Move Over Spinach and Kale; Chaya's the Real Superfood

By LYRA SPANG, PhD Owner, anthropologist and tour guide Taste Belize Tours tastebelize@gmail.com

Also known as “tree spinach,” chaya (Cnidoscolus acontifolius) is a little known superfood. Native to the Yucatan Peninsula, which stretches from present day southern Mexico into Belize, this leafy shrub grows easily from cuttings and can tolerate very poor soils. Big green leaves shaped vaguely like those of a marijuana plant provide bushels of nutrient packed greens. You can find chaya in both wild and cultivated form from Merida, Mexico to Punta Gorda, Belize and all points in between.

In Belize chaya is common growing wild along the roadside in the Cayo district, and as a dooryard plant in all districts. At the famous Pop’s Diner in Cayo, it is featured prominently with a framed chaya leaf on the wall and fry jacks stuffed with chaya eggs on the menu. It can even be found here on Placencia Peninsula, growing along the sidewalk by the conch shell jeweler and next to the burrito stand across from Wallen’s Hardware.

But what is it that makes chaya a superfood?

Growing abundantly in even the poorest soils, chaya produces large quantities of dark leafy greens whose nutrient content puts kale and spinach to shame. Chaya is exceptionally high in protein, calcium, iron and Vitamin A, containing more calcium than any other known vegetable. According to USAID nutritional analysis, 100 grams of cooked chaya leaves provides 12-15% of a person’s daily protein requirements, 20-33%

of calcium, 42-52% of iron, 27% of Vitamin A and a whopping 275- 342% of daily Vitamin C needs. Chaya has twice the iron content of spinach. Clearly Popeye has been eating the wrong greens! Remember, the ancient Maya peoples did not have a dairy industry as cattle are from the old world. No doubt chaya was one of the plants that ensured that they got enough iron and calcium in their diet. Today we can benefit from this amazing shrub that produces massive amounts of healthy greens year round. It’s as simple as sticking a cutting in the ground and letting nature do the work.

Chaya contains hydrocyanic acid which means that it is not recommended to eat the leaves raw. Some people say it is safe to eat up to 5 leaves raw per day, but even this small amount may cause a cumulative build-up of cyanide in your system, and some individuals are more sensitive to hydrocyanic acid, so I don’t recommend it. To make sure that your chaya is delicious, nutritious and safe, cook it for 15 minutes before eating, as heat destroys the hydrocyanic acid rendering it perfectly healthy for human consumption. (Do not cook in aluminum pans as this can cause a toxic reaction).

In Belize's Toledo district, a chaya revolution is quietly brewing in the little Kekchi Maya village of San Felipe. Ixcacao Maya Belizean Chocolate is now offering dried chaya leaf powder, which can be found in Placencia at Belizean Flavours shop, and is working to introduce this amazing green to the North American market, so don’t be surprised when chaya, Belize’s Maya superfood, kicks kale to the curb. ▪

Cooked chaya greens join a hearty breakfast plate at Pop's Diner in San Ignacio, Cayo, where it's given much prominence on their menus and decor. While chaya can be easily grown in Placencia, restaurants and many home cooks have yet to take advantage of the superfood.

DIANNE FINNEGAN

Lyra Spang is owner/guide of Taste Belize Tours, a unique cultural & culinary tour company. She researches & writes about food whenever she can. tastebelize@gmail.com.