9 reasons to eat ber fruit or jujubes

It is good not only for its nutritional benefits but also for those with digestive problems.

One of the lesser known fruits, ber fruit, which is also called as jujube, is not found in many parts of the world. Tropical countries like Africa, parts of India, China and Australia are the only countries where it grows. This shiny little red fruit though has a whole lot of benefits to it that it has through the ages been called as the fruit that removes sorrow .

Vitamins A and C along with all the calcium that are present in the Ber fruits are responsible for their nutritional value. Along with that, Ber fruits are also known to contain 18 of the 24 essential amino acids that the body needs. This is probably why it was used in an ancient Indian and Chinese herbal medicine and still continues to be a prominent part of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.

Here are a few of the health benefits of ber fruits:

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1. Known for its anti-cancer properties

Ber fruit is full of anti-oxidants. And where there are anti-oxidants, there can t be any free radicals, the elements that are responsible for causing cancer. Ber fruit is therefore known to prevent cancer. Recent experiments proved that it was especially effective in preventing leukaemias, the most violent form of cancer.

2. Aids in weight loss

While ber fruits don t have weight reducing properties in themselves, they make for a great snack if you re trying to lose weight. They have no carbohydrates or fats and are abundant in fibre. This makes them highly nutritional while not adding to weight when eaten as snack and are hence a great substitute for fatty foods that we usually snack on.

3. Strengthens the immune system

The high amounts of Vitamin C and Vitamin A that are present in ber fruits make it a great anti-oxidant which also helps boost the immune system activities of the body. And this helps us fight diseases more effectively keeping seasonal colds and fevers at bay.

4. Keeps your teeth, bones and muscle healthy

Ber fruit is rich in calcium, the basic mineral that constitutes the teeth, bones and muscles. Making ber fruit a part of our diet helps us strengthen the bones, muscles and teeth thereby. This reduces the chance of our bones getting fractured easily. It can also help keep the teeth stronger thereby reducing the risk of decay and cavities.

5. Helps keep skin healthy and young

Vitamin C helps slow ageing process because of the anti-oxidants that are present in it. Ber fruit, which is loaded with Vitamin C helps greatly in slowing the ageing of the skin thereby keeping it healthy and shiny for a long time. Although wrinkles are inevitable with age, we can delay the process by making ber fruit a part of our diet.

6. Soothes the nervous system with its sedative properties

Ber fruit is known to have innate sedative properties. Sedatives can be of great help in soothing the nervous system and thereby helping with nervous disorders like anxiety and insomnia. It also helps in treating more serious disorders like psychosis and epilepsy.

7. Helps aid digestion

Ber fruit is known to aid with digestion and absorption. It is especially helpful for people who have been suffering from digestive problems, constipation and flatulence. It acts as a mild laxative and hence should not be taken by patients suffering from diarrhoea.

8. Helps soothe sore throats

Ber fruit extracts are used to soothe the pain and ache that comes with sore throat. When combined with ginger or mint and consumed in the form of a potion, ber fruit juice soothes the throat.

9. Recent research indicates that ber fruit could help fight Alzheimers

Recent experiments have indicated that ber fruit can help fight Alzheimers by helping fight cell degeneration and aiding in cognitive functioning of the brain. This is going to be a great breakthrough in the field of Alzheimers if further studies confirm this and it can be used in for treating Alzheimers.

Care must however be taken not to consume more than the required or prescribed doses of ber fruit juice as it can induce diarrhoea and cause abortions when taken by pregnant women.

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References:

Kavitha C, Kuna A, Supraja T, Sagar SB, Padmavathi TV, Prabhakar N. Effect of gamma irradiation on antioxidant properties of ber (Zizyphusmauritiana) fruit.

J Food Sci Technol. 2015 May;52(5):3123-8. doi: 10.1007/s13197-014-1359-x. Epub

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