ANN/THE DAILY STAR – Once an exotic fruit grown in China and neighbouring countries, it has now become a staple across the region.
Farming of pitaya – dragon fruit – is common and the tropical fruit has become popular for its unique external structure, sweet taste, and texture. As a superfood, dragon fruit offers maximum nutritional benefits with minimal calories and is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Despite being sweet, the fruit contains low sugar – only nine grammes (g) of sugar from 100g of dragon. It has low cholesterol and can be included in a low-sodium diet. Pitaya has a burst of antioxidants and vitamin C, enough to meet our daily needs just by consumption of a single fruit. It is also high in magnesium and contains plenty of folates.
DRAGON FRUIT SMOOTHIE FOR A BURST OF FLAVOURS
Start your day with this fruit smoothie for a burst of flavours and vibrant colours. Packed with the goodness of bananas and dragon fruit, its lavender hue and slightly tart taste make for a delightful breakfast. Customise your bowl with your favourite toppings to make it uniquely yours.
Ingredients
- Two small dragon fruits
- Four large strawberries (optional)
- One large banana
- Half a cup of milk
For the topping
- One tablespoon of desiccated coconuts
- A quarter cup of pomegranate arils
- One tablespoon of slivered almonds
Method
Remove the leafy parts of strawberries and cut them into halves. Peel the banana and dragon fruit and slice them as well. Blend everything with milk until the consistency is smooth. Pour this into a bowl and top with desiccated coconut, slivered almonds, and pomegranate arils.
Dragon fruit comes in several colours – purple and white are more common.
Due to its low sugar content, people suffering from diabetes can consume one medium-sized fruit or half of a large dragon fruit daily.
They are best consumed after the main meal, which will have a minimal effect on blood sugar. – Tasneem Hazim
