The Exotic Healer: Exploring The Benefits Of Ice Apples

In most parts of the country, summers can get quite difficult to deal with. The soaring temperatures can leave you feeling uncomfortable throughout the summer months unless you have some tricks up your sleeves to keep yourself cool. One of the most common pieces of advice passed from person to person to help one deal with heat is keeping oneself hydrated. However, if you want to stay healthy and beat the heat, you should also focus on having a healthy, balanced diet that helps you stay cool. You can start by including seasonal, juicy fruits in your diet, such as ice apples. If you do not recognise the name “ice apple”, you may know this humble yet delicious fruit by other names such as toddy palm, palmyra palm, and wine palm, or taad gola, nungu, taala, and thathi munjalu in regional languages. The outer layer of this fruit needs to be peeled off to reveal a soft, juice-filled fruit. This outer layer is slightly hard, quite reminiscent of coconut husk. This fruit is commonly available in most parts of India during the months of April to June, when the summer is at its peak. Besides India, ice apple may also be seen in several parts of southeast Asia as well as the Indian subcontinent.

Benefits of Ice Apple

Not only is the fruit popular across the regions it is available, but it also has a range of benefits to offer. Besides adding to the variety on your plate, including ice apples in your summer diet can also help you stay healthy and cool during summer. Here are five ice apple benefits that may lead to you adding this fruit to your list of must-eat summer fruits, if you aren’t already doing so.

• May help you stay hydrated

Once you peel the top layers of ice apple, you reveal a soft heart that holds a bit of juice inside. The fruit has quite a refreshing taste, and its texture is comparable to lychees. While fruits are not to be used to entirely replace your water intake, fruits like ice apples can help you feel hydrated.

• May help with digestive issues

Every 100 gm of ice apples is said to contain about 15 gm of fibre. Fibre is one of the key components that you ought to include in your diet. It can help you with regular bowel movements, regulation of blood sugar levels, as well as manage cholesterol levels. When thinking of adding fibre to their diet, you ought to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet. To add to the variety and avoid the monotony of the same sort of fibre sources, you can add seasonal fruits like ice apples to your diet.

• May be suitable for people with diabetes

Although they are a sweet fruit, ice apples are known to be quite beneficial to people with diabetes or those who are looking to regulate their blood sugar levels. Dried ice apple pulp is also known to have anti-hyperglycaemic properties. If you are living with diabetes, ensure that you consult your doctor about making any changes to your prescribed diet.

• May be good for your skin

Ice apples are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation can lead to issues of the skin such as rashes, itchiness, and more. Topical application of ice apples as well as including them in your diet may help you in dealing with inflammation, thus helping you with the management of skin issues, especially in the summers. Besides offering a host of benefits, ice apples are also a yummy summer treat for kids and adults alike. If you want to ensure a balanced diet for yourself, as well as your family members, be sure to include seasonal and local fruits and vegetables in your diet. Besides ensuring that you have a balanced, healthy diet regularly, there are also a few more things you can do for yourself to stay healthy in the long run. For example, you should go for regular health and dental check-ups, so that any issues may be anticipated well in advance. Moreover, to protect your finances against any significant healthcare costs that may arise out of any health emergencies, you may like to consider a family floater or individual health insurance policy. Having a health plan may help you be better prepared to deal with a number of health situations, including accidents and major illnesses.* Knowing which type of insurance policy to buy is an important decision, as it may determine how you will approach situations surrounding your health. For example, you can choose cashless health insurance plans for family or individual, if you want to have a part of your bills settled by your insurance provider. Moreover, there may be a specific family or individual health insurance policy that may cater to specific conditions.*   *Standard T&C Apply Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation. For more details on benefits, exclusions, limitations, terms, and conditions, please read the sales brochure/policy wording carefully before concluding a sale.