Benefits of consuming okra

Being well-known for its pentagon shape and fruitful nutrients, okra, which originated in Africa, has been spread to Asia and North East America. Each 100g of okra fruit contains 47 mg of vitamin C, which is equal to half of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. 

The glue coming out from the pipelines

There are millions of ways to cook okra, including frying, roasting, boiling or putting it into a salad. No matter how you eat it, you will remember the characteristic texture once you put it inside your mouth—as sticky as slime, leaking out from 5 pipe-like holes in the pods, with some tiny crispy seeds around, mucilage may sometimes scare off newcomers to okra. However, given the actually tasteless and slippery nature of mucilage, many people turn out to fall in love with this unique texture, and some even serve it raw with wasabi paste and mimic the feeling of eating sashimi. 

Photo by FOX from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/marinated-meat-with-okra-slices-on-white-ceramic-plate-6063309/

In fact, mucilage mainly consists of slightly acidic polysaccharides. Being highly water-soluble and quite viscous, it is also considered a substitute for egg white substitution, which may be a piece of good news for vegans.  In addition, okra’s mucilage is a good adhesive for binding active ingredients and other components together to form tablets in pharmacology. 

Nevertheless, to support sustainable development, mucilage can even be mixed with acrylamide to create a biodegradable polymeric product. The numerous functions of okra and the ease of growing it makes it suitable for huge production.

The little but powerful seeds

Different from most fruits such as watermelon or apple, we commonly eat okra seeds together. As a rich source of protein and oil, okra seeds can not only support oil production on a small scale, but also can substitute coffee beans to produce caffeine-free coffee. In developing countries, it certainly plays a vital role in alleviating malnutrition during food shortage. Apart from supplying humans with energy with a high percentage of oil, okra seeds are nutritious by containing a high amount of protein and unsaturated fatty acid. 

A nice option for treating multiple chronic diseases

Clinical studies have shown that daily okra consumption in diabetes patients can effectively lower the risk of kidney damage compared to those who solely had a diabetic diet. Asian medicine even utilises this sticky glue as a protective layer against gastric irritation and inflammation. Further experiments have shown it is effective in inhibiting the binding of Helicobacter pylori on the surface of the stomach, thus preventing stomach ulcer. What’s more, the high fibre content in okra improves our heart’s health by lowering the serum level of cholesterol. These are just a few health benefits contributed by okra, and the list goes on.

Itis popular in Africa and some regions in Asia. Don’t forget to try this unique fruit by adding it to your dish. And if you are in need of finding recipes that use okra, we got you covered with the World Food Tracker‘s new feature where you can plan your diet with our wide library of recipes. 

Reference

1. D.Sathish Kumar et al. A REVIEW ON: ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS (OKRA). International Research Journal of Pharmaceutical and Applied Sciences (IRJPAS) 3, 129–132 (2013).
2. Habtamu Fekadu Gemede, Negussie Ratta, Gulelat Desse Haki & Ashagrie Z. Woldegiorgis. Nutritional Quality and Health Benefits of Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus): A Review. Global Journal of Medical Research: K 14, 29–37 (2014).
3. Institute of Medicine (US) Panel on Dietary Antioxidants and Related Compounds. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. (National Academies Press (US), 2000).
4. S. I Ofoefule, A Chukwu, N Anyakoha & I. M Ebebe. Application Of Abelmoschus Esculentus In Solid Dosage Formulation 1 : Use As A Binder For A Poorly Water Soluble Drug. The Indian Journal of Pharmacy 63, 234–238 (2001).
5. Çalışır, S., Özcan, M., Hacıseferoğulları, H. & Yıldız, M. U. A study on some physico-chemical properties of Turkey okra (Hibiscus esculenta L.) seeds. Journal of Food Engineering 68, 73–78 (2005).
6. Sanjeet Kumar et al. Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) in West and Central Africa: Potential and progress on its improvement. African Journal of Agricultural Research 5, 3590–3598 (2010).
7. Lengsfeld, C., Titgemeyer, F., Faller, G. & Hensel, A. Glycosylated Compounds from Okra Inhibit Adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to Human Gastric Mucosa. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52, 1495–1503 (2004).
8. Photo by Pietro Jeng: https://www.pexels.com/photo/chopped-natural-okra-on-ceramic-plate-671963/