Last Updated on March 18, 2021 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
As a diabetic patient, you might have to think twice before moving towards anything related to food. Sometimes, this confusion can go on for fruits and vegetables as well.
Fruits and vegetables are considered healthy. But there are certain points to keep in mind and reconsider even with these healthy food options. But it is not that difficult to find healthy food for your diabetic-specific diets, and we are here to guide you.
You would all know about jackfruit. But have you heard about raw jackfruit? Have you had raw jackfruit before? But, first of all, you must be wondering …
- Is raw jackfruit good for diabetics?
- What is the glycemic index of raw jackfruit?
- What are its nutritional components?
- What are the benefits of eating raw jackfruit?
Let us know about this popular fruit, but it’s a comparatively unpopular and unripe version. We will tell you all about it that you need to know as a diabetes patient.
Let us first start with some basics. Here we go!
What is raw jackfruit?
Jackfruit, as we all can derive from the name, is a fruit. It is a popular fruit, mostly for its quirky looks. It is a sweet-smelling fruit with an equally sweet taste.
Jackfruit is a tropical type of fruit; it is found mostly in the South-western parts of India. It is a common treatment for the natives and is enjoyed in various ways.
The jackfruit is a big green fruit with a spiky and dotted surface. Inside, the jackfruit, when ripe, is yellow. It also has seeds in it, which are edible and very good for health too.
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Jackfruit is usually eaten as a fruit when it is ripe. But it is also commonly had in its unripe form.
The unripe and raw version of this fruit is rather eaten as a vegetable. It is fleshy, gummy, and full of nutrition. It is often called vegan meat because of its texture.
When unripe, the jackfruit is white rather than the ripe yellow color.
This raw version of the jackfruit is very unpopular even to the natives. Often, its best nutrients are missed by us due to unawareness of its advantages on health.
Raw jackfruit is mildly sweet. It has lesser sugars, which makes it a lot better than the ripe fruit version. It is healthier and also more beneficial to the body.
In the upcoming sections, we will look at how the raw jackfruit is good for health and the benefits it can supply to the body.
But before jumping into that, we will answer some diabetes-specific questions. Let us move on.
Is raw jackfruit good for diabetics?
You will be relieved to hear this. Raw jackfruits are indeed good for diabetic patients. They are safe and beneficial in many ways when it comes to keeping blood sugar levels low.
The raw jackfruit is even better than the ripe variety of jackfruit. With ripe jackfruit, you have to be very careful. It has to be taken in moderation and add in portion control to keep the diabetic blood sugar levels healthy and out of risk.
But with raw jackfruit, there is no such worry about taking into consideration an excessive amount of regulations because it is very healthy and beneficial for the diabetic body.
Unripe jackfruit has plenty of nutrients found in it that are required by the diabetic body. It also has low carbohydrates, low calories, and high fiber quantities compared to many other fruits.
In comparison to the raw jackfruit variety, raw jackfruit is very low in sugar. It is less sweet and has more complex carbohydrates that are good for the body.
It is also good to exchange a regular portion of your carbs from the daily rice and roti to complex carbohydrates.
Dietary fiber found in raw jackfruit is advantageous to the diabetic body in plenty of ways. It is good for regulating blood sugar levels and keeping them within healthy limits. Wondering how this happens?
The fiber in the body helps reduce the pace of food digestion in the body. This, in turn, assists in slower absorption of the nutrients and carbs in the body. Therefore, it also slows down the release of broken-down sugar in the blood that keeps the body’s blood sugar levels under controlled amounts.
Moreover, it is filled with many more useful vitamins and minerals. It is also enriched with antioxidants that nourish the body and provide safety to one’s health.
It is therefore known to be a super-food for diabetic patients.
The glycemic index of raw jackfruit also proves that it is a safe and healthy addition to your diabetic and restricted diet. Let us have a look at it in detail.
What is the Glycemic Index of Raw Jackfruit?
It is necessary for health-conscious individuals and those diagnosed with diabetes to keep an eye on one’s carb intake. There is an easy way to do it, and that is by checking the glycemic index of foods.
The carbohydrates in food and their grouping into healthy and unhealthy categories are done easily by classifying foods by their glycemic index.
It observes the number of carbohydrates found in food and helps determine its effect on the body. This is essential to know for anyone with diabetes.
The glycemic index is categorized as:
| Sl. No. | Glycemic Index categories | Glycemic Index ranges |
| 1. | Low Glycemic Index (safe for diabetics) | 0 to 55 |
| 2. | Medium Glycemic Index (safe if taken in controlled quantities) | 55 to 69 |
| 3. | High Glycemic Index (unsafe for diabetics) | From 70 and above |
As per the above table, we can say that the raw jackfruit is very safe for diabetic consumption. It falls under a healthy and low glycemic range.
The glycemic index of raw jackfruit has been observed to be at 52. This is a low level and helps keep blood sugar levels normal.
On the other hand, the glycemic index of ripe jackfruit is higher. It is – 75, which is a very high Glycemic range and has to be taken care of.
Thus, it is proved that jackfruit is good for diabetics.
Now, we will move on to the nutritional composition of jackfruit. It will also assist in a better understanding of the next section that will cover the many advantages of including raw jackfruit in your meals.
What is the nutritional composition of raw jackfruit?
The best way to tell that a particular food is good for you is by looking into its nutritional facts. The list of the available macro and micronutrients helps in knowing how the food will influence the body.
Here is a list of the nutrients found in raw jackfruit. The table represents the amounts for 1 cup sliced or 165 g of raw jackfruit.
| Sl. No. | Nutrients found in one cup sliced raw jackfruit. | Amount available | % DV |
| 1. | Calories | 155 | 8% |
| 2. | Carbohydrates – Dietary fiber – Sugar | 39.6 g – 2.6 g – 0 g | 13% – 11% |
| 3. | Protein | 2.4 g | 5% |
| 4. | Fat | 0.5 g | 1% |
| 5. | Calcium | 56.1 mg | 6% |
| 6. | Iron | 1.0 mg | 6% |
| 7. | Magnesium | 61.1 mg | 15% |
| 8. | Phosphorus | 59.4 mg | 6% |
| 9. | Potassium | 500 mg | 6% |
| 10. | Sodium | 5.0 mg | 0% |
| 11. | Zinc | 0.7 mg | 5% |
| 12. | Copper | 0.3 mg | 15% |
| 13. | Manganese | 0.3 mg | 16% |
| 14. | Selenium | 1.0 mcg | 1% |
| 15. | Vitamin A | 490 IU | 10% |
| 16. | Vitamin C | 11.1 mg | 18% |
| 17. | Riboflavin | 0.2 mg | 11% |
| 18. | Niacin | 0.7 mg | 3% |
| 19. | Vitamin B6 | 0.2 mg | 9% |
| 20. | Folate | 23.1 mcg | 6% |
The above table shows us that the many nutrients found in raw jackfruit are plenty in number. They add in balancing and enriching the body with necessary vitamins and minerals.
Apart from the nutrients found, we can also see that it is low in fat and sodium. These are important to have in fewer amounts to keep the body safe and out of risks, especially for diabetics.
In addition to that, raw jackfruit also has zero cholesterol. It is good for the heart and does not create additional issues for the diabetic lifestyle either.
Now, let us learn about the many benefits of these different nutrients.
What are the benefits of eating Raw Jackfruit?
As we had mentioned previously, there are several good effects of raw and unripe jackfruit on the body. Here are a few of them:
- Jackfruit can lead to weight reduction. Keeping the body weight healthy and normal is one of the basic ways to have a safe lifestyle. The low-calorie, low-sugar, and low-fat quality of jackfruit can promote weight loss as well as management.
- It has fiber, which is great for the stomach. Fiber keeps the digestive processes properly functional. Moreover, it prevents health issues such as constipation, indigestions, intestinal issues, etc.
- It is low in cholesterol and thus good for the heart. Therefore, one can avoid the risk of heart diseases by including raw jackfruit in their diet.
- It is very high in protein, which is also one reason why it is compared to meat. Protein is the body can assist in the development and good overall functioning of the bodily systems.
- It has several antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunity-boosting properties. These help in safeguarding the body from many complications and assists in better management of health.
References
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