Covid Diary - Day 2

Covid Diary - Day 2

Today I feel exhausted, my throat feels like it is filled with razor blades and swallowing anything is painful. I have no appetite but am forcing myself to eat Feijoas. I was staying at one of my dear friend's holiday homes and she had a tree full of them before I got ill and I developed such a craving I was eating 15-20 of them a day for the 5 days I was there. It was such a strange craving; it reminded me of when I was pregnant with my kids; I have not felt like that in 25 years.

Its the only thing I have been able to eat because the pulp is so soft it just slithers down my throat. I came home with two boxes of them not knowing they are part of my healing.

On a psychological level, my heart is crushed having to watch my youngest child graduate online because I could not attend his university graduation ceremony. At least I am alive to witness this day; so feeling grateful!

Lessons learnt:-

I found out that consuming two feijoas provides 64 per cent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C and Feijoa Association Director, Julia Third says they are a useful – and tasty snack to have on hand at this time of year. I have been eating 20 of them every day!

I just googled the nutritional properties of Feijoas and discovered that they are filled with antioxidant-rich vitamin C, as well as B vitamins, vitamin E, and vitamin K. The human body knows what it needs and we just have to tune into its needs and it will guide us to how to heal.

I also found out that feijoas are also called pineapple guavas, and having grown up in Africa we had various varieties of guava trees, the pink and white flesh and I remember whenever we had coughs and colds my grandmother used to boil the leaves of the guava trees and make a cough syrup mixed with honey and lemons. When I first came to New Zealand we thought Feijoas were guavas and we tried to eat them skin and all and discovered that the skins are edible but quite bitter unlike guavas which are sweet.

16 Remarkable Benefits of Feijoa or Pineapple Guava

1. Edible Purposes

Pineapple guava is a fruit and can be eaten raw by cutting it in half and scooping out the pulp. The pulp can be squeezed out and eaten fresh. Due to the aromatic taste of this fruit, it can be used for making pineapple guava drinks, cider, compote, smoothie, jam, vodka, feijoa yoghurt, ice cream and wine. The fruit is also used for preparing chutney, salads, soup and stew.

2. Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) refers to two conditions known as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis affects only the large intestine (colon), while Crohn's disease usually affects all the digestive system.

3. Antibacterial Properties

Vuotto et al., (2000) evaluated the antibacterial activities of an aqueous extract from the tropical Feijoa sellowiana Berg. fruit. They tested the extract against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using a broth dilution test on human whole blood leukocytes, as well as isolated neutrophils based on a chemiluminescence (CL) assay.

4. Anti-inflammatory Effects

Monforte et al., (2013) carried out an in vivo study of pineapple guava fruit juice to ascertain its anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenin-induced paw edema test. The experiment also involved an in vitro test to ascertain the effects on superoxide anion release from neutrophils in the human blood. The pineapple guava fruit juice was analysed using the high-performance liquid chromatography method. The significant reduction of edema and the inhibition of O2? production during the experiment confirm the anti-inflammatory effect of the pineapple guava fruit juice.

5. Antioxidant Effect

Ebrahimzadeh et al., (2008) investigated the antioxidant effect of the pineapple guava leaves and fruit peels using various in-vitro assay systems. All the tested extracts showed a significant level of antioxidant activity and exhibited a similar pattern of activity to Vitamin C at various incubation times (p> 0.05). The extracts showed different levels of antioxidant activity in all the studied models.

6. Anti-cancer Activities

Paola et al., (2007) reported that the Feijoa acetonic extract exhibits anti-cancer activities on solid and haematological cancer cells. It was also observed that the Feijoa extract did not show toxic effects on normal myeloid progenitors, which suggests that the Feijoa extract has a tumor-selective activity. Both the fractionation, purification and analyses of the Feijoa extract showed that flavone is the active component. The results show that the Feijoa apoptotic active principle is the flavone and that the pineapple guava extract contains anti-cancer properties.

7. Recommended for Pregnant Women

Feijoa is highly recommended for pregnant women due to the high amount of folate present in the fruit. It is worthy to note that folate is essential for a growing foetus in other to prevent neural tube defects. Pineapple guava fruit is also essential for preventing anaemia during pregnancy as the fruit helps to increase the haemoglobin count.

8. Aids Digestion

Due to the high dietary fibre present in Acca sellowiana, regular intake of the fruit is highly recommended. Consumption of this fruit facilitates easy food digestion, easy bowel movement and prevents gastrointestinal disorders such as flatulence and constipation.

9. Boosts the Immune System

Due to the high amount of antioxidants and vitamin C found in the pineapple guava, daily intake of the fruit is essential for boosting the immunity and for preventing diseases.

10. Dermatological Care

Acca sellowiana is an excellent constituent of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins such as vitamin C and E that are essential for the well-being of the skin. For your skin exfoliation, the pineapple guava seeds and pulp can be mashed and applied on the skin for 10 to 20 mins before rinsing off with water.

11. Prevents Nausea

Nausea is an uncomfortable condition of the stomach that usually commences before vomiting. Studies reveal that regular consumption of the feijoa fruit helps to prevent nausea and vomiting due to its high constituent of vitamin B6.

12. Weight Management

Pineapple guava contains high dietary fibre that makes one get easily full thereby minimising the chances of constant food intake. This, in turn, helps to prevent excessive calorie intake for a reduced risk of obesity and healthy weight.

13. Regulates the Blood Sugar Level

Pineapple guava contains a low glycemic index and as such helps to regulate the blood sugar levels.

14. Cosmetics Production

The pineapple guava pulp can be used for producing cosmetics such as cream, exfoliant and perfume.

15. Ornamental Purposes

Pineapple guava plant and flowers are very colourful thus can be planted around the house for adding beauty and colour to the environment.

16. Animal Fodder

The fruit and leaves can be fed to animals as feed.

?????? And that is what you do when you wake up at 2am wondering why you want to go downstairs to get a bowl of feijoas while recovering from covid. Research your cravings and learn something new everyday.

#Covid #covidrecovery #healingfruit #herstory #coviddiary

Source:https://globalfoodbook.com/16-remarkable-benefits-of-pineapple-guava-feijoa