Feijoa

The ripe fruits of the feijoa contain a maximum of useful substances. Feijoa is not only delicious but also a very healthy exotic fruit. Its berries are oblong, with dense, juicy pulp, sweet and sour taste, with a special aroma that resembles either strawberries or pineapple. It has useful properties and contraindications that everyone should learn about.

Growing areas

It is a fruitful flowering plant of the myrtle family. Small feijoa trees are growing in South America and southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Colombia. Nowadays, it is growing in New Zealand, Australia, Azerbaijan, and western Georgia.
The fruit has a shape similar to a green chicken egg. The flesh is juicy, sweet and aromatic, and tastes like a combination of pineapple, apple, and mint. The grainy, transparent, jelly-like flesh is similar to guava.

Benefits for the digestive system

Feijoa is a rich source of fiber, which is very beneficial for intestinal motility and gastric secretion stimulation. Normalization of these processes has the most positive effect on the quality of digestion.
It is an ideal fruit for preventing constipation and more serious disorders such as rectal cancer. Fiber literally scrapes cholesterol from the walls of blood vessels and arteries. A feijoa cup contains 16 grams of dietary fiber, which stimulates digestion, thereby helping to relieve bloating.

Feijoa prevents cardiovascular disease

The green fruit reduces the risk of hypertension and is rich in potassium and sodium. These elements relax the blood vessels, normalizing blood pressure.

Fiber, vitamin C and B6, and high amounts of potassium in feijoa are essential for heart health. The daily intake of potassium is 4,700 mg, but not everyone succeeds in following this recommendation. Even consuming 4069 mg per day reduced the risk of death from coronary heart disease by 49% compared to those whose diet does not exceed 1000 mg of calcium per day.

Why it is important for strengthening immunity

By including at least one feijoa fruit in a daily diet, we can significantly help our immune system. A cup of feijoa contains 82% of the daily value of vitamin C. It is a well-known antioxidant that increases the body’s ability to resist viruses and free radicals’ carcinogenic effects.

Feijoa improves memory

Some of the components, such as potassium, folate, and other antioxidants, are very beneficial for the nervous system. Folic acid reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline. Potassium stimulates blood flow to the brain, improves memory, concentration, and neuronal activity.

Good for pregnant women

The green fruit contains many pectins, and it is a very healthy fruit for pregnant women. In this case, folic acid is essential, which is necessary for the fetus’s normal formation and development. It is also good at preventing anemia in pregnant women, while the hemoglobin level rises and the unborn baby receives a whole set of nutrients from the mother.

How it helps in case there is a lack of iodine in the body

It is rich in iodine. Lack of iodine in the body is a fairly common and serious problem; iodine is essential for pregnant women. Feijoa is also helping in case of hypothyroidism and to recover faster from injuries.

The mass of nutrients feijoa contains contributes to faster tissue repair in case of injuries and wounds. If someone close to you gets injured, treat them with this green fruit.

Cancer prevention with feijoa

Feijoa significantly increases the level of oxygen saturation of cells, which minimizes the effects of stress and the action of free radicals on the organs and systems of our body. Regular consumption reduces cancer cell growth risk, thereby protecting the body from various forms of cancer. Feijoa is good for weight loss and for making jam and jelly.

It also saturates well and reduces hunger attacks. This is a low-calorie fruit and, even with a little overeating, does not usually result in extra pounds.

Contraindications and side effects

An allergic reaction to feijoa can take many forms: skin rash, difficulty breathing, nausea, and so on. The side effects of feijoa are usually caused by excessive overuse of the fruit or incompatibility of feijoa with other foods. There are no serious contraindications to the use of feijoa; if the recommended rate is observed and the quality of fruits in food, problems arise extremely rare.

How to eat feijoa

Feijoa is good to eat in a fresh form: adding it to salads, rubbing it with sugar. In this case, the skin does not need to be peeled off; this way, more vitamins are retained, although it gives an astringent taste. Jellies, jams, marshmallows are also made from feijoa.

But not only sweets can be made from green fruit. There’s an option to add it to a salad with beets, walnuts, seasoned with vegetable oil will appeal to those who do not want to gain extra pounds. The calorie content of feijoa is 55 kcal per 100 g.

How to make a jam

It is best to prepare “live” jam for the winter – the fruits should be grounding with sugar, for 1 kg of fruits 1 kg of sugar, without subjecting them to heat treatment, thereby saving all useful substances. It’s good to store in glass or enamel containers in the refrigerator. For an unusual taste, you can add chopped walnuts or hazelnuts to this mixture.

Interesting facts about feijoa

1. Feijoa grows today in many subtropical regions, including Georgia, Armenia, Australia, Sicily, but Europeans first discovered the plant in Brazil’s mountainous areas. It got its name in honor of the discoverer, the naturalist Juan da Silva Feijo.
2. Feijoa grows on an evergreen shrub up to 4 m high, which blooms with beautiful white-pink flowers with numerous stamens. When in doubt whether the feijoa fruit is a fruit or a berry, note that it is a large and fleshy berry.
3. Feijoa has an unusual taste, which combines notes of kiwi, pineapple, and strawberry simultaneously.
4. As with many exotic fruits, the question arises as to how to eat feijoa correctly. It’s effortless – cut the feijoa in half across and take out the pulp with a spoon, leaving a bitter skin.
5. Feijoa blooms in May – June in the Northern Hemisphere and in November – December in the Southern Hemisphere. After these periods, the fruits appear on sale. How to choose a feijoa for a beginner who has never encountered such a berry? Choose these small berries of an elongated oval shape with a length of 2 to 7 cm and a weight of 15 to 100 g, especially for skin color and softness. Ripe fruit will be soft to the touch with dark green skin and light-colored jelly-like flesh.

Additional facts

1. Feijoa will become an excellent culinary assistant for preventing colds and viral diseases, and nutritionists call it its undoubted advantage that berries do not cause allergies.
2. Due to sugars’ presence, feijoa may be harmful for people with diabetes, so it is better to consult your doctor before using it.
3. Feijoa is famous for its beneficial properties. The berry is rich in iodine, potassium, copper, phosphorus, and other useful trace elements, organic acids, vitamins (C, PP, group B). These berries are popular in dietary nutrition and in the treatment and for the prevention of atherosclerosis, gastritis, and general strengthening of the immune system.

For more berries go to the berries list.