15 Health Benefits of Cassava

15 Health Benefits of Cassava 

Currently, rice is a common food in almost all countries of the world and is the main source of carbohydrates that people like, especially in Asian countries. As the alternative to basic food is growing, and people tend to consume other forms of carbohydrates. One of the famous rice substitutes is cassava. The cassava plant (  Manihot esculenta   ) is a plant from the Euphorbiaceae family, which originates from South America. In cassava there are some parts that can be used for consumption. In the past, people considered cassava food for the “poor”, but after research people found cassava to be very useful, and now the paradigm has turned cassava into food for “rich people.”

15 Health Benefits of Cassava 

It is believed that cassava comes from South America, in particular from Brazil and Paraguay. People in South America grew cassava long before Columbus arrived in America. In Brazil, there is folklore based on mythology, according to which a Tupi woman who lived in Brazil a long time ago was devastated when she watched her child die of hunger. Later, after her child died of starvation, she buried her child under the floor of her hut. At night, she was visited by the spirit of the tree, known as “mani,” and he turned the child’s body into the root of the plant, and later he was called “mani,” which means the root of the spirit of the tree. Amazonian Indians are known to have used cassava as a substitute or as an additive to rice, potatoes or corn.

Later, European sailors arrived in South America, they brought cassava, and it was known that Portuguese researchers brought cassava to Africa, trading with Africans who lived on the coast or nearby islands in the 16-17 centuries. Later, Africans began to distribute cassava, and cassava is currently found in parts of Africa, especially with tropical climates. Today, Nigeria and Congo Kinshasa are known as the largest cassava producers after Brazil and Thailand.

Currently, the main use of cassava in most countries is for food, but in South Africa, most cassava is used to produce starch, which is a good natural glue. Cassava starch also has wide industrial applications, including in the food industry, paper, wood, textile pharmaceutical chemistry and, nevertheless, in the feed industry. Cassava also contains high fermentable substances, which are the criteria for alcohol production. Fresh cassava tubers contain about 30% starch and 5% sugars, and dried tubers contain about 80% fermentable substances. This amount of fermentable substances in cassava is equivalent to rice as a source of alcohol.

15 Health Benefits of Cassava 

A cassava plant is an herbaceous parietal plant, which means that it can grow almost all year and can grow to a height of about 2.4 m during cultivation and up to 3-5 m in case of wild growth. There are more than five thousand varieties of cassava, but there are two types of cassava: bitter and sweet cassava. The sweet type is usually grown because of its higher productivity. Sweet cassava contains less linamarine or cyanogenic glucoside, which is known as a toxic substance in cassava.

Cassava is the plant that grows best in a warm and humid zone with a temperature range of tropical countries located between 15 degrees north latitude and 15 degrees south latitude. Tropical lowlands below a height of 150 m, where the average temperature is 25 ° C and 29 ° C, give the largest number of cassava tubers. Some varieties can also grow at heights of up to 1,500 m. As a tropical crop, it turns cassava into a short-day plant, and more than 12 hours of daylight can interfere or delay the tuber (starch storage) and, ultimately, a low yield, while while short periods of illumination intensify flowering. This leads to the fact that cassava cannot grow in an area with a temperature below 10 degrees Celsius and in the frost.

Cassava grows best on light sandy loams or loamy sands, moist, fertile and deep, but it is also good on soils that vary in texture from sand to clay and on soils with relatively low fertility. In practice, it is grown on a wide range of soils if the soil structure is loose enough to allow the development of tubers.

• Roots

The roots of cassava are large and long, tuberous, pointed, with dense, uniform flesh, which can reach a weight of 5 kg. Cassava tubers are extremely rich in starch and the richest starch plant among all flood plants. Starch in cassava is 10 times more starch in corn and twice as much as potato.

• The stalks

The cassava stalk rises and leaves the tuber and has white milky latex inside the brown skin. Usually, when the plant grows high, the main stem is divided into three branches, each of which then shares the same.

• Leaves:

The cassava leaves are large and palmate (in the shape of a hand) and have from five to seven lobes on a long thin petiole. Cassava leaves are dark green on the surface and light green on the back of the leaf and grow only towards the end of the branches.

• Flowers and fruits:

Kassava also gives flowers and fruits that are extraordinarily famous. There are two kinds of flowers in a cassava plant, male and female. Male and female flowers are found on the same plant and are arranged in loose feathers. The fruit has a spherical capsule shape with a diameter of 1.2 cm and six winged ribs. Each of the fruit capsules contains three seeds.

Roots, tubers and leaves are the most important part of cassava that people can eat.

1. Provide energy to support your activities

A 100-gram serving of cassava or yucca roots contains 38 grams of carbohydrates and they contain approximately 160 kcal. This makes cassava an excellent source of energy for people who experience strenuous exercise. The energy from the consumption of cassava, the carbohydrates present in cassava, will be split into glucose, which acts as an energy source for the body's cells. Later, glucose will accumulate and turn into glycogen in the muscles as a store of energy. While cassava leaves also contain carbohydrates, which are approximately equal to the number of beans and soybeans.

 2.  Protect and restore body tissue

Cassava tuber contains protein, which plays an important role in the protection and restoration of body tissues. Leaves contain various types of proteins, such as lysine, insolence, leucine, valine and a lot of arginine, which are not usually found in green leafy plants. Cassava contains almost all amino acids that can be compared to eggs and soybeans as an excellent source of protein. Also, take advantage of the unexpected health benefits of goat weed.

3. Lowering blood cholesterol

A study in the Philippines (one of the countries where cassava is one of the important crops) conducted a study to study the effect of root crops, especially cassava, on lowering cholesterol in people. Research has shown that cassava has a significant effect on lowering total cholesterol, it also lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is considered “bad” cholesterol, and can help lower triglycerides due to its high fiber content. Kawasaki is also known as a good source of saponins. These phytochemicals can help the body lower the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. Saponins act by binding bile acids and cholesterol, and thus prevent the absorption of the small intestine. Similar benefit You will receive using Metacarpus for health - you must know.

4. Reducing the risk of heart disease

As explained earlier, cassava can lower cholesterol, which is the cause of heart disease due to its fiber and supports the health of blood arteries and blood circulation.

5. Creating strong bones and teeth

Cassava contains calcium, which is necessary to maintain strong bones and teeth. Vitamin K, which is found in cassava leaves, also plays a potential role in building bone mass, promoting osteotrophic activity in bones and preventing the loss of minerals, especially calcium.

6. Maintaining a normal metabolism

Cassava is a moderate source of some valuable B vitamins, such as folates, pyridoxine, thiamine, riboflavin and pantothenic acid, which are important for the production of hormones and metabolism in order to maintain normal metabolism.

 7.   Help regulate heart rate and blood pressure

Adequate potassium in cassava (271 mg per 100 g or 6% RDA) plays an important role in cellular and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure. Research has shown that potassium, which is consumed by people with high blood pressure, can help lower systolic blood pressure. Potassium is also an important mineral that lets your heart beat. People with heart rhythm problems are thought to consume potassium and cassava.

8.  Prevent constipation and weight loss

Amylose (16-17%), which is found in cassava, is another important complex source of carbohydrates, which is slowly broken down by the body and contributes to satiety. Kassawa also contains large amounts of dietary fiber, which can help prevent constipation. Fiber also helps people lose weight by maintaining a lasting sense of satiety, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Cooked cassava leaves contain few calories, 37 kcal per 100 grams, which is great for weight loss and, it should be noted, they practically do not contain fat. To overcome constipation, you can also use the health benefits of the Senna plant, a laxative.

9. Gluten and Nutrient Maintenance for Celiac Patients

Unlike other substances found in other plant foods, cassava does not contain gluten. Gluten is a protein that is usually found in wheat, barley, oats and rye and can cause allergies in some people. A person with celiac disease (a pathology or damage to the small intestine that does not tolerate gluten) can consume starch or cassava flour because it does not contain gluten.

10. Lowering blood sugar

Fibers in cassava slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood. This is good news for people with diabetes by eating fiber-rich cassava. They may feel full without worrying about blood sugar levels. This is why cassava is well recommended for people with diabetes.

11. Prevent Cancer

Cassava contains some antioxidants that play an important role in preventing free radicals from entering the body and developing cancer. Powerful antioxidant including vitamin C, beta-carotene and saponins. These antioxidants are known to help the body protect your cells from being damaged by free radicals and repair damaged DNA. A study of herbal medicine by scientists from Tianjin University found that saponins found in plants can help prevent cancer. This study was published in October 2010. Find out the benefits of Omega 3 fish oil based on health research.

12. Promote the growth of probiotics and strengthen the immune system.

Again, fiber in cassava, especially leaves, can promote the growth of probiotics or beneficial bacteria in the gut, and the probiotic itself is known as part of the immune system. The growth of beneficial bacteria in the human intestines can increase immunity by limiting the number of pathogenic microorganisms in the body.

13. Limitation of nerve damage in the brain and prevention of Alzheimer's disease

Vitamin K, which discovered young tender cassava leaves, has also proven its role in treating patients with Alzheimer's disease by limiting damage to neurons in the brain. Adequate intake of vitamin K also protects the brain from loss of cellular functions.

14. Prevent anemia and help blood carry oxygen

Mineral iron, which is contained in cassava, helps the body form two important proteins: hemoglobin (a protein molecule in red blood cells) and myoglobin (a protein found in the heart and muscles), which serve to transfer oxygen to all body tissues. Eating cassava leaves or roots can help prevent iron deficiency in the body, leading to anemia, and also helps in red blood cell renewal.

15. Help relieve stress and anxiety.

The vitamins and minerals in the roots and leaves of cassava also help the body cope with stress and anxiety, contributing to a good mood. Magnesium, which is found in cassava, is well known as a stress reliever and plays a role in calming the nervous system.

A Healthy Way to Eat Cassava

Here is some information on how people use cassava in many countries, as well as helpful tips that you can adapt to take advantage of cassava.

• The leaves and roots of cassava contain a large amount of hydrocyanic acid, which is toxic to the body, but when it is prepared, the acid will disappear and be stored for consumption. 
• Unlike other green leafy plants, such as spinach, etc., which have more flavor, cassava leaves do not have a large aroma and absorb any aroma that you add. When cooking cassava leaves, you can add spices, meat and other seasonings. Cassava leaves are common ingredients that are essential to Indonesian cuisine.
• You can easily get fresh and organic leaves or cassava root by planting a plant. Cassava plants do not have many pests and can be easily grown. It can also grow in any soil. Just cut the stem and drop it to the ground, it will take root and grow. You must wait 24 months for the cassava roots to be full of food and ready to harvest, but you can pick the leaves anytime.
• Place french fries can be replaced with cassava. You can also add boiled cassava to your salad, as people in Central America, especially in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, who add cassava as salad ingredients, while cassava flour has been used to make cake, lasagna, and also noodles.
• Some people in many regions and countries consume cassava in different ways. People in traditional areas of the Americas rub cassava tubers, and then the juice will be extracted by compression or pressing. Further, this cassava will be dried on fire to cook food, or fermented and cooked. This type of cassava flour can then be moistened with water or simply added to soups or stews. Like most cassava producers In Africa, cassava tubers are processed into food in several different ways. Cassava tubers can first be fermented in water, and then they can be dried in the sun for storage or grated and turned into dough.