10 Incredible Sapota (Chiku) Benefits: From Boosting Energy to Bone Health

Highlights

• Sapotas, seasonal fruits also known as Chickoos or Chikoos
• 10 reasons to eat a few sapotas every time it's in season.
• The best way to eat this fruit is by itself.

The heady sweet aroma of sapota is unmistakable, with its fleshy brown skin and grainy sweetness in the inside. It's quite easy to either love the sapota or hate it. But taking the middle path, we're not quite sure.We have something to thank the Spanish for. Had it not been for them, the chickoo, chikoo or sapotawould have perhaps never come to India. With its roots in Mexico, Easter Guatemala and Belize (on the eastern coast of central America), the Colonisers took it to the Philippines from where it travelled to the rest of Asia, making its way into India only in the late nineteenth century.
Here are 10 good reasons:

1. Rich in Vitamin A and C

Did you know that? A sapota a day might just keep the eye doctor away. Okay maybe we are exaggerating a bit, but the vitamin A does keep our eyes healthy, and you might see the benefits of it when you're a lot older. And as for vitamin C, its benefits are best known. It keeps your immunity strong, skin in good condition, kills free radicals, prevents heart disorders etc.

2. Energy Provider

The natural fructose and sucrose content in sapota can give your body a lot of energy. So if you have a busy day ahead, grab a sapotabefore you leave home for an energy boost.

3. Anti-Inflammatory

Sapota has a high content of tannin, which in turn works as a natural anti-inflammatory. Again, eat regularly to see results.
4. Helps in Digestion

It keeps your digestive system in check, and prevents a condition that bothers urban India a lot - irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). And the dietary fibers make the sapota a laxative, therefore helping to fix constipation problems
5. Source of Antioxidants

Apart from being rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and B, and C, the sapota is also packed with anti-oxidants. And therefore, it's reported to prevent certain types of cancer such as oral cavity cancer.
6. Good for the Bones

Did you know that this delicious fruit is rich in calcium, phosphorus, and iron, and therefore keeps your bones strong? If you've eaten the sapota regularly, you might not need supplementary pills later in life. It is a good source of minerals like iron, folates, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, phosphorous, selenium etc which are very essential for facilitating various body functions including proper bone growth.
7. Controls Blood Pressure

The magnesium in sapota keeps the blood vessels up and running, and the potassium regulates blood pressure and circulation. It's also good to treat anaemia with, as it's also rich in iron.
8. Good for Moms-to-Be

Packed with electrolytes, Vitamin A and carbohydrates, sapotas are good for expecting, and even lactating mothers. If you're pregnant, a sapota can help to deal with morning sickness and dizziness. And because it helps in the production of collagen too, it keeps stomach related disorders at bay.
9. Controls Weight

If you're on a diet, a sapota might work to rid your body of water retention. It regularises your metabolism, and works to your advantage if you're trying to lose weight.

10. Beauty Benefits

Eating the sapota regularly helps to remove toxins from your body, and is thus great for your skin and hair; it keeps them healthy and moisturised. However, eat it for better results, instead of putting it on your face or in your hair, unless you're doing it every day. In fact the sapota is known as a 'happy' food; it helps promote the production of collagen, and prevents the growth of deep wrinkles. You'll thank it later when you're order.