HEALTH BENEFITS OF KAKADU PLUM FRUIT
Terminalia ferdinandiana, is known as gubinge, murunga, billygoat plum or Kakadu Plum and is a small fruit found in the open Eucalypt woodlands from the Kimberly's in W.A. to North and Western Queensland.
Fruit varies in flavour, size, colour and nutrients from each region. They are slightly tart and bitter with an aroma of stewed apples and pears, some cooked citrus, pickled and fermented notes (as described by the Industry).
I love their plum flavour and the cleansing refreshing after taste in my mouth after I have eaten them.
This pear shaped small fruit has a hard inner stone which is very fibrous and contains a small inner seed in the middle.
This fruit was Traditionally used as food and medicine for thousands of years in Australia and was considered a gift of the Dreamtime by Indigenous people of those regions.
We also understand why when we consider and know about their high nutrient and medicinal potentials through research.
Kakadu Plums are the highest known food source of Vitamin C in the world. They are high in dietary fibre, low in calories, high in iron, vitamin C and copper, with smaller amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, magnesium, zinc and calcium.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and supports the immune system, collagen synthesis, iron absorption, heart health and energy metabolism.
Kakadu plums contain ellagic acid, a polyphenol which exhibits anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and prebiotic effects (with more research needed).
Kakadu plums contain flavonoid, aromatic acids, anthocyanins and lutein. These antioxidants can protect against free radicals that cause many common diseases.
Kakadu Plums are also high in oxalates (like rhubarb and spinach) so limiting to a serving size of 1g mixed with food and drink as part of a healthy balanced diet is recommended, especially for people at risk of forming kidney stones, with kidney or inflammatory diseases.
If you are sensitive to vitamin C, then a serving size of 1g of NATIF Kakadu Plum is all you need due to it being approximately 4 x the RDI for Vitamin C needed per day. Overusing vitamin C may cause stomach upsets, so knowing your upper limit is important.
Use the powder added to smoothies, protein and health bites, into desserts, salads, sauces, sorbet and anything which doesn't require heating it (otherwise you will destroy the vitamin C).
Enjoy the many commercially available native fruits of Australia.
