FRUITY FACTS ABOUT GUAVAS

by Dr Marli Botha

When you normally think about the fruit “guava”, you tend to think of tropical holidays and fun smoothies with umbrellas sticking out, but what is a guava really? A guava is one of those exotic, yet fairly dull-looking (from the outside!) fruits that, if you have no idea what to do with it, you would probably walk past it in a grocery store without even noticing it…

Here are 7 FUN FACTS about GUAVAS:

1. The most important guava producing areas in South Africa are Mpumalanga, Limpopo Province and the Western Cape. Guavas were originally produced mainly for the canning industry, but now more are used in the juicing industry and the fresh market.
2. South Africans are particularly fond of “guava rolls.” Made from pressed guava pulp that is spread out to dry and then rolled up to form a sort of Swiss roll with a very peculiar sweet-sour taste.
3. Guavas are beautiful in colour and texture on the inside, and have a number of health benefits. Guavas help to boost your immune system against infections and common pathogens, and are one of the richest fruit sources of vitamin C. They hold 4 times more vitamin C content than oranges!
4. Fresh guavas consist of far less sugar (fructose) content when compared to other fruits like apples, oranges and grapes.
5. Guavas are also rich in manganese, which helps the body to absorb other key nutrients from the food that we eat.
6. The potassium in guavas helps normalise blood pressure levels. Bananas and guavas contain almost the same amount of potassium per fruit.
7. Guavas are also a good source of dietary fibre. A single fruit fulfils about 12% of your daily recommended intake of fibre, which makes it extremely beneficial for your digestive system. Guava seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent natural laxative. Dietary fibre also helps protecting the colon mucosa from toxins and cancerous chemicals, by reducing the duration of contact between your colon and these toxins and chemicals.

It is important to mention that no food is meant to be a cure-all for any condition, though there are certainly health and skin benefits contained within them. The one thing you should always do before using a new skincare product is to do a patch test to look for allergies and sensitivities.