The Benefits of Cooking Certain Fruits

As a country located in a tropical and subtropical monsoon climate zone, with abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and high humidity, Vietnamese people can enjoy a wide variety of delicious fruits in every season of the year. For a long time, fruits have been recommended in our diet because they are rich in vitamins, help prevent disease, and are excellent for weight loss.

Eating fresh fruit is already beneficial, but did you know that some fruits, when cooked, provide even greater therapeutic effects, supporting both skin health and body shape? If your answer is "no," then explore the dishes and remedies below as revealed by traditional medicine practitioners.

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3 Types of Fruits That Become Even Healthier When Cooked

1. Boiled Bananas: Beautify Skin, Treat Constipation

According to physician Vũ Quốc Trung (Hanoi Oriental Medicine Association): In Traditional Oriental Medicine, bananas are sweet, cool in nature, and have the effect of promoting bowel movements, moistening the lungs, clearing heat, and detoxifying the body.

While eating bananas raw is good, boiling them makes the benefits even stronger. After boiling, the amount of fiber and pectin in bananas increases significantly. At the same time, vitamins and minerals are not lost but even become easier for the body to absorb.

Boiled bananas are tasty and filling. They help inhibit fat accumulation and prevent new fat formation. Therefore, women who consistently eat boiled bananas as a snack will not only become healthier but also lose weight effectively.

Boiled bananas also beautify and moisturize the skin. This is because bananas contain vitamin A, protein, and antioxidants that can restore and rejuvenate the skin. Boiling bananas allows these nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently by the body.

The best time to eat boiled bananas is 30 minutes before lunch or dinner, or after morning exercise. This helps you feel full, reduce cravings, and promote weight loss.

However, physician Vũ Quốc Trung notes that while bananas are healthy, they should not be overconsumed — no more than 2 bananas per day. To make nutritious boiled bananas, choose small to medium-sized bananas with yellow, fully ripe skin. Boil thoroughly for about 15–20 minutes.

2. Steamed Pears with Rock Sugar and Ginger: Relieve Coughs and Phlegm

According to physician Bùi Hồng Minh (Vice Chairman of Ba Đình Oriental Medicine Association, Hanoi), in Traditional Oriental Medicine, pears are cool in nature, slightly sour, and have the effects of clearing heat, moistening the lungs, dissolving phlegm, soothing coughs, calming internal heat, nourishing the blood, generating fluids, moistening the intestines, and detoxifying the body.

This remedy is especially effective for treating children’s coughs in winter. Preparation: Take 2 pears, one small piece of ginger (about finger-joint size), and an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Wash and peel the pears, then cut into cubes. Wash, peel, and crush the ginger, then slice finely. Put the pear, ginger, and rock sugar into a bowl, then steam or double-boil for about 20 minutes. Let cool and serve. For children, remove the ginger pieces to make it easier to consume.

Physician Minh explains: “Ginger has a spicy, warm nature, dispels cold, relieves coughs, treats colds, and soothes sore throats effectively.” Rock sugar also helps with cough relief. This remedy is especially beneficial for bronchitis, dry coughs, sore throats, anemia, dizziness, and headaches.

3. Cooked Pomelo Peel: Relieve Morning Sickness, Promote Hair Growth, Treat Phlegm Cough
According to Traditional Oriental Medicine, pomelo peel has a bitter, pungent, fragrant taste, a neutral nature, and helps dispel wind, dissolve phlegm, reduce bloating, and relieve edema.

According to physician Bùi Đắc Sáng (Hanoi Oriental Medicine Association), pomelo peel contains a lot of essential oils and can be used to treat indigestion, support morning sickness relief in pregnant women, or for steaming baths to relieve colds.

For cough with phlegm, pomelo peel can be used as follows: Wash 10g of pomelo peel, cut into thin strips, place in a bowl with sugar, then steam. Drink this mixture three times a day to effectively relieve phlegm cough.

Pomelo peel can also be boiled for hair care. Washing your hair with pomelo peel water or applying its essential oil directly helps make hair shinier, stronger, smoother, and promotes hair growth. This method is especially beneficial for postpartum women.

Another way to use pomelo peel is for phlegm relief: Boil the pomelo pith in hot water for about 10 minutes, soak for a while, then squeeze dry. Soak again until the bitter taste disappears, then cut into small pieces to eat. This helps dissolve phlegm and warms the stomach.