How to Cut a Dragon Fruit?

#dragonfruit #superfood

The dragon fruit is soft and scaly with soft seeds inside. It is a climbing cactus, Hylocereus that can be found in tropical climates.

It is also called Pitaya which is a traditional Central American dessert that has been enjoyed for hundreds and years. It is now readily available in all parts of the world and it is easy to find. You can call it strawberry pear, pitaya, or dragon fruit.

How to cut dragon fruit

The exterior may look tough due to its protruding, scaly leaves, but it is easy to cut through. The skin's surface appears smooth and thin, almost like a mango. The skin beneath has a thicker, more flexible, and waxy layer that is easy to separate from the pulp.
Step 1: Cut in half
You need to cut it more like an onion. Place the dragon fruit on an apron. Cut the fruit in half using a sharp chef’s knife. Start at the top and work your way down to the thicker stem. The pulp can be eaten straight from the halve by using a spoon.
Step 2: Take off the skin.
Now you need to scoop it up. You now have two choices. You can scoop the flesh out with a large spoon, much like you would an avocado, or take a small knife and cut out the flashy part.

Types

Red Dragon Fruit
Red skin dragon fruit can be adorned with pink or white flesh. It doesn't taste very good. It is great for tropical smoothies with flavorful ingredients such as mango and pineapple. The white flesh is the most popular and sweetest.

Pink Dragon Fruit
The "American Beauty" label is often used to describe the light purple flesh and pink skin of dragon fruit. It has a mildly sweet taste similar to red pitaya.

Yellow Dragon Fruit
The yellow dragon fruit is white with a slightly larger number of black seeds. Although it's sweeter and easier to find than the red varieties of yellow dragon fruit, it is less common. The yellow fruit is my favorite.

Health Benefits

It is naturally low in fat and high in fiber. This makes it a great snack, as it helps you feel fuller between meals.
It is filled with antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acid. These natural substances protect cells against damage from free radicals, molecules that can cause diseases such as cancer or premature aging.
It also contains prebiotics. These are foods that nourish healthy bacteria, probiotics, in your gut. Prebiotics can help improve the balance between good and bad bacteria in your intestines. Dragon fruit is a well-known superfood that promotes the growth of probiotics. They include lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These and other beneficial bacteria can fight disease-causing bacteria and viruses in your gut. They are also helpful in digesting food.
It could help lower your sugar. Researchers believe this may be because it repairs damaged cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. This hormone helps your body to break down sugar. However, the studies were not done on humans. It is not clear how much dragon fruit you would need to consume to reap these benefits.

It can boost your immune system. The antioxidants in dragon fruit are beneficial for your immune system.
It can increase your iron levels. Dragon fruit contains iron, which is essential for oxygen transport through the body and providing energy. Dragon fruit also contains vitamin C, which helps your body absorb and use iron.