Acerola

Acerola

Strengthen the immune system, Prevent heart disease, Protect against cancer

If you never heard of acerola, you are not alone. This small, red, cherrylike fruit, which is native to the West Indies, is rather hard to find.

That’s unfortunate, because acerola happens to be the richest natural source of Vitamin C in the world. This means that this fruit can benefit the body in a variety of ways, from fortifying the immune system to helping prevent age-related conditions like heart disease and cancer.

In Puerto Rico and even warmer states such as Florida, people grow acerola in their backyards. One variety of acerola is quite sweet and can be eaten like grapes. Another variety is very tart but higher in vitamin C and often made into jams, jellies, and juices.

Many of us increase our consumption of orange juice at the first sign of colds and flues. It makes sense because vitamin C, found in abundance in citrus fruits, has been shown to help relieve cold symptoms.

Similarly, people in the Caribbean or West Indies might pop a few fresh acerola berries to head off illness. A single acerola berry provides 80 milligrams of vitamin C, 133% of the Daily Value. To put this in perspective, an entire orange has about 70 milligrams,

The benefits of vitamin C go beyond relieving cold symptoms. It also helps the body make collagen, a tough, fibrous protein that helps build connective tissue, skin, bones and teeth and that plays a role in wound healing. Vitamin C also helps protect the body from free radicals, cell-damaging oxygen molecules thought to contribute to the development of cancer, heart disease, and many other conditions.

You can eat acerola fresh or use just as you would other type of berries, in jellies, jams, pies, or other fruit deserts.