Discover the 7 shocking health benefits of peach palm or giginya and side effects.
Some of the best health benefits of peach palm (Giginya) include its ability to increase energy levels, protect vision, prevent cancer development, improve the health of your skin, optimize your digestive system, reduce blood pressure, strengthen the immune system and protect children’s health, accelerate growth and development, and help lose weight.
Peach Palm
The peach palm tree, which is scientifically known as Bactris gasipaes, is actually a palm tree that has a fruit that is considered a drupe and contains a single seed.
The fruits are smaller in size than peaches and plums and vary in color from yellow to red, depending on the variety of the peach palm (giginya)
These palms are native to South and Central America and are not a widely exported crop, although they can often be found in exotic import markets.
The fruit has been in use for centuries, if not millennia, but first received international attention when Spanish explorers discovered thousands of peach palms off the coast of Costa Rica.
This country continues to be one of the most important producers of peach palm and is an important part of its economy.
Fruit is considered highly valuable because it provides a storehouse of energy, which can replace common carbohydrate-providing staples, such as potatoes.
The consistency and texture of cooked peach palm are similar to a sweet potato. Peach palm is generally not eaten raw as it tastes quite strong and acidic, but when cooked it can be dried into flour for use at another time.
Raw fruit does not stay ripe for long and should be eaten or cooked shortly after being picked.
Economically, it is important as an export crop, but also because it can replace some of the other overexploited species of exotic fruits that have received global attention in recent years.
The rich combination of nutrients in the peach palm makes it very beneficial to our health in a variety of ways.
Nutritional value of peach palm
Besides being a delicious addition to a fruit basket, peach palms are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds that make them an ideal component of a healthy diet.
Peach palms contain significant levels of fiber, carbohydrates, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin K, as well as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
Health benefits of peach palm
Within the wide range of benefits that peach palm or giginya offers for your health care, we can highlight the following:
1.- Power amplifier
The peach palm is perhaps best known for acting as an energy reserve. This energy-boosting fruit contains 37 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams.
Carbohydrates are the building blocks of our energy supply, and by breaking down these carbohydrates, our body can quickly replenish itself.
For this very reason, the peach palm is often used as an energy booster in South American countries, and this highly effective carb-loading tool is becoming more popular in other countries as well.
2.- Source of dietary fiber
As with most fruits and vegetables, peach palm is a very good source of dietary fiber, which affects our bodies in several ways.
When it comes to digestion, fiber facilitates the smooth digestion of food and eliminates constipation.
It can also reduce excess gas and bloating, while helping prevent more serious gastrointestinal conditions, such as gastric ulcers and colon cancer.
2.- Heart health and diabetes
Fiber continues to serve the body in terms of diabetes, as it can help regulate insulin and glucose production activities by affecting those levels in the bloodstream.
By decreasing the release of glucose into the bloodstream and optimizing the functions of the pancreas, the fiber in the peach palm can help reduce the effects of diabetes or prevent it from developing in the first place.
When it comes to heart health, fiber removes excess cholesterol from blood vessels and arteries, reducing the chances of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes.
3.- Improves vision
One of the most important vitamins found in the peach palm is vitamin A, as well as other carotenoids that help protect the body.
Carotenes are essential for healthy eyesight, as they act as antioxidants to reduce or eliminate cataracts while preventing macular degeneration in eye cells.
4.- Skin protection
When it comes to keeping our body’s largest organ protected, vitamin C, vitamin A, and a healthy fluid balance in the body can be very effective.
The peach palm has both antioxidant vitamins that can stimulate the regrowth of new skin cells and protect the ones that are there, while the potassium levels in the peach palm ensure a proper water balance in the body and facilitate the exchange from fluid to cells to keep them functioning at an optimal level.
5.- Promotes growth and development
The peach palm is especially recommended for children, as it is ideal to stimulate proper growth and development.
Apart from its balanced composition of vitamins and minerals, the peach palm also has proteins and other organic compounds that are essential for growth.
Also, for pregnant mothers, the levels of folic acid in peach palm make it ideal for protecting against neural tube defects.
6.- Increases immunity
As already mentioned, the immune system benefits due to vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidants, as well as certain key minerals such as magnesium and calcium, which can stimulate the white blood cells to act more efficiently and also they can eliminate the damaging effects of free radicals.
Word of Caution: There are no known allergens contained in the peach palm, although occasional allergies to mile food have been reported.
In general, it is safe to consume for everyone, and beneficial too!