Lychee – Definition, Benefits, Nutrition Facts, Recipes, and More

Lychee Definition

Lychee (Litchi Chineni) is a small tropical fruit of the soapberry family. Other popular fruits of this family include rambutan.

Lychees are grown in subtropical regions worldwide and are wildly popular in their native China and Southeast Asia.

Known for their sweet, floral taste, they are typically eaten fresh and sometimes used in ice cream or processed into juice, wine, sorbet, and jelly. They are a good source of several healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Lychees have a leathery, inedible pink-red skin that removes before consumption. The pulp is white and surrounds a dark seed in the center.

What are the Benefits of Lychee?

The vitamin C is the protagonist of all the benefits of lychee. The consumption of this Asian fruit helps in the improvement of many diseases and strengthens the body systems.

The most benefited system is the immune system because it is a fruit with a high vitamin C content. Each benefit of lychee is explained in detail later:

1. Regulates Blood Pressure

Maintaining blood pressure figures within normal parameters is essential to be healthy. And also, with your help, this will no longer be a problem.
The fruit of Asian origin has a high potassium content but a low sodium content.
Both ions are elemental for the functions carried out by organs at the cellular level.

2. Stimulates Blood Circulation

It is no secret to anyone that blood is the body’s internal vehicle, and lychee effectively improves circulation.
In addition to potassium and sodium, it has appreciable amounts of copper.
Its presence allows for better oxygenation and ensures that the organs and tissues can typically perform their functions.

3. Powerful Antiviral

An antiviral is that substance that attacks a microorganism of viral origin, preventing its proliferation.
And also, lychee has Antirival capacity due to the compound Litchitannina A2.
Researchers have studied this compound and found that they link to preventing viral outbreaks, such as herpes.

4. Strengthens the Immune System

Lychee, being a food that contains vitamin C, increases immunity.
Vitamin C stimulates the action of white blood cells, the cells responsible for fighting microorganisms. And also, the immune system is the body’s main line of defense.

5. Antioxidant Property

Its high level of vitamins and minerals, this fruit is an antioxidant that reduces the high cholesterol index, fights against the flu virus, and prevents UV rays on the skin.
And also, to improve the flowing blood by increasing the oxygenation of organs and cells.

6. Improves Digestion and Relieves Constipation

The lychee contains a lot of fiber soluble. This fiber allows a better fecal discharge, increasing the volume in the stool.
And also, it positively helps the peristaltic movements of the intestines. It causes a rapid passage of food through the digestive tract.
Likewise, lychee stimulates digestive juices, which allows better absorption of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Also, it relieves the symptoms of constipation.

What is the Nutritional Information of Lychee?

Lychees are mainly composed of water and carbohydrates, making up 82% and 16.5% of the fruit.

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of fresh lychees provides the following nutrients. The following table shows the primary nutrients in fresh lychees:

Calories: 66

Protein: 0.8 grams

Carbohydrates: 16.5 grams

Sugar: 15.2 grams

Fiber: 1.3 grams

Fat: 0.4 grams

Carbohydrates and Fiber

In addition to water, lychees mainly make up of carbohydrates. Single lychee, whether fresh or dried, contains 1.5 to 1.7 grams of carbohydrates.

Most of the carbohydrates in lychees come from sugars, which are responsible for their sweet taste. They are relatively low in fiber.

Vitamins and Minerals

Lychees are a decent source of several vitamins and minerals, including:

Vitamin C: The most abundant vitamin in lychees. One lychee provides about 9% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin C.

Copper: Lychees are an excellent source of copper. Inadequate copper intake can have adverse effects on heart health.

Potassium: An essential nutrient that can improve heart health when consumed in sufficient amounts.

Other Compounds

Like other fruits, lychees are an excellent source of several antioxidant plant compounds. They have reported containing higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than several other common fruits.

The antioxidants in lychees include:

Epicatechin: A flavonoid that can improve heart health and reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes.

Routine: A flavonoid that can help protect against chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Oligonol: Oligonol is a dietary supplement that often mentions in connection with lychees.

It is a proprietary blend of antioxidants (proanthocyanidins) derived from lychee skin and green tea, developed by Amino Up Chemical Corporation in Japan.

Antioxidants chemically altered to increase their absorption in the intestine. Several studies indicate that Oligonol can reduce abdominal fat, fatigue, and inflammation after exercise.

However, since it does not naturally find in lychee fruits, its health effects do not apply to lychees.

Possible Effects of Lychee

The health effects of lychees have not yet been studied.
However, including various fruits and vegetables in your diet can improve your health and reduce your risk of various chronic diseases.
Lychees contain several healthy minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, including potassium, copper, vitamin C, epicatechin, and rutin.
These can help protect against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Animal studies also indicate that lychee extract may help fight liver cancer.

Adverse Effects

It eats in moderation as part of a healthy diet, and lychees have no known adverse health effects. However, lychees have been associated with inflammation of the brain in South and Southeast Asia.
It’s not entirely clear whether lychees are responsible, but scientists have hypothesized that hypoglycin toxin A may be liable.
More studies are needed. And also additionally, lychees can cause an allergic reaction in rare cases.

Contraindications of Lychee

The lichi contains a high amount of sugar. Due to this characteristic, people who have diabetes should not consume or moderate this fruit intake.
And also, excess lychee can cause a sore throat, fever, and nosebleeds. In short, lychee is a fruit that should eat in moderation and under control.

How to Eat Lychee?

The ways to consume lychee are varied. You can eat the fruit alone or prepare it in the form of juice, soft drinks, or games.
It can also accompany sweet dishes such as cakes, cupcakes, creams, tarts, and more. Commercially, a kind of lychee-based syrup distribute.
On the other hand, the fruit can freeze to preserve it. It can last in the freezer for about a year. And also, when frozen, it can be used to prepare ice cream and cold drinks.

Recipes of Lychee

You already know all the benefits that this fruit has to offer you. Next, you will learn how to prepare your homemade sweets using lychee as the protagonist of all your dishes.

1. Lychee and Fruit Jelly

Gelatin is an ideal dessert for the little ones in the house, it’s easy to prepare, and you don’t need an oven to make it.

Ingredients:

2 ½ tablespoons unflavored gelatin o
r Agar-Agar
Lychee pulp
1 cup of kiwi
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 ½ cup of fruit juice (can substitute with water)
Sweetener to taste
And also 1 pinch of salt

Preparation:

Marinate the lychees with the kiwi a
nd a bit of salt. Let stand 35 minutes or until the fruit has released its juice.
Place the juice in a pot, and when it is hot, add the other ingredients, including the previous mixture.
Pour the mixture into individual molds.
Take to the refrigerator and allow it to compact.

2. Lychee Syrup

The syrup is a sweet mixture that can use in different sweet recipes. Lychees are sweet fruits, ideal for making this type of remedy.