I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago…Penal to be exact. In a time when walking to school was commonplace and filled with carefree adventures that you didn’t always tell your parents about… like eating GUAVA that was growing wild at the side of the road as you and your schoolmates made the afternoon trek home.
As a child I wasn’t aware that my beloved Guava had been maligned by society and that the term “GUAVA SEASON” described a period of great difficulty, economic woe and hardship.
For me it was a blissful time.
Fast forward to 2021 and our 6 billion dollar food import bill coupled with a struggling, undiversified energy sector and dwindling foreign reserves and maybe GUAVA is no longer to be relegated to a harsh association. If anything, we should be looking to inspire the mindset of our children to place more pride in a GUAVA than an APPLE.
LOOK AT THE FACTS… taken from the USDA food composition database
Vitamins
Guavas have a higher concentration of all vitamins, especially vitamin A and vitamin C, when compared to apples. Guava is also richer in vitamin E, vitamin K and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6. GUAVA ACTUALLY HAS MORE VITAMIN C THAN ORANGES!!!
Protein Quality
In a protein quality breakdown, guava’s protein contains all essential amino acids except phenylalanine. Apples lack not only phenylalanine, but also tryptophan, isoleucine, leucine and methionine.
Minerals
Guava is much richer in all minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc and phosphorus.
AND MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE FACT….(drumroll)…
| Dietary fiber PER 100G OF EACH FRUIT | APPLE 2.4 g | GUAVA 5.4 g |
Additionally, both apple and guava have a low glycaemic index. When eaten raw as a whole food, Guavas are very low in glycaemic index and glycaemic load, meaning your blood sugar rises slowly after consumption, making it a good snack for diabetics, pre-diabetics and all of us , quite frankly.
So isn’t it time we gave GUAVA it’s place on the THRONE ?
Join me next time as we continue to make our families healthier USING FACTS AND FIBER …and send me some guavas if you are blessed with a supply!
