Enter the Dragonfruit Bowl
Have you tried a Dragonfruit Bowl? AKA Pitaya Bowl? I would call the Pitaya Bowl the little sister to the Açai Bowl. There are many different kinds of Pitaya. The most popular is the red pitaya, in part due to its vibrant pink color when blended into a smoothie or Pitaya Bowl. The red pitaya has a very mild taste, not very sweet and not tart. It blends well with other fruits and is known as a good source of Lycopene and Magnesium. The yellow pitaya has white flesh and is slightly sweeter than its red cousin. You can find both the red and white pitaya in fresh form is supermarkets. Most are imported from Central and South America and Asia. Because of the spike in demand, many other countries have begun expanding their farms to increase capacity for exportation. Another way to find pitaya is in the frozen fruit section of the supermarket. The best way to buy it is in cubes, kind of like from mango cubes. In that form, it is easy to create different recipes with the fruit. The Dragonfruit Bowl or Pitaya Bowl is an amazing blend of fruits and other nutritious foods that will give you energy and tastes great. There are many different recipes that are only limited by your imagination. To give you an idea of one of my favorite recipes, here’s what I do: I use about 200 grams of frozen red pitaya cubes. Nativo sells a 500g pouch with raw red pitaya cubes ready to eat. I add a frozen banana and about 4 ounces of almond milk and mix in the blender. Then I add a scoop of almond butter and some honey which makes it thick. I then pour that into a bowl and add toppings. Again, toppings are only limited by your imagination and tastes. I like shaved coconut, chia seeds, hemp seed granola, blueberries. My goal is to make a meal out of it. It will leave you satisfied but not bogged down. My favorite time to eat either a pitaya or acai bowl is after working out. Nowadays, almost every smoothie shop or juice bar you go to will have dragonfruit / pitaya on the menu. But, you can make them yourself at home too. Nativo sells the frozen pitaya online and it will be delivered to you door in dry ice. They sell the red pitaya in 500 gram zip lock pouches that are convenient and easy to use. Obviously, it’s much more work to make your own and stock all the ingredients you need to make smoothies and bowls but you can make it the way you like and save a lot of money. Pitaya Bowls run anywhere from $8.00 to $12.00. Despite the seemingly high price, it is well worth it. You know you are getting a huge nutrient and energy boost and it is refreshing and tastes great. You are what you eat and you should be concerned about everything you put in your body. I have read articles that claim that if we eat right and exercise we can dramatically extend our life span. I recommend following Mark Hyman and his book, “What the Heck Should I eat?” Well, if you haven’t tried a Dragonfruit Bowl, you should. I think you’ll love it and feel good about it.