Our diet has undergone significant changes in recent years. While not long ago we knew little beyond the Mediterranean diet, thanks to globalization and the internet, we have gradually gained access in our own cities to typical foods and dishes from other countries, allowing us to experience the flavors of the world without having to travel.
This doesn’t only happen when we go to a restaurant; we can also find new and different foods to take home at markets. Thanks to this, we also have increasing access to the benefits of foods we weren’t familiar with before.
This is the case with some foods such as kimchi, kombucha, Indian drinks, miso, edamame, and many more. Among these foods that we have become more familiar with in recent years, we find dragon fruit or pitahaya.
Dragon fruit: the most exotic of Mexican fruits
Although its name might suggest that dragon fruit or pitahaya comes from an Asian country—and indeed, its consumption is currently widespread in China and Vietnam—it is actually a fruit of Latin American origin, primarily from Mexico.
This fruit is particularly striking for its beautiful pink color, white flesh, and seeds that are somewhat reminiscent of those in a kiwi. There is another, less well‑known variety with a lemon‑yellow exterior and a slightly sweeter flavor, but equally eye‑catching.
Whichever one we choose, it is a fruit full of properties that will not only help us to benefit our health, but will also allow us to prepare very attractive dishes with it, such as the increasingly popular dragon fruit juice.
Properties and Benefits of Dragon Fruit
Besides containing a significant amount of water, it offers a very small percentage of carbohydrates and proteins. In fact, what it provides most of are minerals and vitamins in large quantities, since almost everything else is water.
Among other nutrients, it contains potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. It also offers a high amount of vitamin C, especially in the red or pink varieties. Its calorie count is very low, making it ideal for a weight‑loss diet.
This fruit has a certain prebiotic effect, as well as being very useful as an antioxidant food, which will protect us, in part, from the effects of free radicals, thanks to the presence of flavonoids.
Our gut flora will benefit from this fruit thanks to its prebiotic effects, but also thanks to its high fiber content. This is why our digestion will be greatly improved and it can be a great help when we need to strengthen our gut flora.
It is also one of the most hydrating and refreshing fruits we can find. This is one of the reasons why dragon fruit juice has become so popular in recent years, along with its beautiful color and the many varieties that can be made from it.
Dragon Fruit Juice
Although we often refer to them as juices, the best way to use dragon fruit or pitaya is to make smoothies. This means we won’t remove the pulp from the fruit, but rather blend or mix it whole.
This way, we won’t lose any of the fiber, and it will help us properly metabolize the fructose it contains. This will ensure we don’t experience a glucose spike and that we fully benefit from the dragon fruit.
There are different recipes we can prepare for this:
#1) Pitaya Juice
This is a smoothie made exclusively with dragon fruit. It can be prepared with water or milk, depending on your preference.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Clean pitahaya | as needed |
| Water (or milk of your choice) | ½ cup |
Preparation:
- Clean and slice the pitaya.
- Place it in a blender or food processor along with the water or milk and blend until well mixed.
#2) Dragon fruit juice with banana
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Dragon fruits | 2 |
| Bananas | 2 |
| Ice (to make it cooler) | as needed |
Preparation:
- Clean and cut the pitaya to extract the flesh.
- Place it in slices or chunks in a blender along with the chopped banana.
- If desired, add ice and blend until smooth.
#3) Dragon fruit and pear juice
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Pitahayas | 2 |
| Pears | 2 |
| Honey (optional, not mandatory) | a little |
Preparation:
- Chop both fruits.
- Blend them in a blender.
- If desired, you can add honey to sweeten, but I recommend tasting it first.
#4) Pitaya Lemonade
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Dragon fruits | 4 |
| Lemons | 6 |
| Water | 1 glass |
| Ice | as needed |
| Sugar (optional) | a little |
| Mint leaves (optional, for extra refreshing flavor) | a few |
Preparation:
- Add the fruit and water to a blender and blend well.
- Then add the ice and, if desired, the sugar, and blend again.
- You can add a few mint leaves for an even more refreshing flavor.