Natural Nutrition found in the Outback delivers highly dense concentrations of nutrients in native food
Download the NEW FREE ebook 'Super Foods for Super health'. Written by two well known Australians, a scientist and a chef. Read more about the values of some of the worlds most nutritious foods and how they interact with your body.
Kakadu PlumKakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdnandiana) is a fruit commonly used by traditional Aboriginal people of Australia for thousands of years, usually eaten raw. The fruit has been tested and shown to have the highest Vitamin C recorded. Compare an orange which contains about 50 mg of vitamin C per 100 gms of fruit to 3000mg of vitamin C in 100 gms of Kakadu plum. It also contains significant absorptive enhancers which make the vitamin C be more readily absorbed. Iron and folate appear in their natural state to assist that absorption.Currently it is ranked as the world's richest fruit source for essential vitamins. This is a favourite traditional healthy food of the Aboriginal people. Research has found that the fruit is full of antioxidants, folic acid and iron. Most of the plums are picked from wild harvest, making it truly a native food.
Illawarra PlumIllawarra Plum (Podacarpus elatus) is a traditional Aboriginal food source from the temparate to sub tropical regions of Australia. Currently this plant is mostly wild harvested from dedicated wild harvest sites. Common names used by the Aborginal people s 'Gidneywallum' or 'Daalgaal'llawarra Plum comes from the northern New South Wales and Southern Queensland areas. It is a fruit with a high nutrition value in strong antioxidants.
Culinary Potential : It has an unusual flavour, not unlike a mixture of pine and plums, with a fleshy purple appearance. It is not a large plum, about 2-3 cm in length. Can be used as a sweet or savoury substance. The only problem is obtaining enough to make conserves or jams. Additionally, the rich sources of antioxidants and vitamin C means that you don't need alot for your daily intake. Contains quantities of mucopolysaccharides (sticky sugars) which benefit gastrointestinal system to function correctly.
Wild RosellaWild rosella is a relative in the Hibiscus family (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and is common in the northern parts of Australia. Mainly northern Queensland and Northern Territory.It has the characteristic hibiscus petals which are Research has found this food to have an incredibly high level of 2 of most active anthocyanins. Making it a very rich antioxidant and worth consuming. Nutrients fond here have propertes used to restore and relax muscles especially vascular. It is suggested that it has the ability to assist in normalising blood pressure and have anti-hypertensive activity.
QuandongLocated mostly in central Australia (South Australia/Northern territory areas) and lower Western Australia. It is a small native tree that produces a fruit descibed as tart. Quandong (Santalum acuminatum) can be eaten raw or is more commonly dried and used to make a range of sweet and savoury products. Most commonly used in preserves, sauces, chutneys, cordials, liqueurs, the range is quite large.The fruit contains a kernal which can also be eaten, but at this stage is not used for commercial uses. Quandongs are harvested from both wild harvest and from commercial plantings. The quandong plant requires a host plant, although it can live without one but tends to parasite a wide range of plants inluding the vegetation adjacent to it like grasses and weeds. They contain similar amounts of vitamin C as oranges but is a rich source of other minerals such as calcium and potassium in a natural cellular state. The fruit has a sweet peach flavour and contains a range of vitamins & minerals and unique oils such as Santalbic Acid which is currently being studied at the Deakin University for its health properties.
Mountain PepperberryThis is a small native tree, known to grown in cool, moist areas at higher altitudes than close to the sea. The Mountain Pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) gets its origins from the Tasmanian highlands of Australia.The leaves and fruit of the plant are used for culinary purposes. The fruit is a small purple to black pea sized berry and the leaves have an aromatic spicy flavour, not unlike hot peppers or chilli. The spices are used mostly for savoury dishes or in sauces and other forms of condaments. The berries are producd by the female plants and are dried and ground to make the pepper. Leaves from both the male and female plants are dried and milled to be added as a flavour to sauces, meats, pasta dishes etc. It is believed that the plant contains anti-microbial and anti fungal properties and holds the worlds strongest antioxidants. It is descibed as a polygodial-rich food traditionally used by the Aboriginal people of Australia as a bush medicine. Currently most supplies come from wild harvest but cultivation is inceasing. Research is showing that the nutrients in Mountain Pepperberry, have polygodial properties which act as protection for the stomach wall, inhibit some lesions from chemicals, have anti-asthmatic, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and reduce sensitivity to pain activities.ome of the anti-oxidants in Mountain Pepperberry (chlorogenic acid) appear to slow the adsorption o glucose in digestion which is a protective mechanism for Type 2 Diabetes (non insulin dependent)
Find out more about the Australian juice containing these foods.
|
Unique foods full of flavour combined with health promoting properties is a quality that Australia has been able to develop. Below outline some of the native foods that have high natural ntrition value and have been used to make a unqiue beverage.
in a deep red colour. The petals can be used to make a herbal tea beverage, jelly, jam, sauce or just used as a garnish. The flavour can be described as tart, a mix between raspberry, rhubarb and plum.
