Durian: useful properties and contraindications

Durian is one of the most unusual healthy tropical fruits in the world. His homeland is India, Indonesia, Thailand. Grown in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Cambodia. The best fruits are grown near Bangkok. The benefits and harms of durian are not fully understood.

What does durian look like and where does it grow?

The name comes from the Malay words, resulting in the phrase "prickly fruit". Indeed, durian is a large oblong ball, yellow or greenish in color. Weight is up to eight kilograms, diameter is up to thirty centimeters, covered with long pyramidal spikes. In the context of the durian, it looks like a large nut divided into hemispheres. Consists of five chambers, with white veins, each of which contains yellow or yellow-red flesh.

Nine of the thirty-four known species are allowed for use. Durian is beneficial, but in some cases it can cause harm to the body, so you need to carefully study the composition and properties.

Durian taste and smell

This healthy fruit leaves no one indifferent. Taste qualities are so ambiguous that everyone associates them with something individual. Most agree that durian tastes like a delicate cream of milk and eggs. For many it is a favorite fruit, others cannot be in the same room with it.

This is due to a specific smell. Despite all the benefits, because of the unpleasant aroma, many do not dare to try.

This property is explained by the chemical reaction of sulfuric acid and oxygen during cutting. The smell does not come immediately, it takes several minutes for the elements to interact. Compare the odor exuding to sewers or stale socks.

At the same time, this unpleasant fact does not carry any harm to the human body. Rather, on the contrary, a strong smell speaks of maturity and the focus of benefits.

For the same reason, durian is exported in dried or canned form.

Chemical composition and caloric content of durian

Possesses a huge number of beneficial properties for humans. The calorie content is high, about 147 kcal per 100 g.

Composition:

• water - about 60 g;
• proteins - 1.5 g;
• fats - about 5 g;
• carbohydrates - about 23 g;
• fiber - about 4 g;
• ash - 1 g

It also contains useful micro and macro elements:

• potassium;
• calcium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• sodium;
• iron;
• manganese;
• zinc;
• copper.

Durian is a storehouse of useful vitamins: A (beta-carotene), B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), niacin, B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 ​​(pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), C (ascorbic acid).

There are no elements in the composition that are harmful to the body. The benefits are immense for many organs and systems.

Why durian is useful

The benefits of durian for women and men are beyond doubt, it has unique properties and is able to have a beneficial multifaceted effect on the body.

It is the only edible fruit containing organic sulfur. This is a useful element that is part of the cells of hair, skin, nails of a person, as well as nervous, bone and cartilaginous tissues of organs, proteins and some hormones. As a constituent of insulin, sulfur balances blood sugar, which is beneficial for diabetics. It also fights aging, promotes the elimination of toxins, has natural anthelmintic, antiviral properties.

Due to the high content of minerals, it benefits the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems. In addition, it has bactericidal properties.

Due to its high calorie content and fiber content, it is very nutritious. It quickly saturates the body, and the feeling of hunger recedes for a long time.

It does not contain cholesterol, so it can be consumed without fear for those who follow a healthy lifestyle.

Durian is especially beneficial for women. Due to the content of the hormone estrogen, it increases the chances of getting pregnant and carrying a healthy baby.

Durian benefits for men

In addition to the general beneficial properties for women and men, the latter provides invaluable assistance in restoring and maintaining sexual function. It is an excellent aphrodisiac. Thanks to the hormone estrogen, it restores and increases potency, improves sperm quality and sperm activity.

Can durian be consumed by pregnant women?

It is extremely beneficial, but can be harmful to pregnant and lactating women, so they need to be treated with caution.

There is no categorical prohibition. A woman carrying a child can herself assess her condition and the opportunity to taste the fruit. Useful properties will benefit her and the baby. But if a pregnant woman suffers from swelling and high blood pressure, it can be harmful and worsen the problem.

How to eat and clean durian properly

Despite the variety of forms (dried, jam), fresh raw pod has the greatest useful properties. Only fully ripe fruit should be consumed immediately after opening. To do this, you need to cut the durian into several parts, the pulp is easy to extract. You can do this with your hands or with a spoon, as it will be difficult to get rid of the smell. The indigenous people of Thailand eat with salted water. You can learn more about the instructions for cleaning durian in the video:

Why durian is dangerous

Possessing many useful properties, in some cases it can cause serious harm to health. Therefore, there are a number of contraindications for use:

• individual intolerance to the components can lead to allergic reactions;
• it is forbidden to eat people suffering from hypertension, as it increases blood pressure;
• period of pregnancy and lactation;
• the simultaneous use of durian and alcohol is prohibited and extremely dangerous.

Durian and alcohol

Due to the content of active enzymes that would normally be beneficial, the combination results are unpredictable. This can cause severe poisoning and intoxication, as well as an increase in temperature.

Durian in cooking

Its beneficial properties, as well as its delicate taste, have ensured constant use in various recipes.

• It is used for making cocktails, ice cream and jam.
• They are also used to prepare a specific dessert popular in Thailand. It consists of glutinous rice doused with syrup from coconut and sugarcane juice. Added durian pieces to it.
• We love durian dodol no less. This kind of cake is a frozen baked mass of durian pulp, glutinous rice, sugar and coconut milk.
• The seeds are used as a condiment.
• In Indonesia, mint sauce is prepared from the pulp, which is served with rice.
• It is used fried as a side dish for meat.

What is the difference between jackfruit and durian

Jackfruit in Thailand is no less popular than durian. This is also an extremely healthy fruit that has a specific smell and a whole range of useful substances and elements. But the difference between them is great.

These are the fruits of completely different trees. Jackfruit grows on a breadfruit tree, the fruits are huge, weighing up to thirty kilograms. As it grows, it is covered with green thorns; when ripe, these thorns become less pronounced. Ripe jackfruit is gray-brown in color. Its seeds are eaten, they contain milky juice, which is very difficult to wash from skin and clothes.

They are also different in appearance. If the durian pulp is in two large oblong halves, the jackfruit seeds are small, randomly located inside the fruit.

How to choose durian

Ripe fruits are most useful. To choose the most ripe fruit, you need to know what characteristics it should have:

• it should be soft to the touch, but elastic at the same time; excesses in one direction and the other indicate immaturity or overripe;
• the thorns must be mobile, otherwise it indicates immaturity;
• a dull sound should be heard when tapped;
• the unpleasant odor should not be distinct;
• the color can be green or yellow;
• the fruit should not be peeled, as it has a short shelf life;
• the surface should be free of stains and damage.

How to store durian at home

Purified durian is not stored, it must be consumed immediately, otherwise all useful properties will be lost. And in an unpeeled form it can lie for two days at room temperature, in the refrigerator - up to five days.

To extend the shelf life of durian, a kind of dried fruit is made from it. But the pulp is not just dried for this, but a marshmallow is made - this method allows you to preserve the benefits and taste.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of durian are incomparable. Due to the content of a large amount of nutrients and elements, durian has a beneficial effect on all systems of the human body. It will not cause any harm if you use it wisely, adhere to all the rules, abstain from alcohol.

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