By Gloria Agugua
Ever heard of bread fruit?? Well that’s my latest addiction!
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a specie of flowering tree in the mulberry and Jackfruit family (Moraceae) originating in the South Pacific that was eventually spread to the rest of Oceania. It is grown in some 90 countries throughout South and Southeast Asia, Africa, the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, Central America. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, like freshly baked bread; it has a potato-like flavor.
Growing up, I remember my grandma eating a lot of breadfruit, and she always made me join her in eating some. It was bad enough that I hated the food, but the sight of bread fruit even made it worse as it looked really horrible to me. I remember running to my mum wailing, “mummy grandma wants to feed me her poo!” Lol
Guess what? That is my latest addiction!!!
It is unbelievably healthy!!!
I cannot discuss all the benefits in one post, so I will just talk about Bread Fruits’ benefits to the skin.
Breadfruit Skin Benefits
- Prevents Excessive Skin Inflammation: Fresh breadfruit extracts may help to reduce unwanted inflammation. It inhibits the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes and prevents the overproduction of nitric oxides, thus preventing excessive inflammation.
2. Collagen Production: Drinking breadfruit juice helps to even out the skin tone and firm the skin by rejuvenating its appearance. The high amount of Vitamin C in breadfruit helps in the production of collagen, a protein which provides elasticity to the skin.
3. Encourages New Cell Growth: The antioxidants in breadfruit provide an effective shield against sun rays and sun damage. It also encourages the growth of new cells to make the damaged skin appear smooth and young.
4. Cures Skin Infections: Ashes of the breadfruit leaves are useful for curing skin infections.
5. Treats Skin Diseases: The latex of the breadfruit tree is applied on skin surfaces affected by skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis and inflammation.
Hmm, no wonder grandma had an amazing skin tone…
Bread fruit tastes much better than it looks and it’s very filling too.
I have gradually started phasing rice out of my diet and embracing grandma’s breadfruit!
You should do so too.
