Everything You Need to Know About Pitaya, the Superfood Replacing Açai

This one’s for all the health fanatics out there AND for anyone obsessed with their blender (AKA me with my Nutribullet). There’s an up and coming superfood in town. Meet pitaya: an exotic, beautiful but also weird looking fruit. You might more commonly know it as dragonfruit. Pitaya is grown in places like California, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia.

We just can’t get enough of these little guys? #DragonFruit #PitayaPlus #HealthyHasANewColor #EatRAWLiveRAW

A photo posted by Pitaya Plus (@pitayaplus) on Aug 18, 2015 at 3:58pm PDT

So why are people raving about pitaya? Well, pitaya has a number of really awesome health benefits:

• Pitaya seeds are a great source of monounsaturated fats, which are super heart healthy because they lower bad cholesterol levels.
• Pitaya seeds are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are also heart healthy, help with inflammatory diseases, and have even been shown to help depression and other psychological issues.
• Pitaya is also a major source of antioxidants, which help rid your body of free radicals that can lead to diseases like cancer. There have also been studies that say that antioxidants might help slow down the aging-process as well.
• Pitaya is also a good source of fiber, which can help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.
• Pitaya has lots of vitamins and minerals as well, like vitamin C, several B vitamins, iron and calcium.

So where can you get pitaya? And what should you make with it? One place to get your pitaya from is Pitaya Plus, which sells frozen pitaya packs and cubes. Pitaya Plus is a company dedicated to giving back to impoverished communities.

The founder spent some time living and working for an NGO in Nicaragua prior to the company’s start, and that is where he first encountered pitaya. Through his work, he also saw firsthand the poor conditions that a lot of Nicaraguan people live in. Hopes of creating new employment opportunities in areas that really need it (like Nicaragua) became the main motivation for the start of Pitaya Plus.

If you’re out and about, you can probably find pitaya in a local juice/smoothie joint. Jugos, located in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, offers a few different pitaya bowls and also offers pitaya as a boost that can be added to any juice or smoothie.

turning this joint out all day #playlist #eloringinal #pitayabowl #visitjugos

A photo posted by JUGOS (@jugosboston) on Oct 11, 2015 at 4:41am PDT

But why not try making your own? Most commonly, you’ll find recipes for smoothies and smoothie bowls, or pitaya bowls. If you want to get started right away, look no further and use the yummy recipe below that includes mango, banana, chia seeds, and of course, pitaya.

Mango Banana Pitaya Bowl

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 5 minutesServings:1 servings

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pitaya pack
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 cup almond milk

Instructions

1. 
   

   Place all of the ingredients in your blender, starting with the almond milk.

   #SpoonTip: It’ll help thaw out the pitaya and other frozen ingredients a little before you start blending.

2. 
   

   Blend your smoothie bowl by starting and stopping a few times to create a pulse effect.

   #SpoonTip: Blend until well mixed, but don’t overdo it. Smoothie bowls are supposed to have a thick consistency.

3. 
   

   Pour the finished product into your favorite bowl and add toppings.

   #SpoonTip: We’d suggest berries, nut butter, chia seeds, granola, coconut, nuts, and banana slices.

• Fruit
• Morning