Fig fruits are one-of-a-kind fruits that resemble the form of a teardrop. They’re roughly the scale of a thumb, with tons of of tiny seeds and an edible purple or inexperienced peel. The fruit’s pink flesh has a light, candy flavour.
The fig fruit was one of many first fruits to be planted. Its cultivation prolonged by way of historical occasions, all through the Levant and the Aegean Sea area. History says that Caria gave this fruit to the Greeks. Interestingly, the Attic figs had been well-known within the East, and there have been particular legal guidelines to manage its export. Nevertheless, the fig fruit was one of the crucial vital meals for the Greeks, and it was prevalent throughout public feasts among the many Spartans. In Latin mythology, the fig tree that overshadowed the dual founders of Rome within the wolf’s cave was an indication of the race’s future wealth.
Fig fruits and their leaves are plentiful in vitamins and could present numerous well being advantages. For instance, they could assist within the upkeep of a wholesome digestive tract, stop coronary heart ailments, and regulate blood sugar ranges.
This article talks concerning the dietary properties, advantages, and makes use of of fig fruits. In addition, it additionally talks about other ways to incorporate them in your food regimen.
What are Fig Fruits?
The fig, generally often called Ficus Carica, is a plant within the mulberry household that produces edible fruit. The widespread fig grows wild in Turkey and northern India. Most Mediterranean international locations have their wild seedlings. Since individuals worldwide use it in its recent and dried varieties, the fig is thought to be “the poor man’s food” within the Mediterranean.
There are quite a few methods to incorporate figs in your food regimen, every with its personal set of advantages. The 4 most frequent methods to combine figs into your food regimen are as follows:
1. Fresh Figs
Fresh figs are low in energy and a tasty snack. They additionally style scrumptious in salads and desserts. In addition, you may also use recent figs to make fig jams or preserves.
2. Dried Figs
Dried figs are excessive in sugar and energy. Hence, it’s best to use them moderately. However, they could be simpler than recent figs for relieving constipation.
3. Fig Leaves
Fig leaves are nutritious, and you might use them in some ways. However, it’s troublesome to search out them apart from specialised grocery shops. Like grape leaves, individuals usually use fig leaves as a wrap for meals with rice, pork, or different components.
4. Fig Leaf Tea
People use dried fig leaves to make fig leaf tea. You could make your model of fig leaf tea or get it ready-made on-line or from speciality shops.
Although the pure sugar in recent figs has excessive energy, a number of figs can act as a low-calorie snack. On the opposite hand, dried figs are excessive in sugar and energy. That is as a result of the sugar within the fruits concentrates when dried.
Since dried figs are dehydrated, they’ve decrease water content material and a extra concentrated provide of vitamins than recent figs. However, relying on the drying methodology, they could have some dietary loss relying on the drying methodology.
Nutritional Properties of Figs
Fresh fig fruits are nutrient-dense and low in energy, making them a superb complement to a nutritious food regimen.
The dietary worth per 100 grams of recent fig fruits is:
Nutritional Values
- Energy – 74 Kcal
- Carbohydrates – 19.18 g
- Protein – 0.75 g
- Total Fat – 0.30 g
- Dietary Fibre – 2.9 g
- Folates – 6 µg
- Niacin – 0.400 mg
- Pantothenic acid – 0.300 mg
- Pyridoxine – 0.113 mg
- Riboflavin – 0.050 mg
- Thiamin – 0.060
Minerals:
- Sodium – 1 mg
- Potassium – 232 mg
- Calcium – 35 mg
- Copper – 0.070 mg
- Iron – 0.37 mg
- Magnesium – 17 mg
- Manganese – 0.128 mg
- Selenium – 0.2 µg
- Zinc – 0.15 mg
Health Benefits of Fig Fruits
Fig fruits have a number of well being benefits, together with boosting digestive and cardiovascular well being and maybe helping with blood sugar administration.
1. Promotes Weight Loss
Figs are excessive in fibre and low in energy, thus making them a really perfect snack if you find yourself in your weight reduction journey. When included in a well-balanced food regimen, high-fibre meals like figs might help you are feeling full between meals and scale back overeating. As a consequence, they could assist enhance the burden loss course of. Multiple studies assist the declare that dietary fibres assist with weight reduction.
Soaking dried figs makes them simpler to digest and the vitamins extra absorbable. According to some claims, rehydrating fig fruits with water makes them extra filling, leading to decreased calorie consumption and weight reduction.
Some studies affiliate fruit consumption, particularly dried fruits, with weight reduction. That is as a result of fruits are plentiful in vitamins and might help you preserve a wholesome weight and total well being. However, extra human research are required to assist this notion.
2. Helps you attain Better Skin
Fig fruits could also be helpful to the pores and skin. However, it’s primarily for allergic dermatitis or dry, itchy pores and skin. Nevertheless, research proves the effectiveness of dried fig fruits on the pores and skin. Researchers used a cream made with dried fig fruit extract on 45 kids. It was executed twice day by day for 2 weeks, and the outcomes we shocking. The dried fig fruit cream was simpler than hydrocortisone cream in treating dermatitis signs.
Furthermore, one other study suggests {that a} mixture of fruit extracts, together with fig extracts, have antioxidant results on pores and skin cells. As a consequence, they assist stop collagen breakdown and scale back wrinkles.
3. Helps with Male Infertility and Boosts Sperm Count
Zinc is important for testosterone synthesis. Therefore, males who’re poor in zinc could have diminished testosterone ranges. However, fig fruits are wealthy in zinc. As a consequence, figs are a implausible technique to enhance your testosterone ranges naturally.
Figs embody a excessive degree of antioxidants and important vitamins and minerals. As a consequence, it might probably assist enhance sperm motility and depend. Therefore, fig fruits are extremely helpful in growing sperm depend. A study proves the effectivity of fig leaf extracts in growing sperm depend.
4. Encourages Good Digestive Health
Constipation is a frequent digestive drawback. People have been utilizing fig fruits as a house treatment or pure treatment for constipation. Fig fruits are wealthy in fibre, which might enhance digestive well being. As per studies, fibre helps soften and thicken stools, decreases constipation, and acts as a prebiotic or meals supply for the helpful micro organism in your abdomen.
Another study means that fig fruit extract or pastes could assist within the passage of meals by way of the digestive tract. As a consequence, it reduces constipation and eases the signs of digestive issues similar to ulcerative colitis.
In one other research, 150 individuals with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) consumed roughly 4 dried figs twice a day. They skilled a dramatic discount in signs like ache, bloating, and constipation. In an identical study, 300 grams of fig fruit paste day by day for eight weeks considerably improved constipation.
Thus, it’s clear that fig fruits successfully enhance your digestive well being.
5. Anti-Inflammatory in Nature and Aids with Arthritis
Antioxidants in figs defend cells from free radicals and stop irritation. At the identical time, figs are plentiful in phytochemicals. These phytochemicals additionally play an important function in decreasing irritation.
Many studies showcase the presence of flavonoids and polyphenols in dried figs. These phytochemicals assist lower irritation and stop free radicals from creating new irritation. It, in flip, helps with osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and periodontal bone resorption.
6. Helps with Cardiovascular Health
Figs might help you improve your vascular well being and scale back the danger of coronary heart illness. It is as a result of fig fruits assist decrease your blood stress and blood fats ranges. As per a study, fig extract diminished blood stress in regular and hypertension mice. In addition, one other study means that fig leaf extracts could improve good ldl cholesterol and triglyceride ranges. Therefore, it helps enhance coronary heart well being.
7. Aids in Maintaining Blood Sugar Levels
A 1998 study together with ten individuals with sort 1 diabetes says that ingesting fig leaf tea with breakfast could decrease insulin necessities. During the month of this experiment, these individuals drank fig leaf tea. As a consequence, it diminished their insulin doses by about 12%. Hence, it reveals the impact of fig extracts on sustaining blood sugar ranges.
Furthermore, a current study revealed that drinks with excessive doses of fig fruit extract had a decrease Glycemic Index (GI) than different drinks. It signifies that fig fruits could higher have an effect on blood sugar ranges.
However, fig fruits, particularly dried, are excessive in sugar and could briefly elevate blood sugar ranges. So, if in case you have hassle regulating your blood sugar ranges, it’s best to keep away from consuming dried figs.
8. Has Anti-Cancer Properties
As per a number of studies, fig leaves and pure latex from fig vegetation have anti-cancer properties. They assist suppress human colon most cancers, breast most cancers, cervical most cancers, and liver most cancers cell progress.
Further studies counsel that Fig Fruit latex (FFL) accommodates vital polyphenolic compounds. Therefore, FFL consumption can function a supply of antioxidants. In addition, these research point out that FFL exhibit potent cytotoxicity in some human most cancers cells with little impact in regular cells. It inhibits DNA synthesis, induction of apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest of most cancers cells.
Uses of Figs
1. For Atopic Dermatitis:
Applying a lotion containing fig fruit extract might help kids with eczema really feel much less itchy. Therefore, you need to use fig fruit lotions to forestall pores and skin points like dermatitis.
2. For Constipation:
Consuming a fig fruit paste softens stools and doesn’t enhance stool frequency. Therefore, you need to use fig fruit paste to alleviate constipation.
3. Diabetes:
If you might have sort 1 diabetes, you’ll be able to profit from a tea produced from fig leaves. It additionally lowers blood sugar ranges after a meal. So, you’ll be able to have fig fruit leaves tea to enhance blood sugar ranges and management diabetes.
4. Warts:
You can put the milky sap of the fig tree on warts. It helps heal them with out inflicting any irritation.
Healthy Recipes utilizing Figs
1. Ricotta and Fig Toasties
Serves: 1
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- Multigrain bread (ideally with crust): 2 slices
- Ricotta cheese: ¼ cup
- Fresh figs (sliced): 2
- Sliced almonds (toasted): 1 tsp
- Honey: 1 tsp
- A pinch of salt
Method:
- Toast each the slices of bread.
- Spread ricotta cheese on every bread slice
- Top it with the sliced figs (one fig per slice of bread).
- Drizzle the toasted almond slices.
- Top it up with a drizzle of honey (to style)
- Sprinkle the salt on prime to complete it off.
2. Apple and Fig Salad
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Balsamic vinegar: 2 tbsp
- Mustard: 2 tsp
- Green onion (minced): 1 tbsp
- Salt: ¼ tsp
- Pepper (to style)
- Extra virgin olive oil: ¼ cup
- Green leafy veggie of your selection (kale, rocket, spinach and many others.): 8 cups
- Apple (thinly sliced): 1
- Walnuts (toasted): ¼ cup
- Fresh figs (sliced): 4
- Pomegranate seeds: ¼ cup
- Dried cranberries: 2 tbsp
Method:
- Combine the vinegar, mustard, inexperienced onion, salt, and pepper. in a small bowl
- Next, add within the olive oil and whisk all of it collectively.
- Combine in a big mixing bowl the inexperienced leafy greens, apple, and walnuts in a big mixing bowl.
- Drizzle on the dressing and toss it up.
- Add floor pepper and extra salt (if required)
- Add the ending touches by topping it with figs, pomegranate seeds and dried cranberries.
3. Grilled Figs with Goat Cheese
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Goat cheese: ⅓ cup
- Milk: 1 tbsp
- Honey: 2 tsp
- Thyme (chopped): ½ tsp
- Small recent figs (halved): 12
- Salt: ¼ tsp
Method:
- Preheat grill to 400-450 levels.
- Mix milk, goat cheese, honey and thyme
- Spoon within the combine into a zipper lock bag to maintain it mess-free.
- Brush a little bit of cooking oil (of your selection) on either side of the halved figs.
- Grill the figs with the minimize facet down and grill them until they’re frivolously charred.
- Take them off the grill after they’re barely softened.
- Transfer the grilled figs to a serving tray.
- Sprinkle salt on the figs. Try to unfold the salt as evenly as attainable.
- Pipe out the combination you beforehand made onto the figs’ minimize sides.
- Garnish with a beneficiant sprinkle of thyme on prime.
- Top it with a drizzle of honey if you wish to make it sweeter.
Figs: Things to Remember
- You mustn’t eat greater than 2-3 figs every day. Being extremely fibrous, they’ll trigger abdomen issues should you devour greater than advisable.
- There is not any specified time for consuming figs. However, the morning is the most effective time to devour dried fruits. So, if you’re consuming dried figs, morning is the most effective time to take action.
- Applying fig leaves to the pores and skin could also be hazardous. It may make your pores and skin extra sun-sensitive. Avoid extended solar publicity when making use of fig leaves to the pores and skin.
- Individuals with delicate pores and skin could get a rash after contact with fig fruit or leaves.
- Most individuals devour recent figs of their uncooked kind. The entire fig is scrumptious, from the skinny pores and skin to the scarlet or purple meat and the numerous tiny seeds.
- When you soak dried figs in water, they provide extra well being advantages. Soaking breaks down the soluble fibre content material of figs. It additionally helps to decelerate the absorption of glucose within the physique.
- Although fig fruits are a plant-based meals, there’s a debate on their inclusion in a vegan food regimen. It is primarily because of their developmental course of. In addition, figs depend on pollination wasps for replica. A concept is that the fig fruit outcomes from a wasp’s demise. Therefore, it shouldn’t be part of vegan meals. However, figs depend on wasps for replica in the identical method that wasps depend on figs.
Probable Side Effects of Figs
Figs could present lots of well being advantages. In addition to the fruit, fig leaves and fig leaf tea are additionally helpful to our well being. At the identical time, dried figs could assist relieve constipation. However, there are some drawbacks to utilizing fig fruits and extracts. For instance, consuming it as a house treatment for constipation could trigger diarrhoea or different digestive issues. In addition, vitamin Okay, plentiful in figs, can work together with blood-thinning medicines, decreasing their effectiveness.
Certain individuals could have allergic responses to figs. For instance, you’re extra more likely to be allergic to figs should you’re delicate to birch pollen. In addition, pure latex might also be current in fig-trees, which might trigger allergic responses in sure individuals.
Therefore, it’s at all times advisable to know your physique and the attainable allergy symptoms earlier than consuming the fig fruit. However, in case your physique just isn’t allergic to fig fruits, it has loads of advantages to supply.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What are the advantages of consuming figs?
A. Eating figs helps with weight reduction and improves our pores and skin’s look. For males, it additionally helps with infertility and will increase sperm depend. In addition, it has different well being advantages because it helps with blood stress, coronary heart well being and digestion.
Q. How many figs ought to I eat a day?
A. You ought to devour 2-3 figs per day.
Q. What occurs should you eat figs daily?
A. Eating figs daily can promote weight reduction. It could assist with infertility in males. In addition, it additionally offers aid from ache because of arthritis and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Q. Why figs should not vegan?
A. Figs should not thought-about vegan by some because the fruit is a results of a wasp’s demise. However, the fig plant and the wasp have symbiotic nature and rely on one another to additional their species.
Q. What is the most effective time to eat figs?
A. Since the most effective time to devour dried fruits is within the morning, the most effective time to eat dried fig fruits is within the morning. As for the recent fruit, there is no such thing as a specified time.
Q. What are the unwanted side effects of fig?
A. Figs could trigger diarrhoea if consumed in extra. It may have an antagonistic response if consumed alongside blood-thinning medicines.
Q. Does fig enhance sperm depend?
A. Yes, research have proven that fig will increase sperm depend.
Q. Are figs a superfood?
A. Because of their wealthy dietary worth, figs are thought-about a superfood.
Q. Is it OK to eat figs at night time?
A. It is okay to eat figs at night time. Studies have additionally proven that having figs at night time might lead to higher sleep. But if you’re consuming it in dried kind, it is strongly recommended to eat it within the morning.
Q. Are figs good for males?
A. Figs are appropriate for males. Studies present that they not solely assist with infertility but in addition assist in growing the sperm depend.
Q. Do figs assist fertility?
A. Yes, Figs assist with fertility in males.
Q. Do figs have vitamin C?
A. Figs do have vitamin C. For instance, a serving of 100g figs has 2mg of Vitamin C.
Q. Are figs anti-inflammatory?
A. Figs are anti-inflammatory and assist relieve inflammation-related pains attributable to osteoporosis and arthritis.
Q. Can you eat a fig uncooked?
A. You can eat them uncooked. However, guarantee you might be consuming recent.
Q. Can figs enhance weight?
A. No. Instead, figs assist with weight reduction. Being extremely fibrous fruits, they fill you up, thus stopping you from over-eating.
Q. Why must you soak figs?
A. Soaking dried figs assist break down the soluble fibres and delay glucose absorption by the physique.
Q. Are figs good for lungs?
A. Figs are good for the lungs as they assist clear any obstructions.
Q. Is figs good for arthritis?
A. Figs are anti-inflammatory and thus, convey aid from arthritis-related pains.
Q. What is the dietary worth of figs?
A. Calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron, in addition to nutritional vitamins A, B6, C, and Okay, are all present in figs. Like most fruits, they’re excessive in fibre.
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