This niche vegetable is extremely high in selenium and helps with anti-aging! You will regret not eating it this season...

When it comes to delicious melons, everyone will think of watermelon, melon, cucumber, and pumpkin. Few people will think of chayote. Some people have not only never seen it, they may not even have heard of it. It looks very similar to the "green melon" in the game "Plants vs. Zombies".

The squash in Plants vs. Zombies

This article will tell you about chayote, including its nutrition, eating methods and storage methods. If you have the opportunity to see it, be sure to buy it and try it!

What are the nutritional properties of chayote?

Chayote is also called An pumpkin, longevity melon, fist melon, gassho melon, wa melon, holding melon, dish pear, and is called Hayato melon in Japan and mango pumpkin in South Africa. It is named because the five curled edges in its fruit look like "Buddha's hand". Chayote is native to Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. It was introduced to China in 1915 and is grown in the Jiangnan area of ​​China, with the largest number in Yunnan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan.

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There are two types of chayote: green-skinned chayote and white-skinned chayote. The green-skinned chayote is more widely planted and more common. It is fresh, juicy and crispy. It can be eaten raw as a fruit or cooked as a vegetable. It is solid and seedless, with an edible rate of 100%. You can eat it right after washing it, without any waste. The water content is as high as 94.3%, which is comparable to watermelon. Eating one in hot weather is really hydrating and thirst-quenching.

Chayote not only has sufficient water content, but also has good content of other nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin B2, selenium, and folic acid. As for the vitamin C content, although it is not excellent, only 8 mg/100 g, it is higher than watermelon, which is 1.4 times that of watermelon.

1. Dietary fiber

Among fruits with the word "melon" in their names, chayote has a pretty good dietary fiber content, with an insoluble dietary fiber content of 1.2 grams per 100 grams, which is six times that of watermelon and cantaloupe, 1.5 times that of papaya and honeydew, and 2.4 times that of cucumber.

Eating chayote not only replenishes water, but also helps us supplement some dietary fiber, which is very helpful in enhancing satiety, promoting gastrointestinal motility, and maintaining intestinal health.

2. Vitamin B2

Among the B vitamins in chayote, the content of vitamin B1 is not very prominent, only 0.01 mg/100 g, which is comparable to that of watermelon (0.02 mg/100 g), and has no significant advantage. However, its vitamin B2 content is quite good among fruits and vegetables, at 0.1 mg/100 g, 2.5 times that of watermelon and 5 times that of apple. Even compared with bitter melon (0.03 mg/100 g) among vegetables, the vitamin B2 content of chayote still wins.

Vitamin B2 is widely involved in the body's metabolic process. It is a component of important cofactors of many enzyme systems in the body and plays an important role in maintaining normal material metabolism and energy metabolism. The "Evaluation of Nutrient Intake Status of Chinese Adult Residents" released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the proportion of insufficient vitamin B2 intake among Chinese adults is relatively high, reaching more than 80%. Be sure to pay attention to supplementing this aspect!

① Mineral selenium: In the folk, chayote is known as the "selenium warehouse among vegetables". Its selenium content is as high as 1.45 micrograms/100 grams, which is higher than that of most common fruits and vegetables. For example, the selenium content of watermelon, cantaloupe, apple, peach, cucumber and pumpkin is 0.36 micrograms/100 grams, 1.1 micrograms/100 grams, 0.1 micrograms/100 grams, 0.47 micrograms/100 grams, 0.38 micrograms/100 grams and 0.46 micrograms/100 grams respectively.

Selenium is an essential trace element for the human body. It is involved in regulating thyroid function, metabolism, blood circulation, and can also maintain normal immune function.

② Folic acid: Literature data shows that the folic acid content of fresh chayote is as high as 93 micrograms/100 grams, which is nearly 15 times that of apple.

The "Dietary Reference Intake of Nutrients for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)" recommends that the average adult needs 400 micrograms of folic acid per day, and pregnant women are recommended to supplement 600 micrograms per day. Adequate folic acid intake can not only prevent fetal neural tube defects, but is also particularly important for adults in general, as it can prevent hyperhomocysteinemia (hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease).

If you can eat 200 grams of fresh chayote, you can meet 47% of the average adult's daily folic acid requirement, which is still amazing.

③Flavonoids: Chayote is rich in flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, help to eliminate excess free radicals in the body, and also help lower blood lipids and cholesterol, and prevent atherosclerosis and other chronic diseases.

Among the different colors of chayote, the green-skinned chayote has stronger antioxidant and free radical scavenging abilities.

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Most importantly, those who are trying to lose weight or control their weight, as well as those who need to control their blood sugar, can eat chayote without worry. This is because chayote has a very low calorie content of only 18 kcal/100 g, which is lower than broccoli, and a carbohydrate content of only 3.8 g/100 g, which is lower than avocados, which are not sweet. As long as you control your intake, you don't have to worry about gaining weight or raising your blood sugar.

How to eat chayote?

The simplest way to eat chayote is to eat it directly after washing it. It is juicy and sweet. It can also be used for cooking, sliced ​​or shredded, stir-fried with meat or vegetables, mixed with salad or made into soup, hot pot, dumplings, buns, pickles and kimchi.

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Some literature mentions that chayote is usually on the market in autumn. During the entire growing period, there is basically no need to spray pesticides to control diseases and pests. It is a rare health-care and pollution-free vegetable. It is best to choose young fruits when eating. Chayote with shiny shoulders and shallow longitudinal grooves on the skin has better quality and taste. The skin is bright green, tender and unhardened.

How to store chayote?

Chayote is a non-climacteric fruit, which is relatively resistant to storage. As the fruit grows, its respiration rate gradually decreases, and continues to decrease during the post-harvest storage and aging process. However, the skin of chayote is thin, so it will be damaged if you are not careful. It is also afraid of low temperatures. If the storage temperature is too low, it is easy to suffer from chilling damage, and in this case it is easy to spoil.

Studies have shown that chayote is more stable when stored at 8-10℃, and can better suppress the weight loss rate of the fruit. Fresh chayote can be stored at 8-10℃ for 5-6 months, and the flavor remains basically unchanged. Studies have also mentioned that the optimal storage temperature for chayote is 2-5℃. If it is higher than 10℃, it is easy to germinate or rot; if it is lower than -2.5℃, it will be frozen and rot.

Experienced people will store the intact chayote harvested in late autumn in a ceramic jar at a temperature of 5-10℃, which can usually be stored until the Qingming Festival of the following year. If there are sprouts of chayote during this period, you can still eat it after removing the sprouts, and the melon flesh is still fragrant and refreshing.

References

[1] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[2] Zhu Xintong, Zhao Wen, Zhou Qian, Ma Lili, Zhang Guijun, Fu Anzhen, Wang Qing, Gao Lipu, Zuo Jinhua, Zheng Shufang. Research progress on postharvest preservation and processing of chayote[J]. Food Research and Development, 2021, 42(2): 214-219

[3] Lian Dongmei, Yao Yunfa, Lai Zhengfeng, Lin Bizhen, Hong Jianji. Analysis of main functional components and antioxidant activities of chayote and gracilaria[J]. Agricultural Products Processing, 2021(15):53-55

[4] Feng Min, Xiao Zhenglu, Zhang Hongxia, Li Xin. Nutritional composition and development and utilization of Chayote[J]. Modern Horticulture, 2018, 41(1): 49-50

Planning and production

Author: Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered nutritionist, health manager, public nutritionist

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert