Healthy Traveling in Brazil

Brazil is the largest tropical country in the world with an unmeasurable biodiversity in terms of trees, plants, but also in when concerns native endemic fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. One simple example, taking just one of the biomes of Brazil, the Atlantic Rainforest has 17,500 different species of flora, in comparison whole Europe has 12,500 species. Having this in mind, this rich biodiversity puts the country as one of the top places in the world to travel for foodies, travelers concerned about nutrition or simply curious individuals, fans of trying different kind of ingredients compared to what they have at home, especially ones living in a cooler and more temperate climate.

Here are some examples of native fruits and roots of Brazil that’s easily found in the local culinary they will enrich your tasting experience when traveling here.

Jabuticaba: Native of Brazil this little round fruit is largely used in juices, jams and to make wine and even liqueurs. It has a delicious sweet taste, it can also be eaten fresh just by removing its thin skin. Jabuticaba has a great nutritional value being antioxidant and anti-inflammatory . The fruits grow interestingly along the trunk of the tree forming a beautiful sight. More easily found in the Southeastern coast of Brazil at the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

Cashew Fruit: Native fruit of the Northeastern part of Brazil. More commonly known around the world for its cashew nuts, being widely consumed. The fruit itself has a sweet and astringent flavor. Popular used in Brazil to make juices, jams, chutneys and liqueur, also popular among vegans as a meat substitute by its fruit consistency that resembles meat. Nutritional values of cashew are many such as high concentration of vitamin A, Vitamin B3 and iron.

Açaí: Nowadays açaí is very popular in many countries around the globe, mainly consumed frozen (almost like an ice cream) mixed with guarana syrup in a bowl combined with banana and granola. This little fruit is native from the Brazilian Amazon region and is known for centuries as one of the main sources of nutrition of the local traditional population, due it’s high caloric and nutritional values. Around 30 years ago it started to be largely consumed by Brazilians in the southern regions and became an extremely popular source of nutrition for high performance athletes and fitness practitioners. Açaí is rich in Calcium, Vitamin C and A, it’s delicious to have for breakfast or in the afternoon. There are many places in Rio where you can try it, follow this link to get to know better when visiting the city.

Manioc (Cassava or Yuca): Native of Brazil, Manioc has a deep influence in the Brazilian cuisine (there are hundreds of different dishes around the country), it has a special importance within traditional indigenous populations for being its main starch source. Among the many ways of using manioc in Brazil one the most popular is the tapioca, a hydrated flour that when heated in a pan becomes a gluten-free dough that’s filled up with the most different kinds of fillings (salty or sweet) creating a sandwich-like snack, extremely popular and easily to find everywhere in the main Brazilian cities.

A great way to get to know Brazil in a nutritional and healthy way is also to combine your trip to Brazil by participating in our Sustainable Health Retreat in November 2017. Organized by Bravietour Incoming in partnership with the London based health consultancy company Honey&Roots. A perfect way to ally nature, eat organic and ecologically, disconnect from the wired world in a stunning location in the middle of the Atlantic rainforest with waterfalls at just a few minutes’ walk! For more information, follow this link.