Last week I was travelling in Queensland. This state in Australia has a subtropical climate and an amazing variety of tropical fruits are grown here.

I attended a talk and fruit tasting session and learnt a few new things which I would love to share with you.

Paw Paw (or papaya) contains an enzyme that digests protein. It is great for people with poor digestion. As with all good things, don’t eat too much in one sitting. One thing that really amazed me was that you can eat the seeds as well, they taste peppery. They sold a dressing made out of oil, sugar, vinegar, garlic, salt, mustard and crushed up papaya seeds - it is yummy.

Pineapple also contains a digestive enzyme. It also contains anti-inflammatory enzymes. They are growing varieties where you can eat the core.

Starfruit aids high blood pressure and is the ultimate stress management fruit.

Dragon fruit aids memory - but you need to eat it long term, it won’t work overnight. In the talk it was also stated that eating too much of it may bring back unwanted and long forgotten memories. I am not sure how true that is.

Some people consider dragon fruit to be very bland, but it is one of my favourite fruits. The ones I ate in Asia were always white on the inside but the variety they grow here is dark red. Dragon fruits get their name from a “scaly” look. The plant is part of the cactus family.

Custard apple tastes great (like a blend of apple and custard) and has lot of round, smooth seeds. These seeds are toxic and cannot be eaten. For the fruit to taste really nice it has to be soft and ripe. It is a messy fruit to eat.

Avocado is classed as a fruit. It contains lots of omega 9 fats (like olive oil). The oil is directly underneath its skin. Squeezing an unripe avocado really hard will release the oil. We saw a demonstration of that during the talk.  Avocado is great for skin, makes it smooth and supple but firms at the same time. We all should eat 2 avocados a day!! Guess what I have been doing the for last week!

Bananas are an all time favourite and I picked up a little brochure that claims they are suitable for everybody, virtually from the “cradle to the grave”. They have a reasonable amount of magnesium and deliver a quick boost of energy. My opinion is that they should be consumed in moderation.

Staying on the topic of tropical fruits: I visited a market and found “Rainbow Fruit Flats”. They look and taste delicious.  I had the chance to meet Stephen who had the idea and who grows most of the fruit they are made out of. Stephen gets a real buzz out of seeing children eat his “rainbows” and enjoying them.

Have a look at http://www.rainbowfruitflats.com.au to see what I am talking about.

Till next time

Connie

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com

Yoga and healthy eating go hand in hand. Yoga is also about being in harmony with the seasons, your environment and your body.

Most of us don’t have the time, energy or space to have an extensive vegetable garden. Modern life is taking its toll. We all know that there is nothing better for us than homegrown food that is freshly harvested.

An organisation called “Seed Savers” has put together a substantial book on how to establish and maintain a vegetable garden at schools. Best of all, the book is FREE! Here is the link http://www.seedsavers.net/publications/1187091548_6844.jsp

Just be aware that if you are in the northern hemisphere, that the seasons are switched. The book was written in Australia with Australian conditions in mind, but it contains a lot of information that applies universally.

“Seed Savers” are doing a very important job. They are trying very hard to preserve a variety of seeds. For many reasons this is vital. One day this may become the key to our survival on this planet. If you want to know more, visit the link for the book which will automatically take you to Seed Savers webpage.

Here is the link again:

http://www.seedsavers.net/publications/1187091548_6844.jsp

To a happy and healthy future!

Connie,

Your Yoga Partner

from

www.yogainahurry.com