Blueberry Bubblegum Smoothie - Wellness with Taryn

One of the many things I love about starting our new life in New Zealand, is discovering all the new foods, like the Feijoa fruit. They are an evergreen, perennial shrub that is typically grown as a fruiting tree. You can spot them in many people’s gardens here in Nelson, New Zealand. So I managed to get a bag of them, and before they turned I decided to freeze them. I added them in a smoothie and created this delicious concoction.

The feijoa fruit are oval in shape and roughly 80mm long and a dull green color. The skin is thin and in the middle is a mass of translucent jelly-like pulp with small soft seeds. It’s related species of fruit is the guava. It has a sweet aromatic flavor, which tastes kind of like pineapple, apple and mint. I think the flavor tastes slightly like bubblegum, hence the bubblegum title 🙂

Feijoa fruit contains saponins, which are chemical compounds known as glycosides. Many saponins are thought to have anticancer properties and may lower cholesterol. Other foods that contain saponins are lentils, soy and alfalfa sprouts. Feijoa fruit is a good source of the secondary plant metabolites known as flavonoids. Flavonoids are known to play an important role in the prevention of cancer, by inhibiting the growth of tumors. They are also an ally in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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I know that Feijoa’s aren’t available everywhere, but if you are able to find these delicious little fruits, then this smoothie is a must. Alternatively if you drop the feijoa’s, and add a bit more banana, you can have a delicious protein blueberry smoothie. You see, always another option with these versatile recipes.