1. The category is broad with great variety
The defining characteristic of a tropical fruit is that the plants that bear them are intolerant of frost. From bananas to coffee to dates, dragonfruit, kumquats, lemons, mandarins, pomegranate, sea grapes and vanilla, with many variegates, the family of tropical fruits has hundreds of members.
2. Nutrition
Like fruits and vegetables from cooler climates of the world, consumption of tropical fruits provides clear nutritional advantages to humans. Plant-based foods are associated with lowered rates of cardiovascular disease and lower incidence of cancer and stroke. With some variation, tropic fruits are high in fiber, vitamins A and C, folate, potassium, calcium and iron, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Orange- and red-colored fruit (e.g. melons and tomatoes) contain beta-carotene and lycopene, both associated with improved health and functioning.
3. Topical fruit history is instructive today
Humans emerged from the central regions of Africa, where fruiting trees were in great and varied supply. Like other members of the primate species, we did not develop the natural ability to make vitamin C, but survived well by eating the trove of tropical fruits richly available in the region. As humans migrated to less temperate regions and shifted to eating non-fruit sources, diseases such as scurvy emerged. Modern agriculture and international trade has restored the healthy components of tropical fruits--enabling us to consume dates, kiwi, guava, grapefruit and oranges 365 days a year, much to our advantage.
4. Fresh fruits versus juiced, canned or frozen tropical fruits
Research conducted at the University of Illinois, Urbana (Barbara Klein, PhD, et al.), indicates that freezing, canning and drying of both fruits and vegetables largely preserves nutrients and fiber. In fact, due to nutrient degradation that occurs in fresh produce that is shipped, stored, merchandised and stored again in homes nutrient levels can often be greater than when minimal processing (freezing, drying and packing) is done within a day of harvest. Packing syrups, such as those used with pineapples, can add to calories if not properly drained before serving.
5. Eat some--lots!--every day
Tropical fruits, because of the essential nutrients they carry, should be part of the five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended daily by the Harvard School of Public Health. The World Health Organization reviewed multiple studies on fruit and vegetable consumption to conclude that eating more fruit "probably lowers the risk of cancers of the esophagus, stomach and lung [and] possibly reduces the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, colon-rectum, larynx, kidney and urinary bladder." The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Family Heart Study also finds that men and women with the highest daily consumption of fruits and vegetables per day had significantly lower levels of bad cholesterol, suggesting improved cardiovascular health.
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