Tropic Plunder: 6 Super-Healthy Exotic Fruits
By Denis FayeAh,
the islands. Their mere mention floods the mind with happy thoughts of
sun-drenched beaches, dancing to reggae late into the night, and eating
healthy, exotic fruits.
Well, OK, so maybe that last fruit thing
doesn't spring immediately to mind, but it should. For most, tropical
fruits only come into play after they're run through a blender and
doused in rum, but the truth is these colorful balls of island goodness
are delicious without adding alcohol. What's more, they can actually be
good for you.
I know, I know. When you're kickin' it barefoot on the white sand a
couple of latitudes south of where you are now, proper nutrition just
doesn't seem all that important. But, hey, if you can eat healthy and
delish at the same time, why not go for it, mon?
1. Mangos
Mangos are the national fruit of India, but you'll now find them growing justabout anywhere tropical. Various varieties come into season anywhere between January and September. Ripe mangos are usually yellow and red, but the best way to tell if a mango is ready to eat is to give it a light squeeze and a good sniff. If the flesh gives a little and the stem smells sweet, it's probably ready to go. One cup of mango is 107 calories, mostly carbs, with 3 grams of prebiotic fiber. Mangos are loaded with phytochemicals, as well as all kinds of micronutrients. That aforementioned cup contains 76 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, and 25 percent of the RDA for vitamin A. You also get some vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. Plus you'll find 9 percent of the RDA
for copper and 7 percent for potassium, as well as some magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and manganese. Mangos also contain lycopene—an essential phytochemical that most people get through tomatoes—that's believed to ward off cancer. There are muchos ways to prepare mangos, but the easiest—and most fun—is to slice it lengthwise as close to the large, flat pit as you can, separate both halves from the pit and each other, cross-hatch the juicy flesh with a knife, and push up on the inedible outer skin from underneath so the cubes you've made fan out for easy pickin'.
2. Passion Fruit
These tangy little South American fruits come in both purple and yellow.They're similar to the pomegranate in that you simply cut them open and
eat the insides, seeds and all. A University of Florida study showed that the phytochemicals in passion fruit juice, specifically carotenoids and polyphenols, proved beneficial in fighting cancer. Because you eat the seeds, downing a passion fruit offers a nice hunk o' fiber, yet hardly any calories.
One fruit, which is approximately 18 grams, contains 17 calories and 2 grams of fiber. To give you a little perspective on that, half a cup of passion fruit is about 115 calories and earns you 13 grams of fiber. But the 17 tiny calories from a single fruit will also earn you a nice little hit of vitamins C, A, and B6, as well as niacin, riboflavin, folate, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.
3. Pineapples
Admittedly, the "exotic" factor drops a little with pineapple, but they aretropical, and honestly, when was the last time you bought a whole pineapple and not just the lame canned rings? One cup o' fresh pineapple chunks is 84 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and—get this—131 percent of the RDA for vitamin C and 76 percent of the RDA for manganese. You'll also get some vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, foliate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and copper for your efforts. When shopping for a good pineapple, look for one that's mostly brown and yellow. Green means it's not ripe. If you smell the bottom of the fruit and the odor makes you want to sing The PiƱa Colada Song by Rupert Holmes, it's probably a winner. To cut up a pineapple, twist off the leafy top and chop off the top and bottom of the fruit. Place the fruit on its now-flat bottom so it's stable and carefully cut off the outer skin in long, vertical strips. When that's done, quarter the pineapple lengthwise down the core, then slice out the core from all four quarters. The core makes for tough, chewy eating, so discard it unless you're going to use it in a smoothie—which is an excellent idea; the core of the fruit also contains a substance called bromelain that studies suggest has anti-inflammatory properties.