What is Hog Plum?
Hog plum, also known as yellow mombin ornamental tree of the cashew family (Anacardiaceae) which belong to the Spondias genus, is the name given to fruits from the hog plum tree. The fruit comes in a range of colours, including green, purple, red, orange and yellow. The thicker, leathery skin covers a pink-yellow pulp inside, with a texture that is much like avocado. Also called Amtekai or Indian Hog plums.
The Hog plums are rich in antioxidants, which provide a range of health benefits.
Health Benefits of Hog Plum
Enhances Bone Health: It is a fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free fruit and a good source of vitamin K that helps in proper bone health.
The vitamin K does not only helps in blood clotting, but it also helps to improve the bones by making them strong, thereby helping in the prevention of bones health conditions like bone fractures, etc., its effects on osteoporosis has not been proven medically, though most people take it for this cause.
Research also indicates that hog plums contain copper that maintains the bone and other connective tissues in the body system and is also needed for proper assimilation of vitamin C.
Prevent indigestion and constipation: The fibre of hog plum is beneficial to prevent indigestion and constipation. It is also effective to remove spasm. It reduces the loss of appetite.
Protects Against Heart Disease: Hog plums were naturally high in antioxidants, which they compared to the heart medication, ramipril. Study found that hog plums reduced overall cholesterol levels and that their antioxidant effect on heart health was comparable to that of ramipril. In conclusion, hog plums may be beneficial for overall heart health.
Promotes Muscle Strength: Thiamine is one of the vitamins which could be found in hog plum, it has a lot of functions it performs in the body with one of them being its ability to help in muscle contraction and conduction of nerve signals.
Its deficiency can lead to many symptoms such as muscle weakness which could even lead to confusion in most cases. Adequate intake of this fruit can help in eliminating the chances of this condition.
Balance body temperature:
Uses of Hog Plum
- Hog Plum fruit juice, leaves, bark, roots and flowers are used in traditional medicine in some parts of the world where the trees can be found.
- The bark and leaves used to be given as a tea to relieve swellings and the buds were chewed or made into a tea for colds, coughs, constipation and tapeworm.
- Hog plums are commonly eaten raw in the Caribbean and in Asia, where the fruits grow naturally. The fruits can be eaten raw and whole as a snack, but they are commonly made into fresh juices, or used to produce ice cream, jams and jellies. In Mexico, unripe hog plums are pickled to make a sour-spicy side dish.
Nutritional Values of Yellow Hog Plum
Hog plum has a lot of nutritional contents which includes sodium, calcium, magnesium, and much more as can be seen below;
Ash 0.75
Moisture 83.6g
Energy 65.4g
Iron 0.33mg
Magnesium 15mg
Dietary Fibre 1.87g
Sodium 5.5mg
Calcium 11mg
Copper 0.12mg
Carbohydrates 13.80g
Fats 0.62g
Protein 1.06g
Potassium 287mg
α-carotene 340μg
Zeinoxanthin 550μg
Phosphorous 32.7mg
Manganese 0.03mg
Lutein 634μg
β-carotene 314μg
β-criptoxanthin 1700μg
Can Pregnant Women Eat Hog Plum?
Hog plum fruit is very healthy for everyone considering the fact that it has very high in Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron! And these are actually the main nutrients every pregnant women need during their third trimester.
This fruit is green and looks almost like a tiny little green mango. They have a slightly elongated shape with a large pit inside. The pit itself is soft and edible when the fruit is tender making it a delicious snack. When the fruit matures fully, the pit gets hard and fibrous and is no longer edible. They are sweet, slightly juicy but still pretty sour when they get soft and ripe. Hog Plums taste very different from mangoes and its unique taste will never be forgotten by anybody who tastes it once.
There is no danger in having Hog plum occasionally during pregnancy.