Recently when I visited my sister’s place in Mumbai I saw custard apples in the market and purchased at Rs.30/-each and came home. When we started enjoying them we remembered our childhood days together we spent in our village. In those days can anyone believe if I say that we used to get a basket full of custard apples may be more than a hundred just for 75 paise or one rupee? But it was a fact . We used to finish all within no time.
As we were refreshing our memories suddenly I remembered my mother telling about the benefits of eating the custard apple As usual one day during the vacation we all (myself, my brothers, sisters and all my cousins who came to our place to spend the vacation) gathered around my Mom entreating for a story. Mother said in a firm and yet in an informal tone, " look, children, just for a change today I will tell you about the benefits of eating fruits. She asked us which fruit you are fond of? Of course ! Most of us named custard apple.
The next question was what do we know about that fruit and our answer was about it’s sweetness and know nothing more. One of my cousin said that it has lot of benefits and it has varieties of vitamins. Then mother gave the list of its benefits. The other cousin asked whether it is true that this fruit is helpful to maintain good health?” Then my mother started narrating in this manner.:
Actually this fruit’s origin is South America. This South America fruit can be juiced or even enjoyed raw. Here are 10 reasons why you should include in your daily diet.
1. Skin and Hair: Great source of Vitamin A, an antioxidant that promotes shiny skin and hair.
2. Healthy Eyes: Vitamin A again to the rescue. This nutrient protects your cornea and retina from harmful radicals.
3. Helps Weight Gain: If you’ve got a problem gaining weight and are unable to put on weight no matter what you eat, then add a few custard apples to your everyday diet. They don’t contain refined sugars unlike most processed foods.
We interfered and asked really is it good for our eyes and keeps the skin shiny for which mother responded positively and told not to interrupt and further told us if we go on interrupting in this manner she could not complete the story in the stipulated time as she had to attend the other household chores too. We shouted O k in chorus and remained quiet lest she may discontinue the story.
4. Eases Asthma: It contains a lot of Vitamin B6, a nutrient known to reduce inflammation of the bronchial tube. Consuming custard apples regularly can reduce the chances of asthma attacks.
5. Lowers the rate of Heart ailments: Contains good amounts of magnesium, a mineral that helps relax cardiac muscles and reduces heart diseases.
6. Regulates Blood Pressure: They contain rich amounts of potassium, a mineral that helps relax blood vessel walls and normalizes blood pressure.
7. Reduces Cholesterol: Custard apples contain niacin and fiber, where one boosts good cholesterol levels and the other flushes out bad cholesterol from the system.
8. Prevents Anemia: It is rich in iron and boosts red blood cell production to prevent anemia.
9. Great Source of Energy: Contains thiamine, which helps convert food into energy. This improves you energy levels in general.
10. Strengthens Bones: Magnesium helps activate Vitamin D in the system, a nutrient that is vital for calcium absorption and bone health.
By hearing all this we were surprised to know about the benefits of this custard apple. We spent an hour in our discussions and finally went into deep sleep obeying the command of our Mom. Some times I wonder whether any other mother can narrate the stories as skillfully as my mother? Perhaps every child feels the same about his mother. Any way my mother is the greatest person in the world.
Nobody can beat her in narrating stories !
Author: Mrs. Lalasa
