Recipe to beat high blood pressure: ambrosia

'Tis Christmas Day and the table is laden with roasted turkey and all the trimmings — plus a fresh fruit dessert so good that it's called ambrosia (which in Greek mythology was the food of the gods).

Preparation time:  30 minutes plus chilling
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 3 navel oranges
• 1 small pineapple
• 2 large bananas
• 175 g (3/4 c) miniature marshmallows
• 75 g (1/3 c) sweetened, flaked coconut
• Fresh mint sprigs to garnish

Method:

1. Cut thin slice off top and bottom of each orange. Remove peel and white pith with paring knife. Holding orange over large bowl, cut between membranes and lift out sections with knife, letting them fall into bowl with the orange juice.
2. Using long serrated knife, cut top and bottom off pineapple. Stand up pineapple and cut off peel in sections, from top to bottom. Halve pineapple lengthwise. Place one half, cut-side down, on cutting board and slice lengthwise into 3 equal sections. Slice off hard core, about 2.5-centimetres (1-inch) wide from each section, then cut sections crosswise into chunks, about 2.5-centimetres (1-inch) thick. Add to oranges in bowl and toss. Repeat with second half of pineapple.
3. Slice bananas 0.5-centimetres (1/4-inch) thick and add immediately to fruit and juice in bowl; toss to coat. Gently fold in marshmallows and coconut. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight to blend flavours. Garnish with mint sprigs.

• Use chopped apples instead of the oranges.
• Add 15 millilitres (1 tablespoon) dark rum for an "adult" flavour.
• Purple grapes add more colour. Halve 500 grams (1 cup) seedless grapes and toss in with the oranges, pineapple and banana.

• The fruits in this dish are high in bioflavonoids, substances with antioxidant properties that prevent tumour growth and help keep arteries healthy.
• Plus, there's as much fibre per serving as in a bowl of whole-grain breakfast cereal.

Key nutrients:

• 160 Calories
• 20 Calories from fat
• 2 g Fat
• 2 g Saturated Fat
• 0 g Trans Fat
• 2 g Protein
• 38 g Carb
• 4 g Fibre
• 5 mg Sodium

Blood pressure nutrients:

• 65 mg Vitamin C
• 36 mg Magnesium
• 449 mg Potassium
• 46 mg Calcium

They call it the "food of the Gods" for a reason, right? The health benefits of this super-food are a great way to jump-start your diet and reduce your blood pressure. Get cooking!