Health Benefits of Rambutan fruit

A pretty fruit to look at, Rambutan fruit is native to tropical regions. Calling it an underrated fruit won’t be wrong. Owing to the immense benefits that it carries, Rambutan must be a part of every fruit basket. Have a look at the benefits of this highly beneficial fruit often misjudged by its spiky exterior. Let’s get started: 

What is Rambutan and where does it come from? 

Scientifically known as Nephelium lappaceum, the exotic fruit is native to South Africa. The tree grows up to 80 feet in height and is mostly found in the tropical regions of Malaysia and Indonesia. 

A golf-ball-sized fruit with a spiky exterior in bright red color and a fleshy, white interior resembles a sea urchin. 

Rightly known as a cousin to lychee and other Longan fruits, it has the same translucent white fleshy interior as lychee. The fruit has a sweet and creamy taste and also has a seed in the middle.

The name of the fruit comes from the Malay word “rambut” which means hair. The other names of the fruit include Ramboutan, Rambutan, Ramboetan, and chom-chom in the Vietnamese language that literally means “messy hair”. 

The fruit once native to Indonesia and Malaysia only made its way to East Africa in the 14th century by the Arab traders. Around the 19th century, rambutan made its way to South America by the Dutch traders. 

Let’s get to know the nutritional profile of the great fruit.

Nutritional Profile of Rambutan Fruit

A cup (around 150g)  of canned rambutan fruit makes one serving as per USDA. Here is what it contains:

Benefits of Rambutan Fruit

Once you have read the immense benefits of the delicious exotic fruit, you will want to include it in your daily diet ASAP. Have a look: 

1. Promotes Healthy Digestion

Rambutan fruit has a good fiber content which helps in digestion. There are two types of fiber; 1-soluble and 2-insoluble. Soluble fiber helps you feel fuller for longer periods of time and aids in weight loss while insoluble fiber adds bulk to the stool and speeds up the bowel movement, preventing constipation. Rambutan fruit naturally comes packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber and thus promotes healthy digestion in the body when taken on a regular basis. Including rambutan in your daily diet will improve your gut health while protecting you from digestive issues like constipation. 

2. Helps in Weight Loss

This may excite the fitness enthusiasts as studies have shown that rambutan fruit actually helps in shedding those extra pounds while also preventing weight gain. All hail the high fiber content! The soluble fiber in the rambutan fruit upon entering the gut makes a gel-like form that slows down the digestion and keeps you fuller for longer periods of time. This leads to a reduced appetite and a lesser caloric intake. Moreover, this miraculous fruit naturally contains a lot of water, and intake of this fruit will aid in fulfilling the water requirement to some extent. We all know how important water is to reduce weight!

3. Immunity Booster 

Calling rambutan fruit a natural immunity booster won’t be wrong as it naturally contains Vitamin C and lots of antioxidants. While vitamin C protects our body from several infections by hyping up the production of white blood cells, antioxidants put up a defense against inflammation. Antioxidants fight free radicals that lead to inflammation in the body responsible for diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer. Studies have shown that rambutan peel extract helps in protection against several bacterial and viral infections. Hence, the reason its use against infections has been found in historic medicine as well. 

4. Other Potential Benefits 

There are several other potential health benefits of rambutan fruit, such as:

• Improving Eye Health: Rambutan fruit is high in Vitamin A which is a potent vitamin for maintaining optimum eye health. Hence, intake of rambutan will greatly improve eye health. 
• Rich in Iron: If you have low Hb and are looking for natural food options to improve the iron content, then rambutan is the right choice for you as this tiny fruit is rich in iron, Can be a good option for anemic as well. 
• Healthier Skin and Hair: rambutan fruit and seeds both are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C that help in giving you clearer and glowing skin as well as healthier hair. 
• Improving Sperm Quality: A lesser-known fact is that rambutan fruit improves both the quality as well as quantity of sperms. 
• Protection against Diabetes: according to a Chinese study. Rambutan peel extracts have an anti-diabetes property and have shown to decrease fasting blood glucose levels in diabetics. 

Side effects of Rambutan fruit 

The consumption of fruit flesh is considered safe for humans. However, there have been few concerns about the peel and seed of the rambutan fruit which are already wasted by the majority of people. An animal study has shown that the peel of the fruit when ingested in larger amounts may be toxic. Moreover, the seeds when eaten raw have an analgesic and narcotic effect. Ingestion of raw seeds in larger amounts may lead to sleepiness, coma, or even death. 

Final verdict

Since you have discovered all the benefits as well as potential side effects of the unsung hero of the fruit group, it’s now time to include it into the diet and that too on a regular basis. Applying to hair and skin is another way to draw the benefits of this amazing fruit that we have experienced ourselves. Suggesting you follow the pursuit!