I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about pitaya or red dragon fruit.
I knew this exotic crop’s seedy chunks might make an appearance in asmoothie bowl.
And if there’s one thing my liver could use right now, it’s some rejuvenation.
So I checked out William’s latest book,Medical Medium Liver Rescue.
Let’s take a deeper look at how exactly that happensand if it’s something you should try.
What is pitaya?
From the cactus family, this tropical fruit comes in yellow, white, and red.
But the claims that pitaya can heal the liver is connected specifically to the red variety.
Red pitaya tastes like a less tart kiwi but tangier than a pear.
It’s also been described as tasting like an earthier watermelon.
Red pitayas are rich inantioxidants1like acai berries, which is where it earns in the title “super-fruit.”
It’s also been said that pitayas' anti-inflammatory abilities can help with arthritis and boosting the immune system.
How does pitaya help the liver?
According to William, red pitayas' abundance of antioxidants are how they help heal the liver.
This translates to you getting better."
Similar to William’s suggestion, this healing property is coming from the antioxidants in red pitaya specifically.
Is red pitaya really better for the liver than beets?
Even apples have beets beat by a landslide."
Personally, I found this fascinating.
Was it all for nothing?
I took a closer look.
There are a lot of studies linking beetroot juice specifically to the detoxification of the liver.
There have been severalrat studies3that resulted in beetroot juice reducing inflammation in the liver and increasing natural detoxification enzymes.
But similar to tests with pitaya, beetroot’s effect on the liver hasn’t been tested on humans.
A savory beetroot juice or sweetbeetroot latteversus a red pitaya smoothie or smoothie bowl.
So, how do you incorporate pitaya into your diet?
This is similar to what the medical medium suggests in his Liver Rescue Smoothie, fromLiver Rescue.
He also provides two options, one that’s just fruit, and another that adds some greens.
Try adding at least one frozen element to your smoothie.
This ensures that your smoothie stays nice and cold!
Ingredients - Option A
Ingredients - Option B
Method
Should you try pitaya?
Bottom line, you dont know how red pitaya affects your body until you try it.
