FIJI is known for its warm tropical weather, and with tropical weather comes healthy seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Walk into any market and you will see the array of tropical fruits sold at affordable prices for people who love their fair share of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
With just $1 you can get a big slice of a juicy pineapple or watermelon.
Even though there are a lot of fruits and vegetables in the country, people continue to eat unhealthy foods particularly goods with saturated fats.
Finding it hard to get your young children to eat those fresh fruits that you love, well according to the Ministry of Health’s Wellness Unit Khana Kakana guidelines, children are 70 per cent more likely to eat fruit if its already chopped up.
Listed below are some important facts from the book about local fruits that you might find interesting to read about.
* Watermelon (meleni), tarbuuj) — Watermelons are 95 per cent water. Making it a great way to stay hydrated.
* Pineapple (Painapiu) (Painap) — Pineapple contains the powerful enzyme Bromelain which helps break down protein in food to speed up digestion.
* Orange (Moli, Mitha Nabbu) — Moli’s are rich in vitamin C which we need to keep our immunity up to speed. Lucky they come out just in time for flu season.
* Banana (Jaina) Keraa) — Bananas are rich in potassium which helps improve circulations, increasing delivery of oxygen, to the brain to keep us sharp and boost heart health.
* Pawpaw (weleti) (papita) — 80 per cent of Fijians are not eating enough vitamin A. Just half a pawpaw contains over 50 per cent of your daily Vitamin A needs for healthy eyesight and immunity.
* Guava (Quava) (Amrud) – Guavas have two times more fibre than apples and loads of antioxidants.
* Mango (maqo) (aam) — Mangoes have a low glycaemic index to keep you fuller for longer and stop hunger pangs.
* Coconut (niu) (nariyal) — Coconuts are a great source of good fat that helps us absorbs vitamin A, E and K from our fruits.
* Cumquats, Lime or Lemon – good for natural juice. Citrus fruits (limes, lemons, cumquats, moli, mandarin) are a great source of vitamin C that can help protect us from life’s stresses and keep our immune system working hard to protect us during the winter months. Delicious natural flavours that are great for juice.
