A person who has never tried a guava, will be surprised to accept the statement that this fruit is “the king of fruits”.
Let's take a closer look at it and find out what a guava fruit is and for what properties people like this plant.
Calorie and nutritional value
Outwardly, the guava looks rather inconspicuous: in form, the fruit looks like an apple or pear, green or yellowish, covered with tubercles. Usually its flesh is white, but there are varieties with a bloody, yellow or pink core.
Despite the many varieties, their differences in shape, color of the pulp, the presence or absence of pits - they all retain the most important thing: a unique complex of vitamins and minerals. The tempting smell and sweetness of taste attract many lovers of tasty.
Did you know? Homeland guava - Central and South America, but more common this plant has received in Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Thailand, Indochina. In Thailand, it is called "farang" - "foreigner."
The main advantage of the miracle fruit is its high content:
- lycopene (more than in tomatoes) - the strongest antioxidant;
- potassium (more than in bananas);
- vitamin C (many times greater than citrus).
Thanks to these three elements, the plant is worthy of respect. But besides them, the fruits, leaves and bark of guava are rich:
- vitamins - group B (1, 2, 3, 5, 6), E, A, PP;
- micro- and macroelements - calcium, copper, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, manganese, iron;
- proteins;
- fructose, sucrose, glucose;
- fiber;
- niazine;
- tannin;
- leukocyanidin;
- essential oils.
The chemical composition varies with the age of the plant. In younger plants - a higher content of diglycosides, ellagic acid, calcium oxalate, potassium, protein, etc.
Did you know? The strong and pleasant smell of this plant acts as an excellent air freshener - it is able to neutralize even the strong smell of cigarettes in a smoky room.
What is useful guava
The unique healing properties of guava (we will talk about taste qualities later) are related to its chemical composition. The active use of its fruits, bark and leaves in traditional medicine among a wide variety of peoples has made it possible to discover those areas in which this plant most effectively manifested its qualities. It:
- The cardiovascular system. Potassium with ascorbic acid helps to maintain normal blood pressure, support the heart muscle and normalize heartbeat, ensure the elasticity of blood vessels. Lycopene protects against heart disease. Regular tea drinking with guava leaves will help get rid of excess cholesterol, will be a good prevention of atherosclerosis.
- Brain. Vitamins of group B, potassium improve brain function, reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer's disease.
- Teeth and mouth. It is enough just to chew a leaf of guava and feel its effect - anesthetic, anti-inflammatory. Apply rinsing with decoctions of the leaves (per liter of water 5-6 crushed leaves, boil for 10 minutes), rubbing the gruel from the leaves into the gums when bleeding or ulcers.
- Gastrointestinal tract. In the 16th century, the Spaniards saw how the Indians of Panama drank guava tea during diarrhea - it neutralizes and inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Eating fresh fruit also helps to get rid of pathogenic bacteria and provide the body with fiber - normalize digestion.
- Vision. Vitamins A and C support the functioning of the cornea, slow down the development of cataracts.
- Leather. Overripe fruits (with rich red flesh) heal the skin, make it supple, stimulate collagen production, remove free radicals. Especially useful for skin decoction (for rinsing) of immature fruits and leaves - protects against ultraviolet radiation, prevents acne.
- Thyroid. The high content of copper and potassium effectively normalizes its functioning.
The cardiovascular system is beneficially influenced by such plants as hellebore, calendula, oregano, apricot, red currant, lettuce, green apples, cantaloupe.
Learn also about the benefits of other exotic fruits such as papaya, longan, lychee, jujube, pineapple, kumquat, loquat, citron, okra, actinidia, pepino.
Juice and guava fruits are actively used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (due to the low glycemic index). For prevention, it is enough to eat one cleaned fruit a day or drink tea from the dried leaves of this plant.
Regular consumption of these fruits helps to strengthen the immune system, helps with colds, fever, sore throat, flu. The plant extract significantly reduces prostate cancer, and also helps women with breast cancer, strengthens the lymphatic system. The gruel of its leaves is used as a hemostatic and disinfectant.
Guava recommended to include in the diet of pregnant women, children and the elderly.
Important! Guava pulp contains a large number of small and very hard seed-seeds. When eating fruit should be aware of this and be careful, otherwise you can damage the tooth enamel.
How to choose and store
When choosing a guava should be guided by the following signs that the fruit ripened:
- In appearance. The ripe fruit has a slightly yellowish pastel color. A bright green color or with a pinkish tinge indicates the immaturity of the fetus.
There should not be any dark specks on the fruit, bruises (these are signs of over-ripeness, the fruit's flesh may be spoiled or have an unpleasant taste). - By fruit hardness. To the touch the fruit should be slightly soft. If it is hard as a rock — unripe, too soft — overripe.
- By smell. The fruit is more ripe, the more pronounced its smell is - sweet, with musky shades.
There should not be any dark specks on the fruit, bruises (these are signs of over-ripeness, the fruit's flesh may be spoiled or have an unpleasant taste).Guava is not subject to long-term storage, the more ripe fruits - they are stored up to a maximum of two days without a refrigerator. In the refrigerator, in a container for storing fruits and vegetables, the shelf life can be extended to 2 weeks.
Under room conditions, it is longer possible to store green, unripe fruits - up to 2-3 weeks. During this time, they will gradually "reach", gaining yellowness and becoming softer. But the taste will be slightly inferior to the fruits that have ripened on the tree.
For winter, you can also freeze ripe fruit and store in the freezer for eight months. She will not lose her useful qualities.
Do not forget to freeze strawberries, pears, various herbs, pumpkin, apples, raspberries, spinach, cilantro, apricots, blueberries, butter with a guava Nazimu.
How to eat guava
Many who do not yet know what guava are interested in, what its taste is like. There is no unequivocal answer - to someone it resembles the taste of pineapple and strawberry, to another - strawberries and pears, the third feels shades of taste of a green apple picked from the Christmas tree! Indeed - the taste and color - no friend. But all unanimously agree on one thing - it is tasty and unusual.
Did you know? Guava gives two or three crops a year (one of them - the main one - up to 100 kg). For the price it is one of the cheapest fruits on the planet (only bananas are cheaper than it).
Guava can be used in different ways:
- Raw as normal fruit (can be eaten with the peel, and can be peeled and cut into slices). From ground pulp into a blender, you can make a tasty frieze (a glass of guava pulp, 3 tablespoons of lime juice, a little salt, half a glass of orange juice, mint leaves, ice).
- Drink fresh juice. Guava juice is not only good, it is also very tasty. You can also make a variety of drinks from it (for example, a smoothie made from a glass of guava juice: 100 ml of yogurt, fresh strawberries and lime juice). For an adult audience, it is recommended to use the juice of this fruit in the preparation of alcoholic cocktails - this will give them a special taste (0.5 liters of guava juice mixed with 110 ml of vodka, 0.5 liters of ginger ale and 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Add a quarter cup mint leaves and ice).
- Make salty sweet sauce (perfect for barbecue and kebabs): sauté chopped onion (3 medium onions), diced fruit of strawberry guava, fry for 10 minutes with onions, add half a cup of white wine, star anise and allspice, according to art. l ketchup and sugar. After softening the guava, remove the spices, pour in the Art. l Roma, lime and salt. Grind on a blender.
- Cook compotes, jam and make jam. Considering the fact that hard (like pebbles) fruit seeds, when cooking jam in the traditional way, will spoil the taste, we can recommend making a dessert out of its nectar, since the guava looks better in the form of jam. In the Caribbean cuisine (Cuba, Dominica), this jam jelly is very popular.
For jam, overripe fruits are desired (softer). Fruits should be washed and cut into four parts, pour water in a saucepan (to be completely covered with it), boil and cook over low heat until the fruit begins to boil soft. Drain nectar in another pan, squeeze the mass through a fine sieve, and discard the thick. The resulting volume of nectar mixed with the same amount of sugar, put on the fire and boil, stirring. You can add a little lime juice or saffron.
Readiness is checked simply: you need to drop a drop of jelly into the water. When the jelly is ready, the drop will not spread, but will retain its shape. When hot, the jelly is poured into forms (after curing it has a jam-like consistency). This jam is especially tasty with fresh buns. This jam is also good to use when baking fish and meat.
- Make baking stuffing.
An important property of guava is that this plant can be useful to almost everyone. Special contraindications to its use practically does not exist. The only caution may be her individual intolerance. Also, do not be excessive - do not overeat this fruit (this can cause indigestion). Diabetics should refrain from consuming the fetus with the peel - because of it, the level of glucose can rise.
Important!You should not eat a lot of immature fruits - they contain a large number of arabinose and hexahydro-xydifenic acid, which can adversely affect the kidneys.
