The beautiful world of fruits that grow in tropical locations… Nature’s candy seems to have always grown to easily feed and nourish the creatures of this planet earth. They seem like such a gift because not only do they nourish and hydrate us, but they are packed with nutrition and taste amazing as soon as they are ripe.
Tropical fruits, in particular, tend to grow in abundance and often have a year-round growing season.
Although for transportation purposes, tropical fruit is usually picked before it is ripe. It is best tasted where it grows and picked when ripe.
If these tropical fruits do not grow where you live, it can be a fun experiment to really get to know all the ways to enjoy them as part of your health regime. Next time you go to the store, pick up a few of these tropical delights. They can add a nice variety to the otherwise humdrum offerings that we get at the store each time we shop.
The nutrients from the fruits in tropical locations can often time fill in the nutritional gaps we have in the American diet.
Papaya grows in many locations but the top five countries are India, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Mexico. Hopefully, one of these countries is close enough so that you may experience the amazing benefits of papaya.
Papayas come large and small, and sweet and bitter. The riper a papaya, the sweeter it is. They are often dismissed because they will not ripen correctly in transport and end up being bitter or pithy.
When you find really ripe papaya, it should be smooth, slippery, and deep orange color. After you cut it lengthwise open, you will see a plethora of black seeds. You can save these seeds for consumption and increase the nutritional benefit of papaya. The seeds have a strong flavor, something like a cross between mustard and black peppercorns.
Papayas are most well-known for their assistance with anything related to the digestive system. They are soothing to the stomach and contain enzymes that help breakdown hard to digest food.
The black seeds may be crushed and eaten as well for even more digestive assistance. They are more potent than the fruit so only taking in a tablespoon of the seeds is necessary for health benefits.
Most mango grows in India, Indonesia, and Burma. Although Mexico and Central America provide most of the produce for the United States. Mangoes are one of the most prized and produced fruits coming out of the tropics. It’s tangy, the ultra-sweet flavor is hard for anyone to deny.
Mangos are not only full of flavor but fiber as well. This helps mangos reputation for being easy to digest and great for the whole system. Mangoes are also alkalizing, great for diabetics since they’re low glycemic, and help improve your eyes, hair, and skin.
It is also a great source of potassium which is one of the many nutrients that helps us relieve constipation or upset intestinal issues. They are also a great source of B6, vitamin A and C, and magnesium.
When mango is soft to the touch like avocados and smells sweet at the end, that’s when you know your mango is ripe. When we consume these nutrients we generally have a better sense of overall well-being. Wow, there’s a lot in this little fruit. It’s no wonder people choose to make their favorite mango smoothie recipe.
Cacao fruit is native to the deep rainforests of South America. It is a very difficult fruit to experiment and try if you are not in the regions where it is growing. None the less, its nutritional benefits are extremely high.
When a fresh cacao pod is opened, you can find many separate beans covered with a thick, white substance. This substance is fruit pulp. It is pleasant to eat and it has a tangy but sweet taste with a bit of a floral flavor.
It is much less acidic than citrus. Most people know of consuming the seeds of this fruit which create our chocolate supply. The pulp and fruit, however, is often thrown away. The farmers and suppliers utilize this nutritious pulp until it becomes more commercially available.
Unlike many foods, cacao pulp is extremely high in Vitamin E and D. It is also high in magnesium and polyphenol antioxidants. The fruit starts to ferment almost immediately after opening a cacao pod which has made it difficult to transport and process. This is definitely something to try when you are in cacao’s mother country.
One of the most well-known tropical fruits has been shipped around the world since the 1860s. People just can’t get enough of this delicious fruit.
Some interesting facts about pineapples are as follows:
- pineapples are native to South America before Christopher Columbus discovered them in 1493;
- one pineapple plant can produce one pineapple at a time;
- a third of all the pineapples in the world are produced in Hawaii;
- pineapples make excellent jack-o-lanterns;
- to grow a new plant, plant the pineapple leaves.
You should eat a pineapple within two days if it’s stored at room temperature. If refrigerated, within a week.
The pineapple was used to treat many ailments in native cultures and science-based research is only now finding the evidence to back up this folk-based medicine. Bromelain which is found in the core and stem is an enzyme that helps break down protein chains that cause inflammation in the body.
On an empty stomach, the health benefits of this enzyme will enter the bloodstream and help the body. If consumed with food in the stomach, it will work to help break that food substance down. This enzyme has also been able to breakdown cancerous protein chains that we since have only been able to treat with toxic chemotherapy.
With all of these benefits, there is no reason to not get out there and try all the tropical fresh fruits you can find. Learn to know which ones are most available in your neck of the woods and which you would love to consume on a regular basis.
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