Delicious Tropical Fruit for Good Health

1. Papaya

In Asia, papayas are a popular after-meal fruit because they assist digestion. The vividly colored fruit is also an excellent source of fiber, antioxidant vitamins, and carotenes, which are brightly colored nutrient compounds with potent antioxidant properties. Unripe papaya is also used to make pickles and in a peppery, acidic, crunchy salad (som tham) in Thailand.

2. Banana

The humble banana is laden with vitamins A, B, and C, as well as potassium. They also contain an amino acid called tryptophan, which is a mood-boosting compound. Banana fritters (‘goreng pisang’) are a common dish in Singapore and Malaysia, made with particularly delicious tropical bananas, notably the smaller ones.

3. Pineapple

Fresh pineapple is not only a vitamin C-rich, juicily satisfying refreshment, but it also assists digestion because it contains bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme. In Asia, pineapple is served fresh, as well as in savory salads (‘rojak’), with peanut sauce for satay, and dipped in a mixture of dark soy sauce, sugar, and chili.

4. Jackfruit

With a distinct taste that is a cross between a pineapple and banana, the jackfruit is packed with vitamin C, A and potassium, magnesium and calcium. Unripe, the mild-tasting flesh has a meat-like texture and popularly used in vegetarian cooking. Ripe, the flesh can be eaten on its own, added to icy dessert drinks or fried into crunchy crisps.

5. Mangoes

Mangoes are high in vitamin C, vitamin A and host of cancer-fighting antioxidants. The fruit can be eaten fresh and also made into a range of desserts. Mango puddings and jellies are popular in Singapore and Hong Kong, while in Thailand, the ripe fruit is paired with sticky rice and coconut milk. In Jamaica, mango leaves are brewed into tea for coughs and asthma.

6. Avocado

High in ‘good’ fat, avocado is commonly eaten as a delicious thick milkshake in countries like Indonesia. Avocados are packed with potassium, vitamin C, E and B-vitamins as well as omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids are a powerful nutrient that staves off heart disease, lowers inflammation and cholesterol.

Also read: The Health Benefits of Tropical Fruits

7. Coconut

The coconut fruit is considered a superfood. Coconut water is an excellent source of electrolytes and perfect for hydrating in humid climates, while the white flesh contains a host of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Significantly, the fats in the flesh are high in medium-chai fatty acids that control inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease.

8. Starfruit

With its attractive shape and juicy sweet-sour flesh, the starfruit or carambola has one of lowest calorie content among tropical fruits. It is high in vitamin C, phytonutrients, fibre, B-complex vitamins and has small amounts of potassium, phosphorus, and zinc and iron. The crunchy fruit can be eaten fresh — wavy skin and all — or on a juice. In traditional Chinese medicine, the starfuit is used as a remedy for coughs and sore throats.

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Let’s dispel these myths and redeem tropical fruit by delving into the science behind this fruit family’s numerous health benefits! Here are given few Health Benefits of Tropical Fruits.

What Are Tropical Fruits?

Some of the finest fruits are those that grow in hot, humid regions near the equator (tropical fruits) or adjacent subtropical regions (subtropical fruits). The plants that bear these fruits can be woody (like mangoes), herbaceous (like bananas), or vining (like passionfruit), and they cannot typically thrive at temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).

The Health Benefits of Tropical Fruits

• Pineapple, which has fibrous yellow flesh with an intense sweet, acidic, tart flavor.
• Mango, which has sweet, tangy yellow or orange flesh and a flat inner seed.
• Papaya, which has creamy, buttery pink or orange flesh with a delicate sweet taste.
• Bananas and plantains, which are starchy and sweet when ripe. (see The Health Benefits of Bananas and Plantains)

However, there are plenty of other tropical and subtropical fruits that we might find seasonally at a local grocery or ethnic foods store. For example:

• Longan, which is small and round with hard outer skin, a single pit, and sweet, musky, fragrant, jelly-like white flesh.
• Lychee, which is similar to longan and has reddish skin and a sweet, tart, aromatic taste reminiscent of grape and rose.
• Rambutan, which is similar to longan and lychee but whose red outer skin is covered in soft prickly spikes.
• Loquat, which are small yellow or orange fruits with succulent, slightly acidic, tangy flesh.
• Guava, which has fragrant flesh that has a crunchy, grainy texture and tastes like a cross between a pear and a strawberry.
• Durian, which is a large fruit with a spikey hard shell (its name derives from the Malay duri, meaning thorns) encasing pods of creamy, custardy flesh that smell like onion (in fact, durian smells so strongly that it’s often banned from hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia where it grows!). Durian is one of the few fruits with both a high fat and high sugar content!
• Jackfruit, which is the largest fruit in the world (weighing up to 120 pounds!), with waxy, slightly crunchy yellow flesh in the form of pods. It can be eaten ripe (when it’s sweet and tastes similar to a combination of banana, pineapple, and mango) or unripe (when it’s savory and meaty).
• Carambola (star fruit), which is yellow and elongate, forming the shape of a five-pointed star when cut; its flesh is watery and crunchy with a floral, sharp, citrusy taste.
• Mangosteen, which has a deep purple rind encapsulating sweet, juicy, tangy white flesh with a taste similar to peach, strawberry, and pineapple.
• Dragon fruit, which gets its name from its vibrant red skin and green scaly spikes, and has white mild, sweet flesh filled with small black seeds; it grows on a type of cactus whose flowers open only at night.
• Cherimoya (custard apple), which is cone-shaped with green scaly skin and custardy, tangy, sweet flesh.
• Soursop, which has green prickly skin with creamy flesh similar in taste to pineapple or strawberry.
• Canistel (egg fruit), which is marigold colored with dry, sweet flesh resembling hard-boiled egg yolk in texture, with a flavor similar to sweet potato or pumpkin pie.
• Passion fruit, which is round with hard skin and fruity, tart pulp containing numerous edible seeds.

Numerous of these crops have been consumed by humans for centuries. Mangos, which are in the same genus as cashews, have been cultivated for tens of thousands of years and were introduced to Southeast Asia between 5000 and 400 BC. We know that the pineapple originated in what is now Paraguay and Brazil, but its exact origin is a bit murky. Peru has evidence of guava cultivation as early as 2500 B.C. Lychees have been mentioned in Chinese documents dating back 4,000 years. Originating in Central America and the northern portion of South America, papayas were nearly wiped out by a pathogen known as the papaya ringspot virus in the 1990s, which devastated nearly all papaya-growing regions. (Fortunately, scientists were able to develop virus-resistant papaya plants and save this delicious fruit!)

Also read: 30 health benefits of regular cycling

Nutrients in Tropical Fruit

Although the nutritional profile of tropical fruits varies by species, the vast majority are rich in vitamin C, with orange or red-colored fruits also containing impressive quantities of carotenoids. Also see The Importance of Nutrient Density and Why Fruit is an Excellent Source of Carbohydrates. The Incredible World of Plant Phytochemicals: Why a vegetable-rich diet is so essential! Polyphenols: Health Miracle or Health Hype?

For example,

• One cup of pineapple contains 83 calories, 2.3 grams of fiber, 131% of the DV for vitamin C, 75% of the DV for manganese, and significant thiamin, copper, folate, and vitamin B6.
• One mango contains 135 calories, 3.7 grams of fiber, almost 100% of the DV for vitamin C, a third of the DV for vitamin A, and decent amounts of copper, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B6, and potassium.
• One cup of papaya cubes contains 54 calories, 144% of the DV for vitamin C, 31% of the DV for vitamin A, and significant folate and potassium.

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