Unique and Nutritious Fruits For You To Try

You know that saying about variety being the spice of life? Guess what, it’s true for fruits as well! If you happen to live in a more northern latitude of the world, your life might be filled with lots of apples, oranges (shipped up from Florida), pears, bananas, and expensive strawberries. But it’s good to mix up your fruit intake because some of the more exotic fruits of the world contain higher quantities of nutrients that you need. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of these interesting fruits from around the world.

Jackfruit

This giant tropical fruit tastes like a mix between a pineapple and a banana. It has the texture of a pineapple, but less tart. Full of vitamin C, B vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, eating jackfruit can help make up any nutritional deficiencies. This fruit is often touted as a “magic bullet”, but it’s never a good idea to just eat one kind of fruit, there’s more on our list!

Rambutan and Lychees

This hairy looking red fruit tastes very similar to lychees. Both lychees and rambutans are high vitamin C and other antioxidants. Since these are seasonal tropical fruits that are native to Southeast Asia, it may be a bit difficult or expensive to find. When you do find some, always ask for a sample to make sure the fruit inside hasn’t dried out in the shipping process.

Loquat

If you don’t like carrots, try a loquat. In Chinese, this fruit is called a Pipa because of how similar it looks to the Pipa, a 4-stringed guitar-like instrument. They’re hard to find in the US, but they pack a ton of beta-carotene and are a sweeter and less crunchy alternative to carrots.

Star fruit

This fruit can be found in most tropical countries. If you travel to the French Caribbean islands (like Guadelupe), you’ll often hear the locals refer to it as carambole (the French name for star fruit). It gets the name “star fruit” because when you cut this fruit into slices, it resembles a star! The carambole is low-calorie, high in fiber, and contains lots of minerals like potassium and copper. For the perfect ripeness, the fruit should be firm but bouncy when you squeeze it.

Longan fruit

This fruit is also known as Dragon eye fruit in Chinese. It tastes like a sweeter, drier lychee with a dusty brown shell. This fruit is so nutritionally dense that it is a popular ingredient in Chinese medicine. Like lychees, these are seasonal fruits that can be found in abundance in local Chinatowns near the end of summer and early fall.

Japanese persimmons

You’ve probably seen these brightly orange fruit at your local grocery store. These fruits are high in vitamins A, C, E, as well as potassium, copper, manganese, and a host of other antioxidants. Persimmons need to be soft to the touch, but not mushy and if you eat a crispy one, that means it’s not quite ripe yet. Like avocados, they mature quickly so if you buy a not-ripe one, don’t wait too long!

Mixing It Up

It’s never a good idea to eat the same things every day. You may be missing out on key nutrients and minerals. Fruits, since they’re the reproductive organs of plants, are high in vitamins and other necessary chemicals. Vary your fruit intake to make sure that your diet is colorful and never-boring!

Reprinted with permission from https://werax.com/unique-and-nutritious-fruits-for-you-to-try/