Carambola (star Fruit) - Health Benefits

Carambola is also known as carambola or star fruit . It is used in cooking for fruit salads, desserts, jams, sauces, juices, soft drinks or as a standalone dish. The fruit is very beautiful, so you can use it for decoration, delivering various benefits, and at the same time you do not need to spend time peeling and decorating, you just need to wash and cut it.

The star fruit is sweet and sour and has a star shape when cut. 

Carambola is available in two versions - smaller, respectively more sour, larger and sweeter. The fruit is green or yellow.

Nutritional properties of carambola

One fruit contains:

• 3 grams of fiber
• 1 gram of protein
• 52% of the daily requirement of vitamin C.

The composition of the fruit includes: organic acids (especially oxalic), potassium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, copper, calcium, vitamins (C, B1, B2, B5, beta-carotene, E) and other biologically active substances. All of them determine its useful properties.

Star fruit - health benefits:

Carambola is widely used in folk medicine in the countries where it grows. The leaves are used as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent for external use in insect bites.

Carambola fruit is very rich in vitamin C, with only one fruit providing half of the required daily amount. The vitamin has a wide range of applications on the health of the body - it has antioxidant properties, strengthens the immune system, supports skin health, increases the absorption of calcium and iron.

Equipped with powerful antioxidants such as quercetin and gallic acid, they help counteract the effects of oxidative stress and reduce the growth of free radicals that damage cells. These antioxidants take care of hair and skin, giving them strength and shine. The B vitamins, which are contained in the fruit, also have a good effect on the hair.

The cooling and anti-inflammatory properties of carambola promote salivation and inhibit the production of mucus or sputum. Consume the fruit for colds, such as bronchitis, can facilitate healing. It also relieves sore throats.

Star fruit is rich in polyphenols, which affect inflammation and help repair damaged cells. Polyphenols are known to help with type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity. They also reduce the risk of heart disease.

The fruit stimulates the appetite and helps with a wide range of stomach ailments, in Ayurveda it has been used as a medicine for thousands of years.

Fiber is high in carambola and has a positive effect on the digestive system. Fiber-rich foods take care of the gut and help the urinary system, and soluble fiber feeds the good bacteria in the gut.

Thanks to its low calories per fruit and richness in fiber, you can easily include carambola in your diet. In general, you will get energy and sweeten, which is difficult for people with diabetes, and the fruit is not contraindicated even for them.

The presence of calcium reduces the risk of heart problems such as heart attack and stroke, relieves tension in blood vessels and arteries. By eliminating the pressure, the heart can relax, which makes blood circulation more efficient, and this maintains the balance of fluids in the body. About 80% of the fruit is water, so it is a great source of hydration and quenches thirst.

Other benefits of fruit star include:

• helps lower the temperature;
• it is useful in diseases of the liver, kidneys and genitourinary system;
• used to treat hemorrhoids;
• helps to neutralize and remove alcohol from the body.

Contraindications

Carambola fruits (especially unripe ones) contain a large amount of oxalic acid, so their consumption by people suffering from enterocolitis, gastritis or ulcers of the stomach and duodenum (especially in the acute stage) is contraindicated.

Intake of large amounts can cause the development of kidney disease or disrupt salt metabolism in the body.