Amra, the Lesser Known Fruit

Amra is a lesser known fruit. Have you ever eaten Amra or even heard about it? When yesterday, in my Insta stories, I asked my audience to guess if this was Ber, Amra or Kundru, majority of them mistook Amra for Baer. Amra is a the lesser known seasonal fruit of Summers. Amra/ Ambarella, a tropical fruit that goes with several common names- June Plum, Dwarf Golden Plum, Indian Hog Plum and comes in diverse shades of green.

It comes usually towards the end of the mango season for a short time. Its bit sour in taste but loaded with health benefits. Since it comes for a short span of time only, our ancestors would use their culinary skills to turn it into jams and pickles to reap the health benefits for extended period of time.

Health Benefits of Amra

Amra improves Digestive Health

1. Excellent for Improved Digestion-

Good source of fiber, Amra is great for digestive health even in small amounts. Its  packed with beneficial antioxidants such as flavonoids, terpenoids and tannins. These work in synergy to foster easy digestion, besides treating a host of common gastrointestinal complaints like bloating, indigestion, flatulence. The best time to eat ambarella is before a heavy meal of breakfast or lunch, to help activate gastric juices in the stomach and facilitate smooth assimilation of food.

Amra is Iron Rich

2. Improves Hemoglobin  Production

 Amra is a good source of Iron. Iron is essential for haemoglobin production that maintains regular functioning of many of our body functions. While the iron is the oxygen-binding proteins located in the blood, it also helps in the improvement of the iron and oxygen-binding proteins also in the muscles which are known as Myoglobin. Iron is a vital micronutrient that is essential to the body and functions great in the preventing of anemia and other blood conditions.

High in Iron

3. Rich in Vitamin C

Amra is rich in Vitamin C, which is an important anti oxidant and not just essential for Iron absorption, bt also for repairing of bones, teeth and healing of several health conditions. Vitamin C inhibits harmful oxidation by free radicals that is responsible for fast aging and poor health of body’s vital organs and cells. Vitamin C is important for improving production of Collagen, that has gained popularity currently for healthy and firm skin.

Amra helps in Muscle Regulation

4. Contributes towards Muscle Strength

Being rich in Thiamine, it helps towards muscle contraction and conduction of nerve signals. Proper nerve signalling regulates proper system functioning and allows you to experience your environment better

Amra improves Bones

5. Enhances Bone Health

It is a fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free fruit and a good source of vitamin K that helps in proper bone health. The vitamin K does not only helps in blood clotting, but it also helps to improve the bones by making them strong, thereby helping in the prevention of bones health conditions like bone fractures, etc., its effects on osteoporosis has not been proven medically, though most people take it for this cause

6. May help in Blood Pressure

  Amra is great diuretic, it helps the body to effectively and adequately remove fluids (water) from the body through urine, there by maintaining a balance of  sodium in the body  and decreasing the risk of high blood pressure

Related Reads: