7 healthy reasons to include tamarind in your diet!

Here are surprising health benefits of why you should add sweet and sour tasting tamarind to your diet.

Be it sambhar or rasam recipe, tamarind is the key ingredient that imparts a unique taste to any dish. An integral part of South Indian preparations, tamarind acts a sweet and tangy flavour to chutneys, curies and beverages. Known as imli in Hindi, this fruit is rich in dietary fibre, volatile compounds, minerals and vitamins, which makes it a healthy kitchen ingredient. Moreover, tamarind preparations are commonly used to natural remedies to treat sore throat, inflammation, sunstroke, cough and fever naturally. Dr Swari Dave, the nutritionist and dietician, reveals seven reasons why you should include tamarind in your diet.

1. Aids in digestion

Tamarind is used in many traditional medicines as a laxative and also to treat intestinal worms in children. The pulp of tamarind is a rich source of dietary fibre that helps in preventing constipation by increasing the bulk and augmenting bowel movements. It is also used to prevent common digestive disorders like acid reflux disease and bile disorders. Moreover, the outer red covering of its seed is found to be effective in treating dysentery and diarrhoea. Its sticky pulp is a rich source of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) or dietary-fiber such as gums, hemicelluloses, mucilage, pectin and tannins, which aids in the process of digestion.

2. Prevents colon cancer

Tartaric acid present in tamarind acts as a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from harmful free radicals, which can increase your risk of cancer. Also, the fibre present in this fruit protects the mucal membrane of the colon from the attack of cancer-causing chemicals by binding with the toxins thereby preventing you from colon cancer. Here are few questions you MUST ask your doctor when suffering from colon cancer.

3. Controls blood pressure

Potassium present in this tangy fruit helps to control blood pressure and heart rate by maintaining the normal fluid balance in the body. Tamarind contains iron which plays a key role in normal production and the development of red blood cells. Hence, makes sure you include tamarind in your diet to keep your blood pressure in control.

4. Balances blood cholesterol

The pulp of tamarind is found to be effective in reducing high blood cholesterol level and protecting the body from a host of heart disease due to the presence of antioxidants and fibre. Include this fruit in your food everyday to improve your heart health and lower your risk of cardiac complications.

5. Improves eye health

This fruit is loaded with vitamin A, which is essential for normal vision and also lowers the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Tamarind also contains a chemical that functions much like mucin (protects and moisturizes the cornea) for protection and treatment against dry eyes. Drinking a decoction made by boiling a teaspoon of tamarind in a glass of water prevents you from eye inflammation.

6. Protects you from infections

Tamarind is found to protect against a wide range of infections that include scurvy, common cold and fluorosis. It not only strengthens the defence mechanism but also acts as an excellent remedy to treat fever as it is loaded with numerous vitamins and minerals. Each 100 gm of tamarind provides the daily recommended dose of 36 % of thiamin, 35 % of iron, 23 % of magnesium & 16 % of phosphorus. Other prominent nutrients include niacin, calcium, vitamin C, copper, & pyridoxine.

7. Good for healthy skin

As tamarind is rich in antioxidants, it helps you to fight the harmful free radicals, which are one of the key causes of anti-ageing. Moreover, it also damages the skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles on the skin. It is also used to treat minor burns along with helping the skin to recover quickly from skin-related infections. Also read about fruits and vegetables that can give you a glowing skin.

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