A Tropical Strolling...
A lot of places in this world have their beauty, it could be the climate, stunning landscapes, good temperature, the nature, or their culture. Also, there is all type of people for each place of the world.
I personally do not like the cold at all, spending the winter in a cold snowy place is torture for me, but that’s me. You may enjoy going on a hike during the winter, as well as go snowboarding or skiing. There is also people that love to camp under the stars in the Sahara Desert for example.
I was born in a small little tropical country called Panama, where we only have two seasons, the dry and the rainy season being the last one and the longest (from May to November). It is humid and hot, however, I have been in hotter places and since I live in an island, the warm water in the ocean and breeze from the sea, make a perfect balance.
I feel lucky to live here, in 5 minutes we can be at the beach and we also have the chance to enjoy the jungle to interact with the nature.
Today I have decided to write a little bit about something we (@evecab and I) like to do, although not often because of time, you know, work, sports, pets, etc. But we know it's important to dedicate some time for yourself and interact with Mother nature.
A tropical strolling
The other day we needed some lemons for the kitchen, it was a nice day so why not go to the natural supermarket where you can find fruits, veggies and all for free! I’m talking about the tropical jungle!
This time I decided to bring the camera and take pictures of everything we have available.
We live inside a natural reserve, it is very big and there is a loop we enjoy a lot, specially our dog who is always happy to go explore.
I will show you some of the things we were able to find:
First of all, I would like to start with the source of one of the most healthy liquids you can find in the tropics:
Coconut Water:
Palm trees are everywhere, and coconuts are available all year long. Some locals sell them in town as a way of income.
At home, we always have as first intake every morning, a glass of water with lemon, but when we have the opportunity to collect a lot of coconuts, we use it's water instead.
Did you know that coconut water is a good hydration booster? Since we train jiu jitsu, this booster it’s important for us. I just learned that drinking it as a first thing in the morning, helps you to boost your immune system and if you want to lose weight, this is very good for you.
More information about these benefits here
We collected 3 coconuts, 1 for me, 1 for @evecab and the 3rd one for the biggest coconut lover, our dog!
We kept walking, and we found already one of our favorites:
Mature Bananas
There are a lot of banana species that grow in the tropics, specially in Panama. For the picture, I think this is a species called Musa Acuminata, if you are into biology, there is some information about it here.
But why do we like bananas so much?
Since we do sports, bananas is an special element in our natural protein smoothies as well as because is high on fibre. It also has a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Besides making smoothies with it, sometimes we enjoy it at breakfast, but if you ever visit us in Panama, YOU HAVE TO try @evecab’s special snack, which are cookies made of bananas, oatmeal and organic cacao.
Look who we found here, a baby pineapple! As you can see, it’s not ready yet to be pícked, but we will come back soon =)
This fruit it is also important for your immune system, it has vitamin C and it’s also an important antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. I found this interesting article about this fruit that you may like to read HEALTH BENEFITS. I like it for breakfast and also in smoothies.
After seeing the pineapple, we bumped into these two friendly neighbors (Shaggy and Pepe). These two are very lovely, although our dog behaves much better than them.
We went to a nice place of the area and spent few minutes enjoying the views:
The hike continues and guess who passed by before us, I hoped we were not going to encounter her:
After a few minutes walk under the majestic sun, and listening to the beautiful sounds of the birds, we enter through the secret path to finally go for what we initially went out for…
The lemons!
Remember I wrote about having as first intake in the mornings, a glass of water with a lemon? It’s an important source of vitamin C and it helps you to have a healthy kidney.
Going back to our house, I almost forgot an important plant which leaf give a special taste in our meals:
Lemongrass!.
This is very good for those looking to lose weight and eliminate fat. While writing this post I read that this plant is very good for woman since it helps with menstrual pain, it has nutrients that helps you to have a nice skin and hair. For me the most important thing is the antioxidant benefit.
You can also make a nice tea with lemongrass.
Here is a little bit more information about lemongrass: The Healing Brew
If you follow @evecab you will see some posts that she wrote about our garden, where we have planted a lot of things that we use for our kitchen. I just wanted to write about these food that grows naturally or better say, that we did not plant.
Although, there is a SURPRISE! from the garden that I would love to share.
I introduce you to our very first Passion Fruits (Maracuyas):
This exotic fruit have important benefits for a good heart health, it has a lot of Vitamin C which is perfect for your immune system, and also helps to prevent osteoporosis by maintaining the bone density.
If you want to read more about these benefits, please visit: Benefits of Passion Fruit
I really enjoy to share a little bit of the nature we have here, and I hope you enjoyed reading this as well.
Your opinion is celebrated and welcomed, not banned or censored!