Some of the ingredients for ital food are ground provisions. Some of these include root crops like yams, dasheens, coco yam, cassava, sweet potato and irish potato. Herbs are also a vital ingredient. You can just use what you have, but in Jamaica they use a lot of thyme, oregano, basil mint and garlic. Fruits like tomatoes, hot peppers, plantains, breadfruit and ackee are also staple crops.  Greens are also important and the staple seems to be callaloo or Amaranth spp. This plant will readily cross pollinate with other plants of the same genus so can become weedy over time. The young plants are slices finely and steamed down with hot pepper, garlic and onion or added to soups and stews.

Other sweet fruits are also vital to maintaining an ital diet. Soursop is a nerve tonic, noni is a very powerful medicinal fruit. Citrus keep our bodies alkaline and coconut is also known as the tree of life and is said to wash the heart. Papaya or Babaco is renowned for it’s positive effect on the gut and there are scores of other amazing tropical medicinal fruits that can be eaten fresh and raw.