Ajit Karn
The Health Benefits of Tropical Fruits: Tropical and subtropical fruits have unique health benefits (see Why Fruit is a Good Source of Carbohydrates, The Health Benefits of Apples, The Health Benefits of Melons, The Health Benefits of Bananas and Plantains, The Health Benefits of Berries, and The Health Benefits of Citrus Fruits). Nonetheless, in health-conscious communities, fruit has recently acquired a negative reputation as “nature’s candy” or a “fructose bomb” or a “bad carbohydrate.” Due to its elevated sugar content, tropical fruit has been particularly maligned.
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.
