Passion Fruit Peel Studied for Insulin

Passion Fruit — เสาวรส (sao-wa-rot) — Passiflora edulis.

Passion fruit — sao-wah-rot — from how to eat it to what the research studied. You scoop the intensely tart pulp and its crunchy black seeds straight from the shell, and the peel is the part one study focused on. In one small type-2-diabetes trial, researchers measured passion fruit peel flour against insulin-sensitivity markers. For everyday passion fruit nutrition, the pulp is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, potassium, and iron. Fiber adds bulk to meals, can help with fullness, and can slow carbohydrate absorption as part of a mixed diet. Grilled Shrimp Salad with Passion Fruit Dressing combines fresh seafood and greens with a tangy, sweet passion fruit vinaigrette beside iced lemongrass tea. Nam Saowaros is a traditional sweet and sour drink made by blending and straining fresh passion fruit pulp, useful beside spicy Thai curries. The crunchy seeds are eaten along with the pulp and supply most of the fruit's fiber. The vitamin C in passion fruit helps your body absorb its own iron in the same bite, so eat the pulp and seeds together. This vigorous vine fruits on new growth — give it a strong fence or pergola and prune it annually.

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Passion Fruit Dressing — สลัดกุ้งย่างน้ำสลัดเสาวรส (sa-lat-kung-yang-nam-sa-lat-sao-wa-ros)
Nam Saowaros / Passion Fruit Juice — น้ำเสาวรส (nam-sao-wa-ros)

Food and nutrients

Rich in: vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, potassium, iron

Research context

Passion fruit peel flour improved insulin sensitivity in a small type-2-diabetes trial — Nutrition Journal, 2012

Sources

Source: de Queiroz MdSR et al. (2012). Yellow passion fruit peel flour & insulin sensitivity in T2DM. Nutr J 11:89. DOI:10.1186/1475-2891-11-89 (PMID 23088514). Piceatannol (rats): Yamamoto T et al. (2016) PMID 27713972

Narration transcript

Opening

Crack open a wrinkled passion fruit and inside is a pool of intensely tart, perfumed pulp studded with crunchy black seeds — and you eat the seeds and all. Passion fruit — เสาวรส, sao-wa-rot. Scoop the pulp straight from the shell, or strain it into a sweet-sour Thai drink; the seeds are where most of the fiber sits.

สลัดกุ้งย่างน้ำสลัดเสาวรส (Grilled Shrimp Salad with Passion Fruit Dressing)

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Passion Fruit Dressing combines fresh seafood and greens with a tangy, sweet passion fruit vinaigrette, paired beautifully with iced lemongrass tea.

น้ำเสาวรส (Nam Saowaros / Passion Fruit Juice)

Nam saowaros is a traditional sweet-and-sour beverage made by blending and straining fresh passion fruit pulp, perfect for tempering the heat of spicy Thai curries.

Nutrition summary

Because you eat the crunchy seeds and all, passion fruit is high in fiber and vitamin C, with a little riboflavin.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A contributes to normal vision and helps maintain healthy skin and surface tissues.

Fiber

Fiber adds bulk to meals and can help with fullness.

Potassium

Potassium helps with normal fluid balance and muscle function.

Iron

Iron is part of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your blood, and it supports normal energy metabolism.

Closing

The vitamin C in the pulp helps your body absorb the fruit's own iron in the same bite, so eat the pulp and seeds together. If you want to grow it, give this vine serious support — a strong fence or a pergola — because it's vigorous and fruits on new growth, so prune it hard each year. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

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