GUAVA GIVES ALL VASTLY

If you thought Oranges and other citrus fruits were the kings of vitamin C, you need to meet the guava. One guava has 165 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, while one orange has a mere 69mg. This delicious fruit is also a good source of beta carotene, lycopene, potassium and soluble fiber.

GUAVA KEEPS YOU HEALTHY

HELPS YOUR HEART:
Guava can improve your heart health by helping to control your blood pressure and cholesterol.
In one study, researchers gave guava to people with high blood pressure before meals for 12 weeks.
By the end of the study, average systolic (top number) blood pressure dropped by 8 points and diastolic (bottom number) fell by 9 points.

Guava’s ability to lower blood pressure could be the result of potassium. This mineral is an electrolyte that is essential to electrical reactions in your body, including your heart.
It also keeps your heartbeat steady, and it assists your kidneys in removing waste from your body.

In addition, the study participants’ total cholesterol dropped almost 10 percent.
Experts think guava’s cholesterol lowering effect may be due to its soluble fiber content.
Soluble fiber softens and forms a gel that binds cholesterol and carries it out of the body.

The vitamin C found in guava might be a particularly effective antioxidant against heart disease.
Studies show it raises good HDL cholesterol, and it helps prevent bad LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized and turning into artery-clogging plaques.
Vitamin C can also help keep your small blood vessels springy and healthy.

CURTAILS CANCER:
Guava is a good source of lycopene.
This carotenoid, which gives many plant foods their red or pink coloring, may help prevent cancer, as well as boost heart health.

The evidence for lycopene’s cancer-protective effect is strongest for prostate cancer, lung cancer and stomach cancer.

The vitamin C in guava may also protect your against cancer.
Studies find that a high intake of vitamin C may lower your risk of developing colon, stomach, breast and lung cancers.

TREATS DIABETES:
According to folklore, guava has been used in Chinese medicine to treat diabetes for a very long time.
And now, a recent study proves that it could lower blood sugar.
The effect was not as potent as cholorpropamide and metformin, drugs commonly used to lower blood sugar.
Nevertheless, it may be a natural way to help prevent diabetes.

Pantry Pointers (To those who have not tasted Guava or seen or even heard about it.)
Have you ever tasted a Guava?
It is so sweet as AMRUDH, like Banana and other fruits.
Once they’re ripe, eat them quickly because they’re only at their peak for about two days. You can refrigerate them for a short period, but they get tough after a couple days.

Have you ever seen a Guava?
This exotic fruit has a thin, light yellow or slightly greenish skin. When buying guava, look for ones that “give” to gentle pressure. But keep in mind that ripe guava bruises easily, so handle with care.

Have you ever heard about a Guava?
Guava ripen practically year-round, but fresh guava is most likely to be available in your supermarket, or Hispanic markets, from late spring to early fall. Canned guava, guava paste and guava juice are good alternatives to fresh guava. Guava also makes excellent jam and jelly.

Unusual Way to Treat Diarrhea:
The fruit of the guava plant may be tasty and nutritious, but the leaves have been used as medicine for centuries.
Natives of the areas where guavas grow use the leaves for digestive problems, particularly diarrhea.
They also put the crushed leaves on wounds and chew the leaves to relieve toothaches.
Although most of these folk remedies have little scientific evidence to back them up, one study did find that there might be some truth to the anti-diarrheal effect of guava leaves.