Eating your 5 a day can get a little boring and repetitive if you are eating the same fruits and vegetables over and over. Keeping it varied is what will ensure that you stay happy and healthy.
If you’ve ever taken a gander in your local grocery you may have seen this delicious fruit, picked it up, and then put it back because you’re unsure of how to even eat it. And let’s face it, you don’t want it to just go to waste.
But you’re overthinking it. All you need to do is take a bite. It’s that simple. The whole of the fruit is edible and it’s so tasty.
One bite will quickly turn into two, three, four, and before you know it, you’ll be reaching for another one since you’ve polished the first one off!
Guava tastes a little bit like a mix between pears and strawberries. So if you’re a fan of those, you’ll love guava.
Native to the American Tropics, this fruit is ever-growing in popularity.
This may come down to the great taste, or maybe it’s the fact that it’s high in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants making it the perfect healthy fruit.
Either way, if you haven’t tried it already. You need to!
Make Sure Your Guava Is Ripe
As is the case with many different fruits, you’ll want to look for a nice ripened guava for the best taste. Guava starts out as a dark green fruit which will turn into a more yellow color.
When in stores you’re looking for a yellow, unbruised, unblemished guava for the ultimate taste.
Pick it up and check that it’s soft to the touch – we want no hard guavas here. If you give it a gentle squeeze and it has a little give in it, you should be fine.
A quick sniff can also let you know that the fruit is ripe. It should have a sweet musky scent.
If there are only unripe guavas available, purchase them and bring them home and stick them in a paper bag with an apple or a banana and they should become ripe pretty soon.
Most store-bought guavas are covered in edible wax to keep them from becoming ripe too quickly, so it’s always good to give them a good rinse before consumption.
Ripe guava is usually good for about 2 days as long as it’s stored in the refrigerator. However, I usually slice the fruit up and pop it in the freezer where it is then good to go for about 8 months.
How To Eat Guava
Eating guava really isn’t all that difficult. There aren’t any complicated procedures to go through before it can be consumed.
Really the only thing that you’ll need to do is rinse your fruit before you eat it, which should be standard practice for all fruits really.
You can eat all of the guava, nothing is off bounds. The rind and seeds are both edible and actually, that is probably where you’ll find most of the goodness.
A guavas rind has more vitamin C in it than a whole orange does!
To cut guava, you’re best popping it on a cutting board and then slicing the fruit in half. From there you can cut it into as smaller slices as you’d like.
Slice it much like you would an apple. If you’re not keen on eating the rind, once it’s halved, you can grab a spoon and scoop out the fruit from the rind like you would with an avocado.
Depending on how ripe the fruit is, sometimes you’ll find that the fruit’s flesh is pink, while in other instances it’ll be white.
Both are edible, so don’t worry if you’re used to one color and then suddenly cut one open to see a different color.
Sometimes guava seeds can be a little hard and tough, and while edible they might not always be enjoyable.
If you do not wish to eat the seeds you can simply pick these out with your fingers or use the pointed tip of a knife (carefully.)
Add Guava To Recipes
Some people aren’t always a fan of eating raw fruits alone, so what else can you do with this little exotic fruit? Some of my favorite things to do with guava are to:
- Homemade ice pops with guava and passionfruit
- Add guava to fruit smoothies
- Add them to a fruit salad
- Pop some guava in a trifle
- Guava Glaze (goes perfect over grilled or barbecued shrimp)
- Add guava and pineapple to homemade sangria – delicious.
- Guava is a great fruit for jam and fruit pastes
Benefits Of Eating Guava
There are many benefits to eating guava too – other than it just being delicious. So let’s take a look at why you should be adding this fruit to your diet:
- Lowers Blood Sugar Levels – Some evidence suggests that consuming guava can help to improve blood sugar control.
- Can Boost Heart Health – It is believed by many scientists that high levels of vitamins and antioxidants in the fruit help protect your heart from damage by free radicals
- May Help Relieve Period Pain – For those who experience really painful periods, eating guava leaf extract can actually decrease menstrual cramp pain.
- May Aid Weight Loss – If you’re looking for a low-calorie snack, guava contains only 37 calories.
- Could Help Boost Your Immune System – A lack of vitamin C can lead to many illnesses and infections. Guava is the richest food source of vitamin C.
Final Thoughts
Guava is a really simple and delicious fruit to tuck into, that just looks a little more complicated than it is.
But honestly, it’s delicious as it is, and can also be the perfect addition to many other meals. Next time you go shopping, pop this fruit in your shopping basket and experiment with it at home.
I can almost guarantee that you’ll soon be running back to the store for more.
My love of food extends challenges into cooking, trying new restaurants, and much more. That is why I’ve created The Gannet, as a place to teach people all my tips and tricks surrounding food and cooking. Don’t forget the food challenges!
So, stay a while and learn from someone that has been interested in food their whole life. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet you on a wall of fame somewhere.
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