35, of Toledo, was convicted wire fraud and three counts of money laundering following a six-day trial.

    The release stated:

    According to court documents and testimony, in 2016, Page created a Facebook page for “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” (“BLMGA”) and registered this organization as a domestic non-profit with the Georgia Secretary of State Corporation’s Division. In 2017, the IRS approved Page’s request granting BLMGA tax-exempt status under Section 503(c)(3) of the tax code, but dissolved this status in 2019.

    Page nonetheless accepted donations after falsely portraying BLMGA to the public as a legitimate charity engaged in social justice work, when in fact, it was not. Instead, Page used the money that individual donors gave to BLMGA not for social justice causes, but rather to buy items for his own personal use, such as a house and furniture. Page also committed money-laundering crimes when he bought these items with the donations that he fraudulently obtained.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/04/shock-yet-another-blm-activist-found-guilty-fraud/

    Liked by 1 person

        1. i try not to live in fear.
          even when the police were recommending that i take my son and move to a shelter where we would be “safe” i couldn’t do it. it nearly killed me, but i didn’t want to live in fear.
          i still don’t. but i fear for my children and my grandchild

          Liked by 1 person

          1. I won’t live in that kind of fear either – this is much bigger and all-encompassing than that. This is the entire future of the whole country!!!

            Like

  19. Bill Melugin

    @BillMelugin_

    NEW: In statement to

    @FoxNews

    , the Border Patrol union responds to the passing of the $95 billion foreign aid package: “We are beyond disappointed that the House would give aid to secure the borders of foreign countries, but gave nothing to allow the Border Patrol to secure the safety of the United States. There’s nothing more backwards. I wouldn’t have even expected tax payer’s dollars. They could have given us policy, and that would have been enough.” – Brandon Judd, President, National Border Patrol Council Reminder: Judd/BP Union supported the bipartisan border deal that was attached to this foreign funding before Republicans killed it.

    Liked by 2 people

          1. I hadn’t ever seen that meme but I sure heard something like it often enough! LOL – but it was usually my brother who was the one always in trouble.

            Liked by 1 person

  23. “10 Other Things Mike Johnson Wants To Fund Before The Border”

    POLITICS · Apr 19, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    “Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has sent a clear message: there are things that are simply more important than securing the U.S. border. In fact, you may be surprised to learn just how long his list actually is.

    The Babylon Bee has obtained the following list of things Mike Johnson wants to fund before he even thinks about protecting the border:

    1. Impoverished Haitian cannibals: They can’t even afford more nutritious grass-fed humans.
    2. Sean Hannity: If Sean isn’t on the air to get the establishment talking points out there, who will?
    3. Crocheting classes for trans Syrian refugees: One of the most significant problems facing the country — and the world.
    4. Double-decker transcontinental bridge to Antarctica for the North American land snail: You don’t want to live in a world where snails can’t get to the South Pole, do you?
    5. $12 billion to remake The Princess Bride with puppets: Expecting this project to be privately funded is simply inconceivable.
    6. Unlimited research grant to find out why grass is green: This is the type of groundbreaking, life-altering research everyone needs.
    7. $8 billion to plant tiny little American flags in every pile of San Francisco sidewalk poop: We have to claim the poo before it gets taken over by the Chinese.
    8. Six Flags Over Ukraine amusement park: Nothing will help beleaguered, war-torn Ukrainians like riding a few rollercoasters.
    9. National shelter for abused and abandoned furries: Reach out today to adopt a furry of your own.
    10. Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan: Also, Russia, Gaza, and China. And every other country except for the United States.

    Though the Speaker’s office admitted that the list above is not exhaustive, it gives you a better idea of why it’s taking so long to fortify the border. There’s only so much U.S. taxpayer money to go around, and expecting it to go toward anything that helps people in the U.S. is just unreasonable.”

    Liked by 1 person

  24. “House Republicans Demand New Speaker Who Will Be Equally Worthless But Maybe With Different Hair Or A Cool Mustache Or Something”

    POLITICS · Apr 19, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Outraged over constant caving to Democrats and the Biden Administration, House Republicans demanded a new House Speaker who would be equally worthless but maybe with different hair, or like, a cool mustache or something.

    “This new house speaker will still suck, but in new and exciting ways,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert. “Like, maybe we can get a guy with, like, a weave? That’d be neat. Ooh! Or like, a tattoo of a falcon. Yeah, that’d be awesome.”

    “It’s a tradition at this point,” said Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. “We get stabbed in the back by one leader, get fed up, replace them with another leader, and find new and innovative ways to get betrayed and disappointed. Mike Johnson has not gotten the job done, so it’s time to find someone else who will also not get the job done.”

    “But this time, maybe with a sweet pair of shades and he’ll say a trademark catchphrase every time he caves to the Left. That would be fun!”

    Other House Republicans agreed. “We’re tired of the things Speaker Johnson has done to harm our cause,” said Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie. “We demand a new leader who will be just as bad but in a different way. It’s the only way for us to move past this failure and continue to not accomplish any of our goals.”

    At publishing time, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had already compiled a list of potential Republican candidates who, upon being elected Speaker of the House, would immediately turn around and abandon all reason and conservative principles.”

    Liked by 1 person

        1. It’s just a matter of training and it can be dangerous if they take a misstep or something. IIRC from the movie, I think the horse slips as he’s jumping and she hits the water with her eyes open – I think that’s how she loses her eyesight.

          Liked by 1 person

  26. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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