The name ‘sapota’ might not be familiar to most of us. Sapota is
another name for the fruit better known as ‘chikoo’. When we say sapota,
we are basically referring to the tropical evergreen tree that bears
this fruit. Sapota is a delicious calorie-rich fruit belonging to the
category of fruits like mango, banana and jack fruit. Its other names
are nose berry, sapodilla plum, chickoo sapote etc.
The sapota fruit has its origin in the
rain forests of Central America, particularly in Mexico and Belize but
it is easily available in India. The fruit is a round or oval-shaped
berry measuring around 10 centimeters in diameter and weighing 150
grams. It has 2-5 big, black, shiny bean-like seeds in the centre. The
unripe fruit has a hard surface and white pulp due to its high content
of latex. The latex content reduces as the fruit ripens and its flesh
acquires a brown color. It has a smooth and grainy texture with a sweet
and musky flavor. It is rich in calories and its sweet flavor can be
attributed to the presence of simple sugars like fructose and sucrose
that replenish energy and revitalize the body.
Health Benefits Of Sapota/Chickoo:
Sapota is one of those fruits which are great for health besides
being extremely delicious, thanks to the wide array of nutrients
contained in this fruit. The tasty flesh of this fruit is easily
digestible and replenishes our body by providing energy due to its high
content of glucose. As already said, this fruit is rich in vitamins,
minerals and tannins. Due its sugary taste, it is widely used in shakes.
The various health benefits of sapota are given below:
1. Good for the Eyes: Sapota contains a high amount of Vitamin A.
According to research, Vitamin A helps in improving vision even during
old age. Thus, in order to get or maintain good vision, you must try
eating sapota fruit.
2. Source of Energy: Sapota is rich in glucose which provides instant
energy to the body. Athletes require loads of energy and hence, are
recommended to eat sapota fruit.
3. Anti-inflammatory Agent: The high content of tannins makes sapota
or chikoo an important anti-inflammatory agent. In other words, it helps
in improving the condition of the digestive tract through prevention of
diseases like esophagitis, enteritis, irritable bowel syndrome and
gastritis. It also reduces inflammation by reducing any swelling and
pain.
4. Prevention of Certain Cancers: The Vitamins A and B help in
maintaining the health of the mucus lining of the body and the texture
of the skin. The antioxidants, dietary fiber and nutrients found in
sapota provide protection against cancer and tightly bind the
carcinogens (toxins) to protect the mucus membrane of the colon. Vitamin
A provides protection from lung and oral cavity cancers.
5. Healthy Bones: Additional amounts of calcium, phosphorus and iron
are required by bones to increase their endurance. Being rich in
calcium, iron and phosphorus, sapota fruit greatly helps in enhancing
and strengthening the bones.
6. Relief from Constipation: Sapota fruit provides a high amount of
dietary fiber (5.6/100g). Thus, it is regarded as an excellent bulk
laxative. The fiber content provides relief from constipation. It
supports the colons’ membrane and makes it resistant to infections.
7. Benefits during Pregnancy: Having a high dose of carbohydrates and
essential nutrients, sapota is extremely beneficial for pregnant and
lactating mothers. It helps in reducing weakness and other symptoms of
pregnancy such as nausea and dizziness.
8. Haemostatic Properties: The sapota herb is known for its
haemostatic properties i.e. stopping blood loss. Thus, this herb is
beneficial in reducing bleeding in case of piles and injuries. The
ground seeds can be applied as a paste for alleviating stings and insect
bites.
9. Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial Properties: Due to the presence of
polyphenolic antioxidants, sapota is found to have several anti-viral,
anti-parasitic and anti-bacterial properties. The antioxidants prevent
bacteria from entering into the human body. Vitamin C destroys the
harmful free radicals whereas potassium, iron and folate, niacin and
pantothenic acid facilitate proper functioning of the digestive system.
10. Anti-diarrheal: Sapota is regarded as an anti-diarrheal due to
its purgative properties. A decoction made by boiling this fruit in
water can cure diarrhea. It also helps in the alleviation of piles and
dysentery.
11. Mental Health: Being a potent sedative, sapota fruit helps to
calm the nerves and alleviate stress. Thus, it is advisable for
individuals suffering from insomnia, anxiety and depression.
12. Cold and Cough: Sapota fruit is effective in keeping congestion
and chronic coughs at bay by removing the phlegm and mucus from the
nasal passage and respiratory tract. Thus, it helps in the alleviation
of cold and coughs.
13. Kidney Stones: The crushed seeds of this fruit act as a diuretic,
thus helping to expel bladder and kidney stones. It provides protection
against kidney diseases as well.
14. Aids in Weight Loss: Sapota fruit indirectly helps in weight loss
and prevents obesity by regulating the secretion of gastric enzymes,
thereby regulating metabolism.
15. As a Detoxifying Agent: Sapota acts as a diuretic and thus helps
in removing waste materials from the body through frequent urination. It
prevents edemas or water retention by maintaining the water
concentration within the body.
16. Tooth Cavities: The high latex content of sapota fruit can be used as a crude filling for tooth cavities.
17. Other Health Benefits: Magnesium contained in sapota is
beneficial for blood and blood vessels whereas potassium helps in
regulating blood pressure and promoting healthy circulation. Folate and
iron prevent anemia. Sapota helps in strengthening the intestines and in
improving their performance. In short, eating sapota or chikoo fruit
helps in developing body resistance against many infectious diseases.
For best results, the sapota fruit should be eaten ripe. But you can
also choose to have the sapota juice if you please. Raw sapota fruits
are extremely bitter due to high content of tannin and latex, and can
cause mouth ulcers, itching sensation in the throat and difficulty in
breathing.
Hair Benefits of Sapota/Chikoo:
As we all know, proper supply of nutrients to our body and proper
absorption of these nutrients is inevitable for maintaining good hair
health. Hair problems are a result of exposure to harmful chemicals,
unhealthy lifestyle and inadequacy of certain essential nutrients in our
diet. Being loaded with essential nutrients, sapota has enough to
contribute towards healthy hair.
The benefits of sapota for hair are as follows.
18. Oil extracted from sapota seeds helps in moisturizing and
softening your hair, thus making it more manageable. It imparts sheen
and is considered excellent for curly hair. It gets absorbed easily
without leaving a greasy residue.
19. The sapota seed oil nourishes the scalp by alleviating irritated
skin conditions and promotes healthy hair growth. This oil is considered
to be effective in treating hair-fall caused by seborrheic dermatitis.
20. The seeds of sapota can be grounded to make a paste and mixed
with castor oil. This mixture should be applied on scalp and washed off
the next day. This makes your hair smooth and the problem of dandruff
can also be controlled.
Skin Benefits of Sapota/Chikoo:
The wide array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in the
sapota fruit makes it an amazing choice for healthy and glowing skin.
Thus, this article will be incomplete without talking about the skin
benefits of this tasty fruit.
21. Sapota fruit helps to make your skin glowing, thus reducing your requirement of
skin care products
to enhance your natural skin texture and complexion. The Vitamin E in
this fruit moisturizes your skin, thus giving you healthy and beautiful
skin. Hence, eating sapota fruit is good for the skin.
22. Sapota fruit is rich in antioxidants. Therefore, it acts as an
anti-ageing agent by eradicating free radicals in the body which are
responsible for enhancing the ageing process. It is also effective in
reducing wrinkles.
23. The seed kernel oil of sapota is used as a skin ointment. The
residue of this seed, after the extraction of oil, can be applied as a
poultice on painful skin afflictions.
24. The milky sap of the sapota plant can be used to remove warts and fungal growth on the skin.
25. The combination of Vitamin A and C beautifies the skin by imparting it with a healthy glow.
Nutritional Value of Sapota:
Sapota fruit is a storehouse of nutrients, vitamins, minerals,
glucose, tannins and calories. Ripened sapota is a great source of
minerals like potassium, copper, iron and vitamins like folate, niacin
and pantothenic acid. These compounds are vital for overall health
because of their involvement in metabolic processes in the body as
co-factors for different enzymes.
| Principle |
Nutrient Value |
Percentage of RDA |
| Energy |
83 Kcal |
4% |
| Carbohydrates |
19.9 g |
15% |
| Protein |
0.44 g |
<1% |
| Total Fat |
1.10 g |
3.5% |
| Cholesterol |
0 mg |
0% |
| Dietary Fiber |
5.3 g |
14% |
| Vitamins |
|
|
| Folates |
14 µg |
3.5% |
| Niacin |
0.200 mg |
1% |
| Pantothenic acid |
0.252 mg |
5% |
| Pyridoxine |
0.037 mg |
3% |
| Riboflavin |
0.020 mg |
1.5% |
| Thiamin |
0.058 mg |
5% |
| Vitamin A |
60 IU |
2% |
Sapota fruit is a great source of dietary fiber, which is a good
laxative and protects the outer membrane of our colon from carcinogenic
toxins. Sapota is known for its anti-oxidative properties due to the
presence of naturally occurring polyphenols called tannins. These
compounds help in neutralization of acids and in curing diarrhea,
hemorrhoids and bleeding.
Sapota is also rich in antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin C and A.
Vitamin C provides resistance against infection and prevents the
formation of harmful free radicals whereas, Vitamin A helps in the
promotion of vision and protection from lung and oral cavity cancers.
The high content of Vitamin B prevents stress and fatigue and Vitamin E
is beneficial for the skin.
Last but not the least; sapota is a great source of protein which is
vital for the growth of our body. Being rich in glucose, it is an
energy-giving food.
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