Health benefits of jackfruit – The Hindu

Unripe jackfruit has many culinary uses

If the mango is described as the king of fruits, then the jackfruit will be the doctor of all fruits. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a plant known in India and the Middle East for a long time and has been used in Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine as a health aid. Known as ‘kathal’ in Hindi, ‘palaa’ in Tamil, ‘kanthal’ in Bengali, and ‘chakka’ in Malayalam, the plant and its parts are used in cooking in Southern and Northeastern States of India, while it is eaten more as a fruit elsewhere. It is abundant in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, from where it is exported to the Middle East.

The jackfruit tree is large, and the fruit does not hang down from branches, but grows directly from the trunk and limbs. This helps it to grow to enormous sizes, the record being a 42 kg specimen from Kerala. The ripe fruit is sweet and tasty. Unripe jackfruit has many culinary uses. It is even used as a substitute for meat, since it has lower fat and cholesterol levels, and tastes just as good as meat! Jackfruit biryani is a tasty vegetarian alternative, as is jackfruit curry.

The tree has many other uses. Southeast Asian monks wear robes dyed with jackfruit bark for a radiant, sunlit yellow that is reminiscent of honey. This colour also imbibes a pleasing texture to furniture made from jackfruit wood, which is hardy and termite resistant.

A superfood

But it is as a superfood that the jackfruit has been gaining global popularity. A comprehensive review from Cleveland University, U.S. points out that jackfruit is rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and plant-based chemicals, and elements such as potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. In Duke University’s site, scientist Brianna Elliott highlights the nutritional benefits of jackfruit. She points out that sliced jackfruit is nutritionally superior to apples and mangoes. Quoting several references, she points out that the fruit controls blood sugar levels, reduces the fat deposited from the liver to other organs, and the carotenoids in it reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. Vitamins A and C in it lower the risk of viral infections.  

The WebMed website lists the many benefits that the fruit offers. “Jackfruit is packed with essential vitamins and minerals and is a particularly good source of B vitamins, potassium, and vitamin C,” it says. Jackfruit is particularly useful for diabetic patients. India has about 215 million people across the nation who are afflicted with diabetes. In 2021, A. Gopal Rao from the Government Medical College, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh and others in their paper in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes showed in a randomised clinical trial that green jackfruit flour or powder, made from the fleshy portion of unripe jackfruit, is efficient at glycaemic control and can substitute the staple foods rice or wheat. This is particularly useful in the northern states where jackfruit is not cultivated. One of the authors of this paper, Mr James Joseph, runs a company which sells jackfruit flour all over India.

Jackfruit is thus a desirable addition to our daily food, both for diabetics and otherwise healthy individuals, either as the fruit or its powder. Let us have it either way and keep well!