The lychee fruit is a small round fruit with a red scaly skin, sweet and juicy pulp, and a large seed. Lychee is also known as litchi. It is a popular fruit in Asia and is found in many desserts and drinks, such as frozen drinks, cocktails and ice cream.
Lychee is a fruit that has been cultivated in China for thousands of years. Today, it is grown in many regions, including India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, and the United States.
Calories and Nutrition in Lychee
A 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of fresh lychees contains:
- 66 calories
- 0.83 grams protein
- 0.44g fat
- 16.5 grams of carbohydrates
- 1.3 grams dietary fiber
- 15.2 grams sugar
- 71.5 mg vitamin C
Possible health benefits of lychee fruit
Lychee is a fruit that contains healthy vitamins and antioxidants. Here are some of its health benefits.
Daily fruit intake. It is recommended that you consume at least 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruits and 2 to 4 cups of vegetables each day. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
Trying new fruits and vegetables, such as lychees, will make your meals more interesting. Eating fruit instead of dessert may help you stick to your weight control plan.
vitamins. Lychee fruit is a good source of vitamin C. It is recommended that adults consume approximately 75 mg to 90 mg of vitamin C daily. 100 grams of lychees provides you with 71.5 mg of vitamin C.
Liver health. Your liver performs many important functions in your body. This includes converting nutrients into substances the body can use and removing toxins. Early research finds that lychee fruit may help manage liver disease.
Anticancer activity. Lychee extract may have anti-cancer properties. It may have the potential to stop cell growth in different cancers. But more research is needed.
Oligools. Lychee fruit contains polyphenols called oligools. It acts as an antioxidant.
Oligonol is also used as a dietary supplement. It is a product made from compounds extracted from lychee fruit extract and green tea extract.
A 12-week study of overweight and obese women found that those who took Olignol had lower triglycerides and no weight gain compared to those who took a placebo.
Other research suggests that oligools may affect post-exercise inflammation and cortisol levels.
Cortisol is one of the body's stress hormones. It also regulates your metabolism, immune and inflammatory responses.
Oligonol is derived from lychee fruit extract. But it is produced by changing the manufacturing process of these antioxidants. So the lychees you buy at the grocery store may not have these effects.
Lychee fruit side effects
Lychees generally do not adversely affect your health when consumed as part of a healthy diet.
Hypoglycemia. Lychee fruit has been linked to brain inflammation in children in some villages in India. Researchers say a compound in lychees called hypoglycine A can cause blood sugar levels to drop. This can lead to hypoglycemia, or hypoglycemia.
But malnutrition may also have been part of the blood sugar problem in this study. Many of these children ate lychees instead of dinner. The next morning, they fell ill, experiencing symptoms including seizures and high fever.
allergy . Lychees contain some proteins that may cause rare allergic reactions. There are few scientific studies on lychee fruit allergy. They reported the following symptoms:
- Urticaria (urticaria)
- tickle
- swelling of lips and tongue
- Difficulty breathing.
How to use lychee
You can find fresh lychees in some grocery stores. Asian supermarkets often sell canned and dried lychees. Canned lychees often have added sugar. Check the label to see if they are in sweetened syrups or juices.
In the United States, lychee season begins in May and lasts until summer. Fresh lychees can be refrigerated for 5 to 10 days. It can also be frozen with the skin on. Dried lychees can be stored at room temperature for up to a year.
Some ways to use fresh or canned lychees include:
- Make cocktails using lychee juice (from a jar of lychee fruits)
- Stir-fried with pork, chicken or shrimp
- Chop lychees and mix with avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and onions to make salsa
- Make a fruit salad with lychees, pineapple chunks, melon and other favorite fruits.
