Lychees are remarkable little fruits packed with vitamin C: 100 grams (about 10 lychees) gives you more than the full daily recommended intake for an adult. They also provide copper, potassium, some B vitamins and fibre, plus antioxidant polyphenols.
Wellness
This sweet and incredibly juicy little fruit, which harkens back to ancient China, is still a revered favourite among health-conscious food lovers. Here is what it brings to a balanced diet:
Immune health Lychees are an excellent source of vitamin C, which supports the normal function of your immune system and helps your body absorb iron from plant foods.
Antioxidants Vitamin C and lychee polyphenols are antioxidants that help protect your cells from everyday oxidative stress. Lychee extracts are being studied in the lab, but research on the whole fruit is still limited.
Heart health Lychees provide potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure, and are naturally fat-free and low in sodium.
Healthy blood Copper is needed to make red blood cells, and vitamin C helps you absorb the iron you eat.
Bone health Vitamin C is needed to make collagen, part of the framework of healthy bones, and potassium supports bone health too.
Is lychee a diuretic? Lychees are over 80% water and provide potassium, which supports your body’s fluid balance. They are not a strong diuretic, but like most juicy fruits they contribute to your daily hydration.
A safety note Always eat lychees ripe and as part of a meal, not in large quantities on an empty stomach. Unripe lychees contain natural compounds that can lower blood sugar, which has caused serious illness in undernourished children.
Beauty
Does lychee have collagen? No fruit or vegetable contains collagen, but lychees are a fantastic collagen helper. Your body needs vitamin C to build collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and elastic, and copper also plays a role. Vitamin C’s antioxidant action helps protect skin from free radical damage too.
Weight management
Lychees are fat-free with only around 25 kJ (6 calories) per fruit, so a handful makes a sweet, satisfying snack. A 100 gram serve provides about 1.3 grams of fibre, and the natural sugars give you quick energy before exercise. Just remember they are sweet, so enjoy them in sensible portions if you are watching your blood sugar.
Cooking with lychees
This fantastically sweet and delicious fruit is wonderful eaten as-is, and is often served as a refreshing after-dinner dessert treat at Chinese food restaurants.
These plump juicy morsels are the perfect inclusion to a festive fruit salad. And speaking of, or writing of salads, lychee fruit juice combined with fine balsamic vinegar, some tangy Dijon mustard, a quality turn of EVOO and some favorite seasonings to taste, makes for a delightful vinaigrette.
You can make a unique lychee fruit syrup to drizzle over your Sunday morning whole grain pancake stack, Acai bowl or Keffir smoothie!
Spend an afternoon with friends or family getting messy in the kitchen while telling stories and making a huge brew of lychee Kombucha.
Lightly roasted lychee’s would be an inventive twist to a holiday baked ham. Or, make a sweet and savoury chopped lychee fruit,lime, Vietnamese mint and fresh salty seaweed edible garnish for healthy Cobia fillets; an addition that is easily turned into a tasty salsa with the inclusion of chopped tomatoes and Spanish onions.
Make an easy, breezy batch of lychee, watermelon and mint gelato or sorbet.
For a tantalizing al fresco dinner party drink, grab these simple ingredients: vodka, lychee, spearmint and vermouth, and shake up a slew of lychee fruit , for a healthy twist swirll in some kombucha!
Interesting fact about the lychee fruit: Lychee actually means “a gift for a joyful life” in Chinese. How appropriate!
Learn more on nutrition, wellbeing, self coaching and cooking tips to add to your life here .
This article is general information about food and wellbeing, not medical advice. Please talk to your GP or a qualified health professional about any health condition, medication or major change to your diet.
