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The benefits of pitanga mainly involve helping you lose weight because it has few calories and, therefore, pitanga juice is a great diuretic drink to take while dieting and also helps to keep your skin healthy and beautiful, as it is rich in vitamin A.
In addition, pitanga also protects cells from damage caused by poor diet and stress, for example, because it is a fruit rich in antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids and carotenoids. These substances also confer other benefits to pitanga, such as:
- Prevent cardiovascular disease,
- Fight inflammatory diseases like arthritis,
- Prevent degenerative diseases, such as cancer.
Pitanga is an aromatic fruit used in sweets, jellies, ice cream and soft drinks.
Nutritional information of pitanga
Components | Amount per 100 g of cherry |
Energy | 46.7 calories |
Proteins | 1.02 g |
Fats | 1.9 g |
Carbohydrates | 6.4 g |
Vitamin C | 14 mg |
Vitamin A (retinol) | 210 mcg |
Vitamin B1 | 30 mcg |
Vitamin B2 | 60 mcg |
Calcium | 9 mg |
Phosphor | 11 mg |
Iron | 0.20 mg |
In addition to the benefits of the fruit, the leaves of the pitangueira are also good for health because they have purifying and digestive properties that fight diarrhea, for example.
To learn how to make pitangueira leaves tea see: Home treatment for Diarrhea.
Pitanga recipes
These two recipes for juice and pitanga mousse are simple and different ways of eating pitanga.
Pitanga juice recipe
Pitanga juice is an excellent option for those who want to lose weight, as it has few calories.
Ingredients
- Half cup of pitangas
- 100 ml of ice water
- 1 teaspoon of honey
Preparation mode
In a container, wash the pitangas and remove the slices, then add to the blender with the seed and ice water. Beat until the seed loosens from the pulp. Strain, add honey and serve with ice.
Pitanga mousse recipe
The pitanga mousse recipe is an excellent option for a weekend dessert.
Ingredients
- 12 g unflavored gelatin powder
- 400 g of Greek yogurt
- 200 g of frozen cherry pulp
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Preparation mode
Add 5 tablespoons of cold water to the gelatin and bring to the fire in a water bath until dissolved and set aside. Beat in the blender Greek yogurt, cherry pulp, half a glass of water and dissolved gelatin. In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with sugar until doubled in volume, add to the cream of cherry and mix gently. Place the mousse in a bowl and refrigerate for about 4 hours or until firm.
The pitanga season in Brazil is between October and January and the fruit can be found in its natural form or in frozen pulp in supermarkets.