6 Popular Caribbean Super Foods to Add to Your Diet For 2014

Passion Fruit Passion fruit, which grows widely in the Caribbean, has a soft, juicy interior full of seeds and is commonly found in juice drinks to boost their flavors. Benefits: It is rich in vitamin B2, vitamin B6, folate and choline. Passion fruit is also is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects you from the damage free radicals cause, preventing premature aging and keeping your immune system strong. Researchers at the University of Florida have found that yellow passion fruit extracts can kill cancer cells in vitro. The phytochemicals that are responsible for this anti-cancer effect are carotenoids and polyphenols. How it's used: Passion fruit can be enjoyed fresh, in fruit salads, and used in the preparation of sauces, jellies and syrups. Guava Guava is considered a super food by some nutritionists who say guava can replace the apple in the popular adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The fruit is soft when ripe, has sweet musky aroma and is creamy in texture. Internally, the flesh varies in color and may be white, pink, yellow, or red. Ripe fruits have rich flavor with sweet-tart taste. Benefits: Guavas are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and the dietary minerals potassium, copper and manganese. One fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange. Researchers in India found that guava has positive effects on high blood pressure. It is also believed to lower cholesterol, battle diabetes and combat cancer. How it's used: Guavas can be eaten fresh or in salads. Sometimes guavas are canned whole or cut in half without seed removal. Bars of thick, rich guava paste and guava cheese are staple sweets, and guava jelly is almost universally marketed. Guava juice is also a staple drink. Soursop Also called custard apple, soursop's rind is quite bitter but its flesh is soft, smooth and sweet. Benefits: Soursop contains abundant vitamin C and several B vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, along with calcium, phosphorus and a small amount of iron. The fruit is widely promoted (sometimes as "graviola") as a alternative cancer treatment. According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, graviola extract proved to be effective against liver cancer and breast cancer cells. How it's used: The flesh of the fruit consists of an edible, white pulp, some fiber, and a core of indigestible, black seeds. The species is the only member of its genus suitable for processing and preservation. The pulp is also used to make fruit nectar, smoothies, fruit juice drinks, as well as candies, sorbets and ice-cream flavorings. Coconuts Benefits: Considered one of the most treasured foods of all time, coconut products — including coconut flesh, coconut water, coconut oil and coconut cream — each deliver superb health benefits. Coconut oil, for instance, is considered the best and safest oil to use for cooking — even superior to extra virgin olive oil when it comes to giving the body what it needs for optimum health. Coconut water has a higher concentration of electrolytes than anything else found in nature. How it's used: When dried, the coconut flesh is called copra. The oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking and frying; coconut oil is also widely used in soaps and cosmetics. The clear, liquid coconut water within is a refreshing drink. Turmeric Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger. Its active ingredient is curcumin and it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell. Benefits: Turmeric's active ingredient curcumin is being investigated for its effect on the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, diabetes, allergies, arthritis and other chronic illnesses. Epidemiological studies have linked the frequent use of turmeric to lower rates of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer. Laboratory experiments have shown curcumin can prevent tumors from forming; and research conducted at the University of Texas suggests that even when breast cancer is already present, curcumin can help slow the spread of breast cancer cells to the lungs in mice. How it's used: Turmeric is mostly used in savory dishes, but is added in some sweet foods too. It is found in canned beverages and baked goods, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, yellow cakes, orange juice, biscuits, popcorn color, sweets, cake icings, cereals, sauces, gelatins, etc. It is a significant ingredient in most commercial curry powders. Sorrel Hibiscus sabdariffa or sorrel, as it is commonly called in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, is identified by the deep red petals that surround the small fruit that the plant produces. Benefits: Research confirms that Jamaican sorrel is high in vitamins and minerals with powerful antioxidant properties, vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and a group of compounds called flavonoids. It helps lower elevated blood pressure, bad cholesterol and detoxify the entire body. The antioxidant properties in sorrel helps provide our bodies with protection against free radicals, molecules which cause heart disease, stroke, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, premature aging and cancer. How it's used: Sorrel is used in a host of different ways in Jamaica and other islands, but it is most popular for its use as the main ingredient for sorrel drink, which is widely popular during the festive season. In recent times, the use of the sorrel has been extended to include the production of a squash and chutney. Other reported uses of the fleshy calyces in the West Indies and elsewhere in the tropics includes preparation of jelly, tea, marmalade, ices, ice creams, pies, sauces, tarts and other desserts.

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