Guava Fruit Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

 

Nutrition facts and health benefits of guava

Guava Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits of Guava:

Scientific name: Psidium guajava,

English Name (common name) : Guava.


Urdu Name: Amrood.

Guava fruit is well known all over the world for its unique taste and nutrition rich contents. Its taste is compared to the combination of pear and strawberry. Guava can be found in apple shape and pear shape. The unripe fruit of guava has a greenish skin which becomes light yellow when ripen, and the color of its flesh may be white, pink or dark red depending on different varieties of guava. Guava trees are grown in tropics and subtropics which grows 4 to 8 meter high on average, although proper pruning is done for limiting its size. About 100 varieties of guava are cultivated all over the world.

History and Origin of Guava:

The exact place of guava origin is not confirmed but it is believed that guava is originated from the area of Central America or Mexico and then distributed to other tropical regions of America. Guava was brought to Asia by Spanish and Portuguese colonizers.

Nutrition Facts of Guava:

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database
Nutrient data for: Guavas, common, raw
Nutrient                            Nutrient Values for 100 g of guava
Water  80.8 g
Energy  68 kcal
Protein 2.55 g
Total lipid (fat) 0.95 g
Ash 1.39 g
Carbohydrate, by difference 14.32 g
Fiber, total dietary 5.4 g
Sugars, total 8.92 g
Minerals
Calcium, Ca 18 mg
Iron, Fe 0.26 mg
Magnesium, Mg 22 mg
Phosphorus, P 40 mg
Potassium, K 417 mg
Sodium, Na 2 mg
Zinc, Zn 0.23 mg
Copper, Cu 0.23 mg
Manganese, Mn 0.15 mg
Selenium, Se 0.6 µg
Guava Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 228.3 mg
Thiamin 0.067 mg
Riboflavin 0.04 mg
Niacin 1.084 mg
Pantothenic acid 0.451 mg
Vitamin B-6 0.11 mg
Folate, total 49 µg
Folic acid 0
Folate, food 49 µg
Folate, DFE 49 µg
Choline, total 7.6 mg
Vitamin B-12 0 µg
Vitamin B-12, added 0 µg
Vitamin A, RAE 31 µg
Retinol 0 µg
Carotene, beta 374 µg
Carotene, alpha 0 µg
Cryptoxanthin, beta 0 µg
Vitamin A, IU 624 IU
Lycopene 5204 µg
Lutein + zeaxanthin 0 µg
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.73 mg
Vitamin E, added 0 mg
Vitamin D (D2 + D3) 0 µg
Vitamin D 0 IU
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 2.6 µg
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated 0.272 g
14:00 0.019 g
16:00 0.228 g
18:00 0.025 g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated 0.087 g
16:1 undifferentiated 0.005 g
18:1 undifferentiated 0.082 g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated 0.401 g
18:2 undifferentiated 0.288 g
18:3 undifferentiated 0.112 g
Amino Acids
Tryptophan 0.022 g
Threonine 0.096 g
Isoleucine 0.093 g
Leucine 0.171 g
Lysine 0.072 g
Methionine 0.016 g
Phenylalanine 0.006 g
Tyrosine 0.031 g
Valine 0.087 g
Arginine 0.065 g
Histidine 0.022 g
Alanine 0.128 g
Aspartic acid 0.162 g
Glutamic acid 0.333 g
Glycine 0.128 g
Proline 0.078 g
Serine 0.075 g
Sources of Data
1 Nutrient Analysis of Specialty Fruit Marketed in the United States
2 Provitamin A activity of specialty fruit marketed in the United States.
3 HPLC quantitation of major carotenoids of fresh and processed guava, mango and papaya
4 Characteristics of the carotenoids and assessment of the vitamin A value of Brazilian guavas

Health Benefits of Guava Fruit:

Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits of guava


Improves Eyesight:

Vitamin A one of the nutrients found in guava fruit is responsible for healthy eyesight, although guava is not a rich source of Vitamin A like carrot but it is still a good source of Vitamin A. Eating guava will help in maintaining good vision and will prevent macular degeneration resulting in healthy eyes.

Improves Heart Health:

100 grams of guava contains 417 mg of potassium which is responsible for controlling blood pressure and eating guava also helps the body in lowering the levels of bad cholesterol. As the high LDL level (Bad cholesterol level) and high blood pressure are responsible for a number of heart diseases and by adding guavas to our diet these risks of heart diseases can be reduced.

Improve Digestive System:

Studies have shown that fiber is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system and guava being a good source of fiber improves digestive system. Foods containing high amount of fiber such as guava plays an important role in reducing constipation and normalizing bowl movement. People often asks “Does guava cause constipation?” the answer is no, in fact guava will help your digestive system in fighting constipation.

Improve Immunity System:

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin required by the body for a healthy immunity system, and it is a fact that guava contain high amount of Vitamin C which is relatively more than an orange contains. In addition to improving immunity system Vitamin C also helps in maintaining healthy skin.


 

Reduce Stress:

Magnesium is a mineral responsible for the relaxation of muscles and nerves, and guava contains a fair amount of magnesium. It is good to eat a guava after a workout or in stress for easing muscles and reducing stress.

Improves Cognitive Function:

Guava contains Vitamin B3 and Vitamin B6 which is responsible for healthy brain and its functions. Eating guava improves blood circulation to the brain resulting in an improved cognitive function.

NOTE: As guava is packed with a lot of nutrients essential for a good health therefore health benefits of guava are not limited to these but we have highlighted a few of them for our readers to promote healthy living through the gifts of nature.


 

Don’t forget to Share it with the ones you care for.

 

1 Comment
  1. Studies suggest that lycopene in pink guavas prevents skin damage from UV rays and offer protection from prostate cancer.

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