Cilantro accelerates the excretion of toxic metals from your body. Excess toxic metals in the body can create a breeding ground for viral infections, so using cilantro on a daily basis in your cooking is a very smart choice for staying healthy. All you need is a handful in a salad or a couple of tablespoons in a cooked dish to reap the benefits of this medicinal plant. This herb—and its cousin, parsley—is used throughout the Americas and is said to contain antibiotic properties.

Cilantro adds great flavor and a healthy kick to the classic Latin American dish, ceviche!

This refreshing lunchtime treat is chef Xiomara Ardolina’s interpretation of a classic Peruvian-born dish, which can be found in many variations throughout the Americas. She likes to serve her ceviche in martini glasses, topped with fresh chunks of avocado. This particular recipe contains several Latin powerfoods: chiles, cilantro, and avocado. It also has shrimp, limes, and tomatoes.

Here’s what you will need:

2 jalapeno chiles
1 pound rock shrimp, peeled, devined, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3/4 pound sea scallops (preferably diver)
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 large tomato, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup canned tomato juice
sugar to taste
1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, peeled and seeded, quartered for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Roast jalapenos over a flame or in a pan until the skin blackens and blisters; place in a bag or sealed container. When peppers have cooled, remove the skin with a paper towel, do not rinse. Seed and chop them.

Combine the shrimp and scallops with the three citrus juices and marinate overnight. Taste for sweetness; add sugar as needed. Add the jalapeno, tomato, red onion, and tomato juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cilantro, and garnish with avocado just before serving.

AVOCADO: Do not let the “high” fat content of avocados deter you from eating this fantastic fruit. In fact, the healthy monounsaturated oil in avocado will help you feel satiated after a meal and signal your body to burn more fat stores, as well as lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol! Avocado also helps lubricate your intestines and assists in regulating your elimination cycles. Avocados are grown, and consumed, throughout the Americas

The fruit bowl is a beautiful thing, especially when it’s laden with some of my favorites—pineapples, papayas, and the supersexy mango, or the intoxicatingly wonderful passion fruit. We are so lucky to now have access practically year-round to tropical fruit like the kind I grew up with in my native Cuba. There’s a whole wide world of fruit, all with different medicinal and tasty powers. Take cherimoya (the custard apple), for example. This tropical, heart-shaped, dinosaur-skinned fruit has a flesh—and texture reminiscent of honey, pineapple, and banana. It’s an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B₆ (which has nerve calming benefits), as well as calcium, iron, manganese—which helps activate some enzymes—and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Compare that with a bowl of chips! Seriously, as in the case of any kind of eating, variety is key; don’t be afraid to try some of those tropical fruit treats.