![\"All](\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/All-About-Jackfruit-The-New-Meat-Substitute-Pin.jpg\" "\\"All")
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Jackfruit has been a mainstay in South Asian cuisine for centuries. Now this funny-looking, pungent fruit is gaining popularity amongst vegan<\/a> and vegetarian<\/a> communities in the U.S, too. Despite its somewhat funky smell, the fruit’s\u00a0flesh absorbs the flavor of almost anything you cook with it. It also has a meaty texture, making it a great substitute for animal protein. (Did we mention it\u2019s naturally soy- and grain-free as well?) Even if you\u2019re a committed carnivore, here\u2019s why jackfruit is worth tracking down. Plus, get recipes to enjoy it in its traditional curry preparation \u2014 or in creative and yummy barbecue or even dessert.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Going Vegan<\/a><\/p>\n The list of jackfruit\u2019s nutritional benefits could go on and on. \u201cIt has a lot of phytonutrients,\u201d says Susannah Baldock, MPH, RD, founder of The Roving Dietitian<\/a>. “And a lot of anti-aging, anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer and anti-ulcer properties.” More specifically, it’s\u00a0high in the antioxidants, vitamins A and C, which neutralize free-radicals in the body, and may help prevent heart attacks and strokes.<\/p>\n Jackfruit is also a good source of potassium (helpful in maintaining healthy blood pressure), zinc (needed for immune function) and has a small amount of iron, which is essential for blood production. Plus, the\u00a0seeds contain probiotics<\/a>, Baldock explains, which keep your gut healthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even better: Jackfruit’s\u00a0fiber content is significantly higher than that of meat. In fact, it\u00a0contains three grams per cup, whereas most beef products contain zero fiber. It also satisfies most health gurus\u2019 checklist of good-for-you foods, as it\u2019s low in calories<\/a>, almost completely fat-free, and low in sodium. The only downfall: protein. (It only packs about two grams per cup.) To make up the difference in your dishes, Baldock suggests simply adding legumes, beans or quinoa<\/a>.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>Pulses: The Superfood with Nearly Twice the Protein as Quinoa<\/a><\/p>\n Jackfruit comes in lots of preparations, but its most distinct form is the whole fruit \u2014 both ripe and unripe. (If you\u2019ve ever seen one in person, they\u2019re pretty huge.) Baldock warns that while they\u2019re usually found as the ripe type here in the U.S. (which means they\u2019re super sweet), it’s the unripe <\/em>version that works for savory recipes<\/a>.<\/p>\n For those heartier dishes, look for young, unripe green or white jackfruit, which you can usually find canned in water or brine. Just keep an eye on sodium when it\u2019s packed with brine or make sure to thoroughly rinse before you use \u2014 doing so can reduce the salt by about 41 percent, Baldock says.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>The Truth About Salt: Should You Shake the Habit?<\/a><\/p>\n When you\u2019re looking to bake with the sweet or ripe fruit, find it fresh, frozen or canned. (Try to avoid it canned in syrup, though, as the fruit just soaks up the added sugar<\/a>). Sweet jackfruit tastes great in smoothies or as a base for ice cream<\/a> and fritters.<\/p>\n Dried or baked sweet and savory jackfruit varieties also make for great homemade chips or dried fruit. And you can even use the seeds in chutneys or curry-based dishes, or roast \u2018em and add to spreads like hummus. (Just don\u2019t forget to peel and cook the\u00a0seeds, otherwise they\u2019re toxic. Here\u2019s a how-to<\/a> on cutting a whole fruit\u00a0and cooking the seeds.)<\/p>\n No Asian grocery in your area? Buy canned jackfruit online (it\u2019s on Amazon<\/a>). Then whip up a delicious dish by following these recipes.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>Aquafaba: The Vegan Egg Substitute Hiding in Your Pantry<\/a><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with Avocado Slaw 2.\u00a0<\/strong>Easy Jackfruit Curry 3. Spicy Chipotle Garlic Jackfruit Tacos<\/a><\/strong> 4.\u00a0Jackfruit-Coconut Macaroons Learn all you need to know about jackfruit’s nutritional benefits and why it\u2019s a good meat substitute. Plus, get four delicious recipes to try tonight. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[41,71,341,388,284,95],"class_list":["post-52630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-diets","tag-nutrition","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition","tag-vegan","tag-vegetarian"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Jackfruit: A Delicious and Nutritious Meat Alternative
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\nJacked Up Dishes You\u2019ll Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4 Jackfruit Recipes to Try<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"BBQ](\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/bbq-jackfruit-sandwich.jpg\" "\\"BBQ")
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\n<\/a><\/strong>The classic sloppy Joe gets a makeover, and even meat-eaters might be fooled by jackfruit’s shredded texture. This super-simple 10-ingredient recipe relies on prepared BBQ sauce for a quick and easy shortcut, making it the perfect weeknight, family-friendly dinner<\/a>. Photo and recipe: Dana Shultz \/ Minimalist Baker<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Jackfruit](\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/jackfruit-curry.jpg\" "\\"Jackfruit")
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\n<\/a>Mix up this easy-to-make curry to enjoy jackfruit in its most traditional South Asian preparation. This simple dish requires just 15 minutes of active prep time and 45 minutes of simmering, which will make your kitchen smell amazing \u2014 and the food taste even better. Photo and recipe: Richa Hingle \/ Vegan Richa<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Spicy](\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Spicy-Jackfruit-Tacos-1.jpg\" "\\"Spicy")
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\nShredded\u00a0jackfruit made Mexican style will add a little spice to your life. These yummy tacos pack so much flavor (thanks to seasonings like cumin, coriander, chipotle peppers and more), we promise you won’t even miss the meat.\u00a0Photo and recipe: Richa Hingle \/ Vegan Richa<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Jackfruit](\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Jackfruit-coconut-macaroons.jpg\" "\\"Jackfruit")
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\n<\/a><\/strong>Looking to harness the naturally sweet flavor of ripe jackfruit? Look no further. This tropical take on a traditional cookie<\/a> is so satisfying you only need one. Photo and recipe: Rianne \/ Art of Dessert<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"