Wellness Wednesday: February 24
PITAYA
With the introduction of our newest superfood smoothie, the Magic Dragon, it’s only fitting we feature the vibrant and equally delicious pitaya as our Wellness Wednesday ingredient!
Pitaya, sometimes referred to as dragon fruit or strawberry pear, is a sweet tasting, brightly colored tropical fruit that grows on cactus plants. Some pitaya fruit has a white colored fleshy interior, but the variety that we use in purée form comes from the red flesh variety. Although native to Central and South America, pitaya is now grown all over the world and loved my many across the globe.
One of the most impressive benefits of the pitaya fruit is its high nutritional content. Pitaya is loaded with magnesium, which helps to regulate sodium, potassium, and calcium in the blood, aid in the breakdown of food for energy, promote the formation of your bones and DNA, and foster overall wellness through decreased anxiety, muscle relaxation, and healthy sleep.
Additionally, the flesh of pitaya is incredibly high in fiber. One cup of pitaya packs in 7 grams of fiber, which is almost 30% of the RDI for women and nearly 20% of the RDI for men. Fiber plays an essential role in keeping our digestive system healthy, and studies have also suggested that ample fiber intake can help to prevent heart disease, manage diabetes, and promote a healthy body weight.
One of the most important and unique aspects of pitaya is that is encourages healthy gut health by balancing good bacteria in your gut through its natural prebiotic content. These probiotics encourage growth of good biome in your gut, including lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria.
Pitaya truly is a superfood fruit, and consuming it in all its glory can offer an impressive amount of health benefits to keep you feeling your best and living a fulfilling life!
Make sure to try pitaya in the new, specially crafted Magic Dragon smoothie or our blended pitaya bowl—both equally delicious as they are good for your body!
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