Persimmon: Health Benefits and Nutritional Value
Ever confused persimmon with a tomato? Find out why this sweet fruit from the Far East is different. But is persimmon really healthy? Let’s go into our article to discover the surprising facts!
Is persimmon healthy?
Correct! Persimmons are super healthy. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. But remember that they contain less fiber than other fruits, so don’t forget to eat other fruits too!
What is a persimmon?
This edible fruit resembles a square orange tomato with a smooth skin. The size varies per type of persimmon. For example, a persimmon can weigh 125 grams or 150 grams. Persimmon fruit is completely edible. This means that the peel is also eaten.
Persimmon is native to China, Korea, Thailand and Japan. Nowadays they are grown almost all over the world, such as in France, Spain and New Zealand. This fruit grows on tall trees of 15 meters. Sharon fruit is a persimmon variety that has been bred. It does not contain tannin (tannic acid) and seeds, which many people like.
Tannins are harmful substances when a persimmon is still unripe. This creates a sour taste. Only when the fruit is soft can you eat it. The softer the persimmon, the less the tannin taste will bother you.
The taste of persimmon fruit is somewhat similar to the taste of apricots. The fruit has a delicious sweet taste. A persimmon is ready to eat when the skin is orange-red. The fruit takes on a shiny color when overripe. You can store ripe persimmons in the refrigerator. You should store unripe persimmons out of the refrigerator.
It is best to eat the fruit when it still has a firm structure, but you should be able to push it in a little. Did you know that you don’t have to peel the persimmon?
You can eat persimmon in many more ways than just as a snack. You can eat it from the oven with fresh goat cheese, in chutneys, in a salad with nuts or 30+ cheese and in a tasty fruit salad.
RESUME
Persimmon is originally from Japan, Thailand and Korea, among others. There are many types of persimmons, such as the refined Sharon fruit variety. The taste is very sweet and somewhat resembles the taste of apricots.
What are the nutritional values of persimmon?
Below you can read the nutritional values of a persimmon (125 grams).
- Energy: 96 kcal
- Fat: 0 grams
-Of which saturated fat 0 grams - Carbohydrates: 23.3 grams
-Of which sugars: 23.3 grams - Fiber: 0.6 grams
- Protein 0.6 grams
- Salt: 0 grams [2]
What nutrients does persimmon contain?
Below you can read which and how many nutrients a persimmon contains (125 grams).
| Nutrient | Quantity | Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) |
| Potassium | 225 mg | 3500 mg |
| Calcium | 13 mg | Men and women 18-24 years: 1000 mg Men 25-69 years and women 25-49 years 950 mg Women 60-69 years 1100 mg |
| Magnesium | 14 mg | Men 350 mg Women 300 mg |
| Iron | 0.1mg | Men and women who do not menstruate 11 g Women who do menstruate 16 mg* |
| Selenium | 0 µg | 70 µg |
| Zinc | 0.1 µg | Men (>18 years) 9 ug Women (>18 years) 7 ug Pregnant women 9.1 ug Breastfeeding women 11 ug |
| Vitamin A | 103 ug | Men 800 μg Women 680 μg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 10 μg >70 years People with tanned skin People who rarely go outside and/or cover their hands and face 20 μg |
| Vitamin E | 0 mg | Men 13 mg Women 11 mg |
| Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.03mg | 0.1mg |
| Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.04 mg | 1.6mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.13mg | Men and women 1.5 mg Men >50 years 1.8 mg |
| Folic acid | 9 μg | 300 μg Pregnant and lactating women 400 μg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 2.8 μg |
| Niacin | 0.3mg | 16 mg |
| Vitamin C | 20 mg | 75 mg |
| Iodine | 0 µg | 150 μg Pregnant and/or lactating women 200 μg. |
| Phosphorus | 24mg [2] | 550 mg (>18 years) [3] |
What are the health benefits of persimmon?
Eating persimmons has many health benefits. It is packed with healthy nutrients. A number of these benefits are listed below.
Persimmon fruit has a low energy density
You may be wondering: what does that mean? This simply means that a persimmon contains few calories per gram. A persimmon even contains less than 1 kcal per gram, namely only 0.77 calories per gram.
This is a big advantage. It is easier to maintain weight by mainly eating food with a low energy density and limiting food with a high energy density.
By maintaining a healthy weight you prevent many annoying weight-related diseases, such as high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, metabolic syndrome (complaints surrounding metabolism), diabetes type II (diabetes) and cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes type II (diabetes) and the metabolic syndrome can also cause more obesity, which can cause even more health problems.
Persimmon fruit contains many important nutrients
Persimmons are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Persimmons also contain antioxidants and bioactive compounds. The vitamin C content is especially high, namely 20 mg.
This high content is more than a quarter of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Vitamin C is important for your resistance and supports healthy skin.
The fruit also contains a lot of fat-soluble vitamin A, which is important for healthy vision and good resistance. In addition, the fruit is a good source of potassium, which is important for your fluid balance and blood pressure. This makes it indirectly healthy for your kidneys.
Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect our body against damage to tissues and cells caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are caused by normal body processes and external factors such as smoking and sunlight. The damage to tissues and cells can probably lead to various (chronic) diseases, such as cancer, in the long term.
Bioactive substances are substances such as flavonoids. These substances probably have the same health benefits as, for example, vitamins.
Persimmon fruit contains fiber
Like other fruits, persimmon contains fiber. Although the amount of fiber in persimmons is a lot lower than in other types of fruit (such as bananas and mango ), it can still contribute to your fiber intake and healthy digestion.
Women need at least 25 grams of fiber per day and men need at least 30 grams of fiber per day. Fiber has several health benefits. For example, they can provide a feeling of satiety and make your blood sugar level rise less quickly, giving you long-lasting energy.
These can both help keep your energy balance stable. Your energy balance is the ratio of the energy you take in (via calories) and energy you use (via your resting metabolism and exercise).
The soluble fibers can also reduce the risk of type II diabetes and contribute to good bowel movements, which can indirectly ensure regular bowel movements.
Persimmon fruit can support good heart health
Once again we have to thank fiber for this health benefit.
Fiber plays an important role in this health benefit. Eating enough fiber reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This is evident from research.
But that’s not the only thing. The Persimmon fruit also contains flavonoids, which may also contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. An interesting study was conducted with more than 98,000 people who had a high intake of flavonoids. This group was compared with another group of people who ingested few flavonoids.
Remarkably, it turned out that the group with a high intake of flavonoids had as much as 18% fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease. This indicates that eating persimmon fruit, rich in flavonoids, can have a positive effect on the health of your heart and blood vessels.
Persimmon fruit may help against inflammation
The fact that persimmon is packed with antioxidants has another advantage. It is said to combat (chronic) inflammation. Much inflammation is associated with various diseases, such as arthritis, cancer and type II diabetes.
There are several studies in which a large intake of the powerful antioxidant vitamin C reduced the risk of the above diseases.
Persimmon fruit is easy to add to your diet
A major advantage of persimmon is that it cannot only be easily eaten as a snack, but can also be added to various dishes.
Many people want to eat healthier, but find this too difficult. For example, they think it takes too much time. Persimmon fruit makes healthier eating easy. You don’t even have to peel it!
Finally, persimmon could also work as a natural diuretic. A diuretic ensures that your kidneys expel fluid, so that you do not get fluid retention. There is no hard evidence for this yet, but some people do experience this effect in practice.
RESUME
Persimmon is packed with vitamins, minerals and bioactive substances. It may possibly reduce the risk of various (chronic) diseases. It could also combat inflammation.
Can you lose weight with khaki?
If you want to lose weight, you can certainly add persimmons to your diet. It contains, among other things, fiber, which can provide a feeling of satiety.
How much persimmon per day is healthy?
Do you want to know how much persimmon you can eat per day?
The weight of each Sharon fruit can vary, so it is important to take this into account when consuming fruit. In general, it is recommended to eat about 200 grams of fruit per day. However, it is not recommended to eat only persimmons.
Each fruit has a different nutrient composition, and this can be seen in the color. That’s why we recommend eating a persimmon daily and also adding fruits of other colors, such as apples, bananas or mangoes, to your diet.
In addition, it is better not to eat dried persimmons or only to a limited extent. This is because dried persimmons contain much more sugar and extra sugar has often been added. Fresh persimmon also contains more nutrients than the dried variety.
So, eat fresh persimmons and limit it to a maximum of two pieces per day.
When to eat persimmon?
Eat persimmon when you like it. Do you get an energy boost if you eat a lot of sugar? Then don’t eat persimmons too late in the evening. This can cause sleeping problems. Then it is smart, for example, to eat it when you have an energy dip or before exercising.
Also, do not eat the fruit just before or after brushing your teeth. This can damage your teeth because brushing your teeth softens your gums.
Conclusion
Persimmon is very healthy. It is low in calories, but packed with vitamins and minerals. A big advantage is that you do not have to peel this fruit. Eat persimmons with their skin on, because the skin often contains the most nutrients.
