This Tropical Fruit Packs More Fiber Than Most Others Combined

Did you know that, while most Americans fret over protein intake — despite protein deficiency being nearly unheard of in the United States — over 90% of Americans fail to consume enough dietary fiber? This means that the country's population is significantly lacking in its consumption of fresh produce, legumes, and whole grains. Fiber is a vital nutrient for gut health, aiding in digestion and relieving constipation. Other reported health benefits include lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. 

So, if you're feeling inspired to add more fresh produce to help bring your fiber intake to a healthy range, there is one tropical fruit that reigns supreme, delivering a whopping 25 grams of fiber per cup: passion fruit. Per UCSF Health, eating a cup of passion fruit alone can help you achieve your daily dose of fiber, and the fiber content in passion fruit easily surpasses that in other high-fiber fruits like guava and kiwi — which contain about 9 grams and 5 grams of fiber, respectively.

To maximize the amount of fiber from passion fruit, savor the juicy, jelly-like pulp along with the seeds they encase. However, the tough passion fruit rind is likely not something you want to consume raw. For other fruits with edible skins, leaving the skin on is an easy hack to level up the fiber content. That said, you'll also want to be mindful of how much you eat, as too much fiber intake can cause digestive discomfort — especially when the digestive system is not used to digesting fiber due to a lack of consuming whole, plant-based foods. Start easy with smaller amounts of passion fruit and gradually build from there, while also incorporating other sources of fresh produce to keep your gut healthy.

Hailing from the subtropical regions of South America, passion fruit has gained recognition across the globe. In addition to its prized nutritional properties, its natural flavors also make the fruit a desirable inclusion in the world of gastronomy. From being the star of the show in refreshing drinks with a tropical twist to offering an unexpected balance to your baked confections, the fruit's blend of bold, sweet, and tart flavors shines in every sip and bite. Among mixologists, it is a popular flavor to feature in diverse cocktails — like the coveted Pornstar Martini, a must-have martini for cocktail lovers, which offers a delightful blend of passion fruit, vanilla, and a shot of sparkling wine. It is also a popular choice for a more creative margarita flavor and, for nuanced sophistication, the notes of passion fruit are particularly desirable when paired with smoky mezcal for a complex passion fruit "mezcalita".

When it comes to food, you can mix juicy passion fruit into a vibrant fruit salad, and the sweet and tangy notes are a great complement to the heat from your preferred chili pepper variety, which makes it a fantastic inclusion in a homemade, zesty hot sauce. Since fresh, ripe passion fruit isn't always available, the go-to way to enjoy passion fruit-flavored goods year-round is to use frozen passion fruit or passion fruit puree. However, if you can get your hands on fresh passion fruit at its prime ripeness, process the luscious flesh into a syrup, blend it into a vitalizing smoothie, or simply relish in its raw glory.