Rambutan
Food · Fruit · Food, Typed Supps
Rambutan is a juicy, low-calorie fruit with a good hit of vitamin C -- just peel it, eat the white flesh, and skip the hairy skin and the seed.
Stage by stage
- Peeling & Chewing (Mouth): The translucent aril is separated from the spiky skin and seed, and chewing releases its sugars and vitamin C.
- Stomach Breakdown (Stomach): Gastric acid and churning break down the fruit's sugars while its ascorbic acid content stays largely intact.
- Intestinal Absorption (Small intestine): The small intestine absorbs vitamin C along with trace copper, manganese, and natural sugars.
- Bloodstream Delivery (Bloodstream): Vitamin C circulates in the blood, supporting immune function and collagen production for skin and connective tissue.
Timing
Rambutan can be eaten any time as a fresh snack; since it is mostly natural sugar with relatively little fiber, having it alongside a source of protein or fat can help moderate the blood-sugar response.
Time to effect
- Hours: Vitamin C from rambutan is absorbed quickly, with blood levels typically rising within one to two hours of eating the fruit.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
167 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
1.1 kg CO2e and 199 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other fruit" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £3 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 74.6
- Protein: 1g
- Carbohydrate: 15.7g
- of which sugars: 15.7g
- Fat: 0.4g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 2.8g
- Sodium: 2mg
Food vs. supplement
Whole rambutan provides a moderate, food-matrix dose of vitamin C alongside fiber, water, and natural sugars, rather than the concentrated, isolated doses found in vitamin C supplements.
Kitchen tip
Score the skin around its middle with a paring knife and twist to pop out the flesh whole, eating around the smooth central seed rather than biting into it.
Common myth
"Rambutan seeds are a healthy, edible snack, like eating a small nut." In reality: Raw rambutan seeds contain saponins and other compounds linked to toxic, narcotic-like effects, so only the flesh should be eaten casually; any traditional seed preparations involve roasting or boiling specifically to reduce this risk, and raw seeds should be avoided.
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