Custard apple, also known as cherimoya or sugar apple, is a delicious tropical fruit that are known for their sweet, creamy taste and texture. They are native to South America and are a popular snack in many countries around the world. Custard apple is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, making them a healthy snack for anyone looking to get their daily dose of nutrition. In this post, we’ll explore the health benefits of custard apples, how to buy and store them properly, and some delicious recipes that you can make with them. So, if you’re looking for a delicious and nutritious snack, look no further than custard apple!
Custard Apple Nutrition Facts and Calories Chart
Custard apples are a delicious and nutritious fruit. They are rich in essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. They are a great source of dietary fiber and provide a healthy dose of antioxidants. Custard apples are low in calories, contain no cholesterol, and are a good source of natural sugar. They are an excellent addition to any healthy diet, providing essential nutrition for overall health and wellbeing. Nutritional value per 100 g custard apple:
- Biotin: 0.00 μg
- Calcium: 5.00 mg
- Carbohydrates (Carbs): 15.10 g
- Chloride: 1.00 mg
- Cholesterol: 0.00 mg
- Choline: 0.00 mg
- Chromium: 0.00 μg
- Copper: 0.02 mg
- Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
- Energy (Calories): 78.00 kcal
- Fat: 0.30 g
- Iodine: 0.00 μg
- Iron: 0.30 mg
- Magnesium: 15.00 mg
- Manganese: 0.01 mg
- Molybdenum: 0.00 μg
- Pantothenic Acid: 0.25 mg
- Phosphorus: 18.00 mg
- Potassium: 151.00 mg
- Protein: 0.80 g
- Saturated fat: 0.05 g
- Selenium: 0.00 μg
- Sodium: 0.00 mg
- Sugars: 12.00 g
- Vitamin A: 173.00 IU
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): 0.02 mg
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.02 mg
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 0.20 mg
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 0.25 mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.05 mg
- Vitamin B9 (Folate / Folic Acid): 5.00 μg
- Vitamin B12: 0.00 μg
- Vitamin C: 10.00 mg
- Vitamin D: 0.00 μg
- Vitamin E: 0.10 mg
- Vitamin K: 0.00 μg
- Water: 78.00 g
- Zinc: 0.06 mg
Custard Apple in India
Ramphala / Aatha Chakka which is also known as wild-sweetsop, bull’s heart, bullock’s-heart, or ox-heart (Annona reticulata) is different than this custard apple. Custard apple is traditionally used for curing a variety of ailments such as ulcer, dysentery, antiovulatory, hair problems, burning sensation, hysteria (fearful state of mind) and fainting spells. The custard apple is believed to be a native of the West Indies but it was carried in early times through Central America to southern Mexico. It has long been cultivated and naturalized as far south as Peru and Brazil. It is commonly grown in the Bahamas and occasionally in Bermuda and southern Florida.
- Scientific Binomial: Annona squamosa
- Common English: Sweet-sop / Sugar-apple
- Ayurvedic: Gandagaatra / Sitaa phala
- Unani: Sharifaa
- Sanskrit: Sitafalam
- Hindi / Urdu: Sharifa / Sitaphal
- Bengali
- Marathi: Sitafal
- Telugu: Seetha phalam
- Tamil: Sitapalam / Sitaaphalam / Atta
- Gujarati
- Kannada: Sitaphala
- Malayalam: Seethappazham
- Oriya
- Punjabi / Sindhi
- Assamese
- Kashmiri
- Konkani
- Manipuri
- Dogri
- Bhojpuri
Home Remedies with Fruit and Tree Leaves
Sitaphal is rich source of calcium, iron, thymine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin B1 and B2. It also contains large amount of sugar.
- Hysteria: For hysteria, leaves when crushed are mainly used to treat fearful state of mind which is referred to as hysteria as well as fainting spells. Crush clean custard apple leaves and put few drops of juice in each nostrils. OR Burn crushed seeds of custard apple and hover with the nose of the sufferer, so it smells wafted by the faint.
- Blood Pressure: As custard apple is a rich source of magnesium and potassium, eating the fruit everyday is helpful to avoid hysteria attacks and to control blood pressure levels.
- Wounds: Antibacterial and anti fungal properties of this tree leaves makes it effective to treat wounds and boil. To treat wounds, try poultice made with fine paste of leaves. This is also helpful to bring boil to head.
- Lice: To treat head lice try powder of custard apple seeds. Mix it with a little water and apply it to the scalp. Wash it off after 20 minutes with a herbal shampoo. This home remedy for head lice is very effective.
- Dandruff: To treat dandruff try either seeds or peels of the fruit. Just boil paste of seeds or paste of peels with enough amount of coconut oil. Strain the mixture and use remaining oil for further use. Apply this oil on hair scalp, just 1 hour before head bath, to get rid of dandruff. The vitamin C found in custard apple helps in the development of collagen which is known as the protein that makes up the primary portion of our scalp and hair.
- Weakness: To treat weakness after typhoid and malaria, eat custard apple regularly once the disease is cured completely.
- Weight Gain: Those who want weight gain, can try eating the fruit everyday.
- Tuberculosis: Custard apple is an effective food remedy for tuberculosis. It is said to contain the qualities of rejuvenating drugs. The Ayurvedic practitioner prepares a fermented liquor called sitaphalasava from the custard apple in its season for use as medicine in the treatment of tuberculosis. It is prepared by boiling custard apple pulp and seedless raisins in water on slow fire. It is filtered when about one third of water is left. It is then mixed with powdered sugar and candy and also the powder of cardamom, cinnamon and certain other condiments.
Side Effects and Precautions
Custard apple is considered as cold in nature. Due to this, it is not advised to consume it in great amounts since it can make a person ill. Beware while fruit seeds, as it could damage eyes, if comes in contact with eyes.