Health Benefits of Guinep: 3 Reasons Guinep is a Healthy Fruit
What Nutrients are Found in Guinep?
On your last Caribbean vacation you may have found guinep on your breakfast table and, like the rest of us, fell in love. Also known as skinup, ackee, chenet or kenepa, quenepas, mamoncillo, or Spanish Lime, guinep is a refreshing grape-like fruit with a large seed native to the Caribbean islands, Central America and South America. It grows from the Melicoccus bijugatus tree and is it a snack favorite, but what are the health benefits of Guinep?
1. Better Sleep
The National Institute of Health emphasizes that sleep improves brain performance, boosts your mood and allows your body to heal. According to sleep expert Dr. Maiken Nedergaard from the University of Rochester, recent studies shows “the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep
When we sleep, the brain totally changes function. It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.”
Most importantly, quality sleep touches every aspect of our lives and health, including our metabolism, cognition and the ability to stave off chronic disease and illness…not to mention fewer physical accidents! With that said, sleep deprivation can have adverse consequences to our physical and mental health. While we may not want to believe it, our bodies cannot function with several days of minimal sleep and make up for it on the weekends; our bodies need on average 7 - 9 hours of sleep each night to help us feel like ourselves and function at our best.
But what if you have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea or insomnia? The Sleep Institute estimates that:
- 50 million to 70 million people in the U.S. have ongoing sleep disorders
- Women are 40% more likely to have insomnia than men
- 54.4% of respondents to a SleepFoundation.org survey say stress and anxiety were the top reasons they have trouble falling asleep. Sunday was the night of the week in which they had the most trouble falling asleep
The good news is that a holistic pathway to better sleep is achievable through diet, exercise and meditation. The University of Michigan’s Public School of Heath states that “studies have shown that healthy dietary patterns overall—not just specific foods—could be associated with longer sleep duration and shorter time to fall asleep.”
The first health benefit of guinep is that it is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that produces serotonin and melatonin in our bodies. Serotonin, the happy hormone, stabilizes our mood and melatonin regulates our sleep patterns. Further studies show that tryptophan helps our learning and memory abilities. So when you want to naturally enhance your sleep, grab a bundle of guinep!
2. Better Digestion
A well balanced digestive system leads to clearer skin, a resilient immune system, better energy levels and healthier hair. We know that healthy is subjective to each reader depending on your genetics and dietary restrictions; healthy does not equate to a size 0 for everyone and nor should it! But you can feel when your body is sluggish, whether you're a size 2 or a size 12. While invisible to the human eye, your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients can make or break your energy levels and lifestyle quality.
If you identify, you’re not alone. The American Gastrointestinal Association estimates that:
- 60 - 70 million Americans suffer from digestive disorders
- Digestive diseases resulted in 8 million emergency room visits in 2020
- 25% of all surgical procedures relate to digestive disorders in Americans
Dr Omar Khokhar, a gastroenterologist with OSF HealthCare, stresses that “a lot of what occurs with digestive issues is related to what we eat. However, the types of bacteria – bad bacteria and gut microbes, the good bacteria, have on the digestive process is as individualized as our fingerprints. One food for you may not be a good food for another,” he said. That’s why its important to consult a nutritionist and find the best diet for you. Make sure to ask your doctor about adding guinep to your diet.
The second health benefits of Guinep is that it is rich in powerful antioxidants such as epicatechin and procyanidin B2 which are known to ease constipation.
3. Better Immunity
The fragility of our immune system is still a not-so-distant memory for most of us whose lives were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the strongest, healthiest people in our social circles were the first to fall vulnerable to the airborne illness. For others, COVID completely neglected them and their families. Whether you’re the former or the latter, a resilient immune system has been on everyone’s mind over the last three years.
The immune system is a “complex network of organs, proteins and cells that protect the body against infection while simultaneously safeguarding the body's cells.” The core parts of your immune system include:
- white blood cells
- antibodies
- complement system
- lymphatic system
- spleen
- bone marrow
- thymus
It can be overwhelming to worry over and manage every aspect of your health, but with a well balanced diet and superfoods, you can allow your diet’s nutrients and body’s functions to do the bulk of the work.
Luckily, an important health benefit of guinep is abundant in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which help your body fight infections and manage blood pressure to name a few.
Healthline states that Vitamin A is known to:
- Protect eye health and reduce the risk of blindness
- Lower your risk of certain cancers
- Build mucous barriers in your eyes, lungs, gut and reproductive organs which help trap bacteria and other infectious agents
- Increase the production of white blood cells in the body that help capture and remove bacteria and pathogens from the blood stream
- Reduce the risk of acne and inflammatory skin disorders
- Support bone health with additional sources of protein and calcium
- Spur the development and growth of embryos and sperm in women and men, boosting reproductive health
Pediatric immunologist Dr John McDonnell also encourages the intake of Vitamin C, which “helps your immune cells get to the site of an infection and then helps those immune cells eliminate whatever’s infecting your body.“ Vitamin C is known to:
- Help your body naturally fight inflammation by Increasing the blood’s antioxidant levels by up to 30%
- Manage high blood pressure
- Boost your body’s collagen, muscle, cartilage and skin levels, especially tissue repair after an injury or cut
- Prevent gout and other forms of arthritis by reducing the blood’s uric acid levels
- Reduce the risk of anemia by aiding our blood cell’s ability to absorb iron nutrients by 67%
- Lower the risk of heart disease by as much as 25% when consuming Vitamin C-rich foods, rather than supplements
How Do I Eat Guinep?
Now that you understand the health benefits of guinep, you may ask yourself:
How do I eat it guinep?
What does guinep taste like?
Can I eat the seed of a guinep?
What happens if I swallow the guinep seed accidentally?!
All good questions and there are several ways to eat the fruit. To brighten your day and uplift your spirits, and share a jingle you can sing along with, check out reggae artist and activist Macka B’s tutorial:
The tutorial is playfully embedded in his lyrics, which we’ve included below!
Guinep I’m not a gambling man but I bet
A lot of you have never seen this yet
Over in the Caribbean there’s a lot oh yep
Introducing Guinep
Let’s open it and let's see
You see the skin comes off easily
Very similar to the Lychee
Should be comes from the same family
Pop it into your mouth and hmm tasty
Suck the pulp tangy and creamy
Discard the seed and take it from me
Guinep is one of nature's sweetie
Nature's sweets are proper
More healthy than a gobstopper
It's got the vitamins and it’s got the fibre
Low in calories you won't get wider
Antioxidants, mineral provider
Good for digestion increase saliva
Give your immune system a boost
Certain symptoms it might reduce
Make sure it is ripe before any use
You can also make some juice
Here are some more names for it
Spanish lime Mamoncillo kenip
Skinup, Skinip, Canep, Gunip
Chenette Limoncillo Quenepa Genip
Discard the Guinep Seed
Despite its numerous health benefits and popularity, Healthier Steps Founder and registered nurse Michelle Blackwood cautions against eating unripe guinep. She advises ”to NEVER eat unripe guineps, as the seeds contain a lot of toxins like cyanogenic glycoside that converts to hydrogen cyanide (a poisonous substance which blocks oxygen to vital organ systems) after consumption.”
Tash and Sam advise that September is the best month to enjoy the lychee-like fruit. Check out her thorough tutorial below:
Tasha saves the leaves and boils it later to create tea. She loves guinep for:
- Help fighting colds
- Better sleep
- A stronger immune system
Speaking of tea, try these other guinep recipes!
Guinep Fruit Juice Recipes
The first 3-ingredient recipe is by Cocktailz Jamaica, who’s fun and engaging videos are sure to inspire additional ideas:
Another juice to try is Rachel Ottier-Scot’s recipe, which has 5 out of 5 stars!
1 kilogram Quenepas
1 tablespoon Ginger, minced
1 Lime, juiced
1 Liter Water
Brown sugar Or Honey to taste
Follow these instructions for the cold method:
- Wash and rinse the Quenepas, remove the peel and place the fruits into a large bowl with the ginger.
- Add enough water to the bowl to fully submerge the fruit, cover, and leave for an hour or overnight for more depth of flavor and to make the juicing process easier.
- Wash and sanitize your hands or use gloves and squeeze each piece of fruit to remove the pulp from the seeds, then discard the seeds.
- Strain the pulp, ginger, and water mixture to remove debris and pour the liquid into a jug or pitcher.
- Mix in the lime juice and add sugar or honey to taste. Serve chilled over ice.
Try Rachel’s hot method and get inspired with other recipes here.
June is Caribbean Heritage Month!
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we create playful, identity-driven prints as a storytelling vehicle. We want customers to feel understood, celebrated and joyful when wearing our garments. What better way to feel seen and celebrated this Caribbean Heritage Month with a tropical fruit like guinep? We’ve revived our popular print for the summer.
The next time you stumble upon guinep, or if you’re lucky enough to live in a market that readily sells the nutrient-rich fruit, give it a try. If you love it we’re glad to have introduced you. If you don’t, at least you can say you tried!