Enter the dragon. Are you looking for healthy foods that will help regulate your blood sugar? Well, dragon fruit, a.k.a. pitayna is currently being prescribed to diabetics in Taiwan to help maintain their blood sugar. While the fruit might not look like anything resembling a dragon, the pitaya, traditionally harvested from a South American cactus, possesses numerous pointy spines attached to its exterior making it sharp and prickly to the touch. That porcupine-like/reptilian protective skin is part of the reason it was baptized with such a fiery name.

But once you’ve navigated around the fruit’s feisty exterior and you cut into the meaty fruit, you’ll be glad that you did. Dragon fruit has noted healing properties, including a capacity to regulate blood sugar levels while providing a potent dose of antioxidants that your body craves.

The origins of dragon fruit South American, but because of its delicious taste and positive health properties is now being cultivated in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Rich with both calcium and vitamin C, pitaya appears to provide more healing potential than other super fruits.

The bright pink fruit is packed with black edible seeds and tastes delicious. Fans of the fruit describe it as a hybrid flavor that resembles a mix between a pear and a kiwi.

Along with the massive vitamin C dose, it promises to deliver, the edible seeds are jammed Omega-3 fat, magnesium, and calcium making it an cholesterol buster.

Although studies have not yet been conducted that confirm pitaya’s ability to control blood sugar, Taiwanese doctors have been urging diabetics to consume the fruit based on anecdotal evidence. So pick up some dragon fruit, it tastes fantastic and has the ability to make you feel a whole lot better.