Fruit Adventures

One of the fun things I enjoyed doing back in the States was going  to the supermarket and buying foreign products.  In NYC,  I occasionally found a starfruit in the local supermarket, a Pomello, or on a good day I would go down to Chinatown and really step out of my comfort zone with some dried fish! YUM

In Dubai, I have the advantage of a more plentiful selection of exotic food.  Browsing the supermarkets you’ll see most fruits and veggies are imported, well duh we are in a desert!! Trying to get grass to grow is a painstaking task.

In light of this we are able to enjoy many fruits from Thailand, Pakistan, South Africa, Indonesia, Australia, Holland, Spain, New Zealand, and even oh yeah the USA! Represent!!! Although anything from the US will be about 10 times the price as normal.  I bought one of those fresh express packs of lettuce for ten dollars!!!!! Back home usually only runs for 3 bucks, sometimes even a dollar fifty. This is my local Spinneys flyer offering me some of the fruit deals of the week. 

Let’s start out with my first encounter at Spinneys: The Rambutan Fruit of Thailand.  Odd looking thing.  The exterior spikes makes this fruit misleading, definitely has the ability to make wary consumers not want to try it. But if you dare to cut it open you will reveal a yummy lychee type of fruit inside.  If I closed my eyes and had to take a guess I would have guessed lychee. So sweet and delicious!!

Please disregard my appearance. This was my first day landing and I needed my fruit fix.

FUN FACTS ABOUT RAMBUTAN: 

• If you continuously eat rambutan five days a week you will avoid cancer diseases.

• In Malaysia Rambutan fruit skin is used to prepare native medicines.

• This fruit leaves are also used to cure headaches.

Guava: I know not as much an abstract fruit as other options that were presented to me, but I wanted to try it next because as much as Guava is recognized in the states… I never had one (other then sugar fake drink products.) So I came I saw and conquered…..

Behold a Guava!

not too shabby but not my favs

FUN FACTS ABOUT GUAVAS: 

• A single common guava fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange.

 SIDE STORY; PHIL’S DARING ADVENTURE OF TRYING A CUPCAKE FROM DUBAI

LOCATION: MIRDIF CITY CENTRE- HEY SUGAR
TIME: FRIDAY NIGHT
MISSION: SUCCESSFUL
CUPCAKE TYPE : VANILLA VANILLA (THIS IS PHIL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT- RAINBOW FOOD COLORING WAS ADVENTURE ENOUGH FOR HIM)

Dragon Fruit!!!!

 

 

ooo la la   

 

If you are like me and you read all of those health magazines and wonder how can I make my life better through healthy eating, then you too must have come across this fruit before.

 

I’ve seen this fruit mentioned a million times back home, add dragon fruit to your diet, dragon fruits great for this this and that.  yea okay so where are the dragon fruits because they are not in my local supermarket in NY….. but in Dubai.. they are everywhere!!!

ooo how I’ve longed to try you…

 

 

weird looking thing right?? eehh it was ok.. it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t like omg this is delicious.. lots of seeds.. kind of like a pear texture on the inside but not extremely sweet. 

Below is some facts on Dragon Fruit from my favorite celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder.

 

• One study showed that dragon fruit had a notable impact on oxidative stress and aortic stiffness in diabetic rats, suggesting the fruit may be beneficial at preventing complications associated with diabetes.

• The same study indicates regular consumption of dragon fruit may lower the risks of developing heart disease and developing high blood pressure.

• Dragon fruit is high in antioxidants. Studies show that antioxidants may be effective at lowering risk of certain types of cancer.

• The seeds contain omega-3 fats. A great deal of research shows that omega-3 fatty acids can fight inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

• Because of its nutritional makeup, including antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fiber, pitaya is a beauty-enhancing fruit.