Jackfruit known as Chakka in Kerala became the official fruit of the state. Many people of this generation might have not even seen this fruit for real. It is the largest fruit famous for its rich aroma and taste. As part of this declaration on June 5, students in schools across the state will plant 6O lakhs jackfruit saplings. The state education department happily revealed its decision to involve students in the mission. The event will be carried out as part of the Haritha Keralam Mission.

Correspondingly, the department will also encourage students to plant saplings in their backyards too. Members of Scouts and Guides, Student Police Cadets and Junior Red Cross volunteers will be an interim part of the programme. Moreover, the students will receive lessons about the health benefits of jackfruit. The government aims to make the fruit a “brand” in the market across the country as well as abroad.

The benefits of Jackfruit

Jackfruit is a unique fruit which is 100 % organic. Therefore, the saplings do not require any kind of pesticides or fertilizers to grow. As a matter of fact, this fruit can be a great substitute for meat to your vegan friends. It is a rich source of vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals. In fact, everything you require to nourish your body exists in this miracle fruit. Here are some benefits you should know about jackfruit.

Prevents Cancer

Cancer is one of the deadliest disease hunting human beings from past decade. According to National Institute of Cancer India accounts for 5,56,400 cancer-related deaths every year in the age group between 30 to 60 years. How can jackfruit prevent us from this disease? The fruit has antioxidants, phytonutrients, and flavanoid that prevents cancer. The antioxidants prevent our body from radicals. Radicals are produced in our body as a result of stress. Therefore, radicals happen to damage our DNA of our cells and produce cancer cells. Whereas, antioxidants can repair these radical cells and protect our DNA from damage. Furthermore, jackfruit also provides protection from lung and oral cavity cancer.

Relief from asthma

Not to mention in this polluted world asthma is one of the major concerns. Asthma is a long-term respiratory disorder which makes breathing difficult for the patients. Jackfruit can provide relief to people suffering from asthma too.

Bone-strengthening

The fruit contains calcium which increases bone strength. Moreover, it prevents osteoporosis. Jackfruit consists of potassium too which reduces the loss of calcium therefore, it increases bone density.

 Prevents anemia

Furthermore, the fruit is overloaded with vitamin A, C, E, K as well as copper manganese and magnesium. These vitamins help to prevent and cure anemia.

Ulcers

Likewise,  jackfruit has rich anti-ulcerative properties. The fruit consists of fibers which are very helpful for digestion as well as to prevent ulcers.

Healthy heart

Why not gift a jackfruit to your loved ones?  The vitamin B6 present in jackfruit lowers homocysteine in our blood. This vitamin reduces the risk of heart failure and reduces the risk of death by stroke.

Other efforts by the government

The list can extend to many benefits. As we can see from above jackfruit acts as all in one rich fruit. Therefore, there is no excuse why we should not make it an essential part of our eating habits. The government of Kerala has come up with plenty of initatives to make people aware about the health benefits of this fruit. The government invites entries for a video contest to showcase the benefits of the fruit. The video should be of 5 minutes length showing the richness of the fruit. The winner will be awarded a cheque of Rs. 25,000.

Not to mention the kudumbashree women of Kerala have also played a vital role in promoting this miracle fruit. The kudumbashree is a woman empowerment mission by Government of Kerala. The members of kudumbashree make various edibles out of jackfruit. In fact,  some of these have great value in the international market. The Agriculture Minister Sunil Kumar recently inaugurated a complete jackfruit restaurant in the Malappuram district. The restaurant has eatables from coffee made of jackfruit to chicken curry out of jackfruit.

In this busy world where people are obsessed with junk foods, together with uncountable diseases. These encouragements from the government can help to bring a lot of changes. Remember only good health can build a good society and a wealthy nation. Similarly, it is very important to inculcate the new generation about the positive impacts of jackfruit after all “prevention is better than cure”.