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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Food of the Month for April is … Tropical Fruit!


Tropical fruits have remarkable qualities.  You can eat them unprocessed and without any added sugar and there are different types of tropical fruits grown and exported across the world.  As rapid shipment possibilities increase, the ability to distribute tropical fruits in temperate regions has dramatically increased.  In Western New York bananas, mangos and pineapples are now as common as apples and pears. 

Tropical fruits are an excellent source of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber.  For example, bananas are cheap, available year round, and even come with a safety envelope (the peel).  Bananas are nature’s own energy-rich food.  They are a good source of soluble dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, and contain adequate levels of copper, magnesium and manganese.  Athletes will often eat bananas to gain instant energy.  

Examples of some tropical fruits available in our region:  mango, pineapple, orange, Mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, kumquat, guava, papaya, persimmon, pomegranate, cherimoya, dates, fig, plantain, avocado.  Check out the links below for more in-depth information about tropical fruits and recipes:

https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/fruit-nutrition.html

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-deen/tropical-fruit-salad-with-honey-and-lime-recipe.html

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tropical-fruit-smoothie-recipe.html

https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tropical_fruit_smoothie.html

Sandy Warren, Deneen Rhode, Tanya Mack, Matt Farley
MCC Wellness Council
03/25/2016