Have you noticed lately when you browse a health magazine that there is some new exotic food being featured as the “New Super Food”? We are constantly being inundated with new information and claims. From all kinds of exotic berries to green teas, how do we know what foods have some good medicinal qualities?
I want to feature a fruit that I’ve recently been introduced too called Mangosteen. Mangosteen fruit has been used since the beginning of mankind in the eastern world and has only recently been discovered in the western world. Introduction of Mangosteen fruit to the western world brought with it the title “Queen of Fruits”.
Mangosteen fruit, also known as Xango, originated in Southern Asia. This location is where Mangosteen fruit is usually grown. It grows on Asian tropical evergreen trees where the climate is relatively warm, does not resist very cold temperatures and grows at a very slow pace. When these trees are about ten years old they begin to produce small purplish fruits which bear no relation to the Mango. In Asia, Mangosteen fruit is regarded as the “Queen of Fruits” due to its delicate taste and aroma.
The “Claim to Fame” for Mangosteen fruit comes from its plentiful source of xanthones. These are phenolic compounds with potent antioxidant properties. Many people don’t realize that most of the xanthones are found in the rind and outer shell, not in the fruit itself. Slick marketing has promoted this exotic fruit for sale in the form of juices at outrages prices. On the internet I found Mangosteen juice for sale at $35.00 for a 750ml bottle. In a health food store I found 1 liter of Mangosteen juice for sale at $50.00. Are these prices justified?
Wikipedia advises that when Mangosteen was analyzed for nutrient content, antioxidant strength and potential impact for lowering risk against human diseases it was discovered that the overall nutrient content was absent of important content.
I am very wary of any food items coming from China. There was a recall on children’s toys because of lead contamination, milk products have been contaminated with melamine which is a known toxin that has poisoned thousands of children while chickens, being fed melamine, and their eggs are likewise contaminated.
A recent issue in The National Geographic magazine talks about the Yellow River in China being so polluted that the water is unusable. Thousands of villagers are dying of cancer and other terminal illnesses because they use the water from the Yellow River. Equipped with this knowledge I must then pose some questions:
– If Mangosteen fruit comes from China what are the soil conditions like where it is being grown?
– What waterways are feeding these fruits and how badly are they polluted?
– What toxins are we putting into our bodies when we buy these exotic products?
We tend to forget our own super-foods grown right here in our own backyards. Think of blueberries, black cherries, concord grapes, blackberries and cranberries. All of these have been proven to have excellent antioxidant properties while they lower the risk against certain human diseases. We can get these delicious foods certified organic which means we know that no pesticides have been used,
While you can purchase our own homegrown foods, for your family, at a fraction of the price of Mangosteen juice you can also rest easier with the assurance of quality coming from our own certified organic farming. My money and my families health stays with our own superfoods!
