Sapodilla – Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Sapodilla, also known as chiku, is a pulpy fruit that has a number of health benefits when eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet. It is a fruit with a lot of calories but not much fat or cholesterol. It helps you stay active and healthy.

Due to its high fibre content, it can be used as a laxative to clean out the bowels. It can also help with other digestive problems, such as diarrhoea, heartburn, inflammation of the food pipe, gastritis, etc.

Sapodilla also protects you from everyday illnesses like the common cold by making your immune system stronger. Vitamin A helps you see better and slows down ageing by making your skin look better, keeping your blood pressure steady, and keeping your heart healthy.

What is sapodilla?

Sapodilla, also called sapota, is a tropical fruit in the family Sapotaceae. It is a grey-brown fruit with a sweet taste and a grainy texture. Only ripe fruit can be eaten. When it's not ready, the fruit is hard and makes saponin, but as it ripens, it gets softer.

Sapodilla (Chiku) grows on trees that have evergreen leaves and can only live in hot or warm climates. The flowers bloom all year long, but the fruits are only produced twice a year.

Sapodilla plant’s description:

Sapodilla tree is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 30 metres tall (98 feet). Sapodilla trees are a cultivated species that grows slowly and stays about the same size. Redwoods are strong and last for a long time. The long, bright green leaves are ovate to elliptic in shape. They are small and not very noticeable. The fruit looks like a sphere and is about 5–10 cm (2-4 inches) in diameter. Its surface is dark brown. People have said that its sweet taste is like a mix of pears and brown sugar. When the fruit is ready, there are two to five shiny black seeds that are flat and shaped like beans. They are covered with clear, yellow-brown, juicy flesh. When the fruit is still young, the flesh is volatile and full of tannins and milk latex. Most plants are grown from seeds, but good plants can also be grown from cuttings.

Nutritional value of sapodilla:

Sapodilla is a fruit that has a lot of calories. Each 100gm of sapodilla gives you about 83Kcal of energy. It has about 20g of carbs, a very small amount of fat, and no cholesterol. It has a lot of fibre in it, about 5 grams per 100 grams of fruit.

Sapodilla also has a lot of Vitamin C, A, and other vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and so on. It also has a lot of magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, as well as a lot of iron, copper, and calcium.

Uses of sapodilla:

Sapodilla is a tropical fruit that is soft and juicy, like a mango. The flesh can be eaten right out of the fruit. Also, like any other fruit, it goes well in fruit salad, milkshakes, ice cream, and other sweets.

When the sapodilla fruit isn't ripe enough to eat, it gives off a gummy latex-like substance called chicle. Chicle was once used to make chewing gum, so much so that the word "chiclet" came from the word "chicle." In some cultures, the mildly poisonous stings and bites are treated with a paste made from the seeds of the sapodilla fruit. People use the wood as lumber.

Health benefits of sapodilla: 

Sapodilla Boosts Energy

Sapodilla, also called Chiku, is a high-calorie fruit that is mostly made up of fructose and sucrose, two types of sugar that are easy to digest, just like bananas and sweet potatoes. So, they can quickly get their energy back, which is very helpful when doing things like working out or playing sports.

Sapodilla assists with digestion.

Sapodilla has a lot of dietary fibres, which makes it a great way to improve bowel movements, keep you from getting constipated, and clean out your digestive tract.

Sapodilla boosts the immune system

The Sapodilla (Chiku) fruit has a lot of Vitamin C and other antioxidants that help your body fight off disease-causing germs.

Sapodilla Prevents gastrointestinal ailments

Tannin is a polyphenolic compound that is found in a lot of the Sapodilla (Chiku) fruit. Tanni is an anti-inflammatory compound found in Sapodilla (Chiku). It helps reduce symptoms of irritation in different parts of the digestive tract, such as heartburn and gastritis.

Sapodilla Enhances vision

The sapodilla fruit has a lot of vitamin A, which helps form cells that help us see and makes our eyesight better.

Sapodilla Prevents cancer

Fruits like sapodilla, which are high in vitamin A, can protect against cancers of the lung and mouth. Also, its high fibre content makes it a laxative that cleans out the digestive tract and helps protect the colon wall from dangerous toxins that can cause cancer.

Sapodilla Soothes Pulmonary Problems

The flowers and fruits of the Sapodilla (Chiku) plant are used to treat lung problems like coughs, colds, congestion, etc.

Sapodilla is anti-ageing

If you eat sapodilla fruit as part of a healthy diet, it helps slow down the effects of ageing, both on the outside and on the inside. Vitamin A and other antioxidants get rid of free radicals, which are harmful.

The loss of haemoglobin in the blood is stopped by foods with a lot of iron. Sapodilla keeps the skin healthy, bright, and free of wrinkles.