Durians: Facts and Myths About the King of Fruits

Hi everyone! do you like Durian as I do? Since now is its season so I would like to share some interesting information about durian such as nutrients composition in durians also myths and facts about durians with all of you. There are a lot of claimed lethal foods and durian combinations that can lead to food poisoning or even worse case scenario, death. Not to forget, there are also rumors saying that if you are pregnant or currently have a disease like diabetes, you cannot eat durian. Believe it or not, either these statements are true or not, let’s figure out together with me so keep on reading!

As we all know, durian has 90-135 days waiting time before it can be harvested, thus durian season could be different in a different countries, for instance, Malaysians will have their durian season every year from May to July as well as in Nov and Dec which also sometimes can prolong till January. This is why, nowadays whenever we scroll our social media, we will see a lot of people posting regarding myths and facts about durians, eating, buying, selling durian as now is the peak of its season. Durian is not only the King of fruit due to its appearance which has a crown look skin, it is also actually one of the most nutrient content fruits in the world. Nutrients like carbohydrates, vitamin B, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and energy can be supplied from the durian. Despite all these nutrients, it also contains higher calories and sugar. Durian also can aid in digestion due to its high fiber content.

Next, we are going to the interesting facts about durian, firstly, durian has a lot of types, tastes and textures for example we have D24, KAMPUNG and MUSANG KING. Since they are different species, they contain different nutrients too. For the record, Durian Kampung has the highest sugar content in it compares to other species. Next, do you know that we can actually eat the durian’s seed? Yes, the seed is edible after you boil it. You can even try to slice it like chips too. Besides, durian is also proven to help in sleeping, research stated that durian contains tryptophan and potassium which if you take it with self-control, can lead you to a night of good sleep. This is because of the melatonin produced with the help of tryptophan.

Now we are going to the most interesting part of durian, have you heard people talk about myths and facts about durians, when you combine durian with alcohol it can lead to death? Till today, there is no research proving that this duo can lead to death which made this statement a myth. Even so, this does not mean that you can combine them together, as durian has high fiber, this combination leads to bloating and discomfort in the stomach. Durian also contains sulphur compound that can slows the process of breaking down the alcohols which eventually leads to a very unpleasant and longer hangover too. As for the death, it can occur when we eat too many durians due to excessive potassium, hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia can cause life-threatening heart rhythm changes, or cardiac arrhythmias. It can also cause paralysis and weakness. Next, people also tend to say that durian can our body feels hotter, well actually it is already proven that whenever we eat durian, our body temperature will be a bit higher after that but not to extent where it can cause fever. This temperature rise is considered as normal due to biological process when the body digest the food. Last but not least, for pregnant woman and diabetic patient, it is true that they need extra care when eating durian as it has high level of sugar and may cause gestational diabetes but it does not mean that they cannot eat durian at all, they can eat durian’ as long as in small serving portion. Durian also turns out to be sources of folic acid to the pregnant mother.

In conclusion, everyone can eat durian as long as we always are mindful about the portion and just like when you are drinking alcohol, we have to know our number, our limit, thank you for reading, stay safe!