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JICAMA

Health benefits of Jicama

• Jicama is very low calorie root vegetables; contains only 35 calories per 100 g. However, its high quality phyto-nutrition profile comprises of dietary fiber, and anti-oxidants, in addition to small proportions of minerals, and vitamins.
• It is one of the finest source dietary fiber and excellent source of oligofructose inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. The root pulp provides 4.9 mg or 13% of fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie, sweet inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.
• As in turnips, fresh yam bean tubers are rich in vitamin C; provide about 20.2 mg or 34% of DRA of vitamin C per 100 g. Vitamin-C is a powerful water-soluble anti-oxidant that helps body scavenge harmful free radicals, thereby offers protection from cancers, inflammation and viral cough and cold.
• It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and thiamin.
• Further, it provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.

 

Raw jicama has sweet succulent apple like fruity taste. In many parts of Mexico, fresh tubers are cut into cubes/sticks and sprinkled with limejuice, salt and dressed with olive oil and paprika or ground chilli pepper.

Jicama is a favorite root vegetable in Mexican cooking where it is used in salads, slaw, stews, stir-fries, soups…etc with other common vegetables and fruits like orange, pineapple, carrot,green beansas well as with poultry, meat and seafood.

Outside of the American continent, this tuber is among the popular starch root in many south and southeast region. In Malaysia, where it is known as bengkoang, fresh young tubers are sliced and eaten with other fruits like pineapple, apple, raw mango, sweet potato…etc in rujak.

In Indonesia, they are served with much like Malayan salad but with added rujak sauce made from palm sugar,tamarind, shrimp paste, chili peppers, and sautéed peanutpaste. Also, as a rujak tumbuk, wherein all the above-mentioned ingredients ground in a wooden mortar and served in a banana leaf.

Apart from salads, another popular oriental dish that uses jicama and turnips is popiah, a Fujian/Chaozhou-style fresh spring roll.

 

Safety profile

Jicama plant contains significant levels of fat-soluble organic toxin, rotenone. It is concentrated especially in the leaf tops, stems and seed pods and at much lower levels in the roots. Several studies found that it is linked to the development ofParkinson's disease. However, peeled roots are safe for human consumption, including in children. Rotenone works at cellular level inhibiting several metabolic enzymes like NADH dehydrogenasein the mitochondria. Outside, it is used as environmentally safe broad-spectrum insecticide, piscicide (to poison fish), and pesticide. (Medical disclaimer)

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