Guava is a delicious tropical fruit that is packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and many other healthy nutrients. Eating guava fruit can help to lower blood pressure, boost your immunity and improve your digestive health. Because guava is full of fiber, it is also a good fruit for helping to lose weight naturally.
It is not just guava fruits that are extremely good for you. Guava leaves, guava seeds, and guava juice all have many health benefits. For example, guava tea made from the plant leaf is good to drink if you have diabetes. Also, seeds from the guava fruit are full of antioxidants to keep your immune system healthy.
In this article, you will find out about the many health benefits of eating a guava a day. You will also find out more ways to get the benefits from guava leaves.
What is Guava?
Guava is a fruit that grows in many tropical countries and is readily available in most stores.
Guava fruits are oval in shape with green skin, edible seeds, and usually, have pink or yellow flesh. You can tell when guava is ripe if the fruit is soft to touch and gives off a fragrant lemon-like smell.
The journal Pharmacognosy Review reported in 2017 that due to its rich nutritional content, guava fruit is classed among the superfoods. In fact, a ripe pink guava contains about 4 times more vitamin C than an orange.
Guava juice and guava nectar are also produced from fresh guava fruit and enjoyed for their delicious tropical taste.
Guava Nutrition Facts
One of the reasons that guavas are so healthy for you is due to their rich content of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
According to information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, without the peel and seeds, one guava fruit contains just 37 calories. This 55-gram serving of guava fruit has just under 8 grams of carbohydrates, which is 3% of your recommended daily intake (RDI).
Eating guava fruit is also good for your digestion due to the fiber content. For example, there are 3 grams of fiber in every guava fruit. This is 12% of your RDI of fiber.
If you consume the crunchy seeds as well, you will greatly increase your daily fiber intake. Research has found that over half of the weight of guava seeds is healthy fiber.
One of the most impressive nutritional facts of the guava fruit is its vitamin content. A whole guava peeled fruit will give you a massive 125 mg of vitamin C. This means that eating just one guava gives you more than 100% of your daily vitamin C needs based on current guidelines.
A serving of one whole guava fruit without the peel also contains 343 IU vitamin A (7% RDI), 26 mcg folate (7% RDI), and trace amounts of vitamins E, K, and B-group vitamins.
Pink guava is also extremely healthy for your immune system. Researchers have found that the pink color in guava fruit flesh is due to an antioxidant called lycopene. This, together with its high vitamin C content, means that pure guava fruit juice can be a good source of antioxidants.
There are also many benefits to using guava leaf. Studies have shown that guava leaf extract contains potent antimicrobial properties. The International Journal of Microbiology reports that guava leaf extract contains antibacterial compounds. Medicinal uses of guava leaf include remedies for diarrhea, vomiting, stomach flu, toothache, and ulcers.
How to Eat Guava
The best way to benefit from guava is to eat a fresh, succulent guava fruit every day. Usually, ripe guavas have a soft, yellowish-green skin that may have a hint of pink. Another way to check if a guava is ripe and ready for eating it to check that it has a sweet, slightly musky smell.
Use a serrated knife to cut the fruit in half and then into thin slices. You will find that the flesh of the guava can range in color from white to yellow to pink.
You can eat whole slices of guava fruit including the peel and seeds. Or, you can scoop out the insides and consume the delicious pink, yellow, or white guava flesh.
Benefits of Guava
Let’s look in more detail at the many ways that eating guava fruit or taking guava extracts can improve your health.
You will find out that you can use guava to help reduce inflammation, keep your heart healthy, treat digestive complaints, and manage symptoms of diabetes. (7)
Guava Fruit Helps Boost Your Immune System
Guava is a health-boosting fruit because it contains a lot of vitamin C to support a healthy immune system.
Vitamin C along with vitamin A and E are powerful antioxidants. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that previous recommendations were to get about 60 mg vitamin C daily. However, scientists now recommend that adults get between 100 mg and 120 mg per day of dietary vitamin C to help reduce your risk of chronic disease.
How much guava do you have to consume to help boost your immune system? One guava fruit contains 125 mg of vitamin C which is more than you need to help strengthen your immunity.
Researchers have also said that guavas are a functional food that can help prevent chronic disease. In fact, wild strawberry guavas have even more antimicrobial properties than common guavas.
Another way that pink guavas can help boost your immunity is that they also contain lycopene. Research into the nutritional value of pink guava has found that guava nectar is rich in lycopene. This is an antioxidant with immune-strengthening properties.
Further reading: how to boost your immune system with supplements, herbs, and functional foods.
Guava is Good for Your Cardiovascular Health
Consuming a guava fruit daily with the seeds can help to improve your cardio health and prevent heart disease.
One small study found that consuming guava fruit juice has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health. Guava juice helps platelets clump together which is important for blood health. Also, consuming guava juice helps to lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate.
Guava fruit is one of the foods you could include on a cardiac diet to help lower your risk of developing heart disease. To help improve your heart health, find out about the 10 most common habits that harm your heart.
Guava tea helps prevent plaque buildup in arteries (atherosclerosis)
You can help to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by consuming tea made from guava leaves.
The journal Food Chemistry reported that guava tea helps to break down low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the blood. Helping to lower LDL cholesterol in this way helps to prevent plaque forming in the arteries.
Apart from drinking a glass of guava leaf tea, learn about what else you can do to lower cholesterol.
Guava Fruit Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
Eating one pink or yellow guava a day can help to treat hypertension and decrease your risk of a stroke.
One randomized controlled trial involving 145 people with high blood pressure found that potassium-rich guava fruit is good for hypertension. One group consumed 0.5 kg of guava daily for 4 weeks. At the end of the trial, researchers noted a significant decrease in blood pressure readings.
However, you may not need to eat as much as 10 guava fruits a day to lower your blood pressure as in the above study. The American Journal of Cardiology says that consuming moderate amounts of guava fruit can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure.
Other studies suggest that drinking guava fruit juice can help lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
If you suffer from hypertension, learn about other foods you can add to your diet to help control high blood pressure.
Guava Fruit and Leaves are Good for Your Digestive Health
The high fiber content of guava fruit and the antimicrobial content of guava leaves mean that this tropical plant is good for your digestion.
Eating a guava fruit a day with the seeds will give you lots of fiber to keep your digestion working well. One guava contains just 3 grams of fiber which is 12% of your daily fiber needs.
Guava nectar also promotes good digestive health because of its fiber content. One cup of canned guava nectar (250 g) contains 2.5 g of fiber which amounts to 10% of the amount of fiber you need daily.
Guava leaves can help if you have digestive problems caused by food poisoning, stomach bugs, or viral infections. Studies have shown that the antimicrobial properties of guava leaf extract can help fight diarrhea caused by viral gastroenteritis.
Find out what other home remedies you can use to treat watery stools and help get rid of the symptoms of diarrhea.
Guava is a Healthy Food for Diabetics
Guava contains anti-diabetic properties because the fruit and leaves can help to lower blood glucose levels.
The Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research reported that consuming ripe guava fruit with the peel has a blood glucose-lowering effect. Eating a whole guava fruit daily can also benefit you if you have diabetes because it helps to lower cholesterol.
Drinking a cup of guava tea can also help control blood glucose levels. Research into the benefits of guava leaf for diabetes found that consuming guava leaf tea helps prevent blood glucose spikes after eating a meal.
Guava tea is just one of the drinks that are good if you have diabetes. You can also learn how apple cider vinegar can help with diabetes symptoms and the benefits of drinking okra water.
Guava Extracts Help Treat Menstrual Cramping
If you suffer from abdominal pain before your period, then the antispasmodic properties of guava leaf can relieve cramping.
Research into the health benefits of guava has found that you can use it to alleviate menstruation-related pain. Consuming guava leaf tea helps to reduce cramping in the uterine muscles and can control dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping).
One trial involving nearly 200 women found that taking guava leaf supplements of 6 mg a day can relieve cramping before your period. In many cases, the guava supplement was as effective as ibuprofen in relieving menstrual cramps.
Learn about other effective home remedies that can give you relief from period pain. If you suffer from cramping after your period, find out what the causes could be and what you can do about it.
Guava May Help You Lose Weight
Eating guava fruit regularly can help you lose weight because it is low in calories, low in fat, and high in fiber.
Although guava has a deliciously sweet taste that some say is like pears and strawberries, one guava contains only 37 calories.
The rich fiber content of guava is also an important factor if you want to lose weight. Consuming fiber-rich foods such as guava on a weight-loss diet can help you feel fuller for longer and also keep your digestion working well.
Can guava tea help you lose weight? Many people say that guava tea is good for losing weight. Although there are no studies backing up these claims, some studies show that drinking guava tea can help reduce some symptoms associated with obesity. Drinking guava tea can help reduce inflammation and high blood pressure.
Some studies have shown that extracts from guava leaves may even help prevent obesity.
If you want to know how to lose weight faster, it is important to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and also exercise regularly.
Guava Can Help Improve Your Skin’s Appearance
Guava fruit is rich in antioxidants and vitamins that help to keep your skin looking healthy and youthful.
Regularly consuming red guava or pink guava fruit helps feed your skin and reduces the effect of free radical damage.
As mentioned in this article, red guava contains lycopene. Scientists have found that people who enjoy a lycopene-rich diet reduce their risk of the visible signs of skin aging and blotchy skin.
The fact that eating one guava fruit daily gives you over 100% of your daily vitamin C needs is another reason why guava is good for your skin. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that you need for healthy-looking skin.
If you are able to get guava leaves, you can make a topical skin mask to help improve your skin’s complexion. Studies show that guava leaves contain compounds beneficial for your skin’s health.
You could use guava leaf tea to help cleanse your skin by dipping a cotton ball in the liquid and applying to your face.
You may want to make a guava leaf mask by crushing up a handful of guava leaves and mixing them with some raw yogurt. Apply the guava leaf mask to your face and leave for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with cool water and pat your face dry. Use the face mask 1-2 times a week to help keep your skin blemish-free.
Find out more about how to prevent the appearance of lines and wrinkles on your face.
Guava Leaf Can Help Treat Acne Breakouts
The antimicrobial properties and anti-inflammatory effect of guava extracts mean that it is good for pimples. Studies have shown that extracts from guava leaves help kill off bacteria that are responsible for some types of acne. Eating a guava fruit daily will help provide your body with antioxidants that reduce the number of breakouts you have.
To help get rid of acne pimples using guava, crush some fresh leaves into a paste and add a little bit of aloe vera gel. Apply the paste to your pimples and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse off and apply a natural moisturizer to your skin to protect it and hydrate it.
Learn about many ways to get rid of acne naturally and about the best ingredients for an anti-acne face mask.
Guava Can Improve Oral Health
Rinsing your mouth with guava leaf tea is a novel way to help kill off bacteria and keep your mouth clean. Research has discovered that properties in guava leaves have medicinal properties that help to reduce the amount of oral plaque. Guava leaf extract is also anti-inflammatory which can help reduce gum inflammation.
Guava May Help Prevent Eyesight Deterioration
Having a guava fruit daily could help improve your vision health and prevent macular degeneration. Vitamin A and C are some of the important vitamins you need for healthy vision.
One guava contains about 343 IU vitamin A which is 7% of your recommended daily needs. Even though guava doesn’t contain as much vitamin A as carrots or sweet potatoes, eating one or two guava fruits a day will help towards meeting your needs.
You can also learn how to create your own eyesight-enhancing fresh and natural juicesthat you can incorporate guava fruit.
Guava Fruit and Leaves Have Anticancer Properties
The rich antioxidant content of guava fruit can help keep your body healthy and help lower your risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer.
Various studies have identified certain cancer-fighting compounds that are found in guava leaf extracts. Laboratory research has shown that some of these have the ability to help prevent cancer or kill off cancerous cells.
Of course there is no single food that can help to eliminate your risk of cancer. However, most doctors agree that a diet rich in antioxidant foods such as guava can help benefit your health.
