Health Benefits of Poi and Tropical Fruits

Dear Jessica,

I am inquiring to find out if poi is actually healthy to eat?  I've been to Hawai’i and was told that poi and other tropical fruits (guava, passion fruit, mango, papaya) are good, healthy foods.  Is that true?

Thanks!

Chris

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your question.  Prior to doing the research to answer it, I wasn’t very familiar with poi.  I’ve learned some interesting facts about its health properties, how it’s prepared and even some of its history and mythology.

Poi is a fat-free and highly digestible, pudding-like dish made from the root (or corm) of the taro plant.  This root is a starchy tuber vegetable similar in looks and use to a potato.  The taro root is cooked and pounded into a smooth, sticky paste.  Water is added and the paste kneaded until it reaches the desired consistency.  Eaten fresh, it has a delicate sweet flavor and is called “sweet poi.”  After the first day it starts to ferment,  losing its sweet flavor and turns increasingly sour, becoming “sour poi”.  Poi is often eaten as a side dish, in place of rice or potatoes.  It has served as a staple in Hawaiian diets since ancient times but many visitors  trying it for the first time compare it to glue, referring perhaps to its consistency.  Although traditionally, it was properly eaten with the  fingers many now opt to use utensils.

Poi is considered a highly nutritious, life-giving food.  It provides an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B-1, as well as potassium, magnesium and iron.  Because it is also hypoallergenic, poi has been credited with saving the lives of several children with severe food allergies.  Some parents found that poi was one of the only foods their highly allergic babies and toddlers could tolerate. It is also being investigated for potential use as a non-dairy probiotic. 

Some people consider poi the “soul food” of Hawaii.  Historically it was considered a sacred and important dish to Hawaiians.  It was believed that when the dish was served, the spirit of Haloa, an ancestor of the Hawaiian people, was present.  Therefore, all conflict among family members had to stop immediately.   

Now, let’s switch topics and discuss tropical fruits.  In general, fruit, including the tropical varieties, provide an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fiber.  Fresh fruit contains its own enzymes making it very easy to digest.  Because of this, many people recommend eating fruit on an empty stomach.  If it is eaten after a meal, the fruit may begin to ferment while it waits for the other foods to digest, causing bloating and gas.

Tropical fruits such as guava, mango, papaya and passion fruit, all contain key nutrients such as vitamin C, carotenoids, potassium, and fiber.  For instance, a guava contains more vitamin C than a citrus fruit and the edible rind contains over five times the vitamin C of an orange.

In 2003, Nutrition Action Healthletter evaluated 48 fruits and calculated a score for each fruit based on its Daily Value for six nutrients (vitamin C, folate, potassium, fiber, iron, calcium) and carotenoids.  Guava was the winner with the highest total score followed by watermelon and grapefruit.  Papaya and mango were also high performers ranking fifth and seventeenth, respectively.  (Passion fruit was not evaluated in their study).

Thanks for helping me expand my food knowledge!

Aloha,  

Jessica 

In her free time, Jessica enjoys researching food and healthy eating.  If you have a food-related question that you would like answered in the journal, please email her at Jessica_L_Tucker@yahoo.com