Loading ...Okra: The nutritional supplier
Mariam Alireza
Arab News
How many of us stopped and thought about what the strange looking vegetable, okra, offers of nutrients and benefits to our health? It is one of those popular vegetables that are prepared as a side or a main dish in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is known in Arabic as bamia. It is one of those common vegetables, which are always available in the market. We serve it as often, as once a week, like mulukhia (leafy green veggie), spinach, or eggplant, yet we never ask about its benefits or its origin. That is the reason why I decided to probe into this veggie and discover its nutritional value and benefits.
Today, I shall shed light on this humble, yet nutritive vegetable. I found information that surprised me and made me decide to share it with you.
Different cultures enjoy okra in different ways and recipes, relish its flavor, and don’t mind its slippery texture; others shun it for its gooey or viscous texture. Okra is a green vegetable that has many names, depending where it is consumed and grown. For us the Arabs, it is known as bamia; it is very popular and grown locally in most Middle Eastern countries and Turkey all year round. It is cooked in delicious ways in tomato sauce and different herbs and spices with meat as a stew or served cold without meat as a vegetarian dish, the Turkish style.
In India and Pakistan, it is called bhindi, cooked in very much the same way, but with different spices and herbs. In Malaysia, they call it bendi. Okra appears to have come to the Americas (Jamaica and Haiti) from Africa, it is known as gumbo; it is made in stews and soups. In Portugal and Angola, it is quiabo; in Japan, okura; in Cuba, quimbombo; and in Taiwan, qinkui. It is also known internationally as okra. It is sometimes called ladies fingers for its slim and longish finger-like shape. But, the scientific name for okra is Abelmoshus esculentus; it belongs to the hibiscus and hollyhock family.
History traces the origin of okra to ancient Abyssinia, now known as Ethiopia and Eritrea in Africa. It spread to the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean basin, India, China, Japan, and much later to the Americas and Caribbean. Recorded history showed its cultivation in Pharaonic Egypt long before Cleopatra. Two of the most known beautiful women in the world, Cleopatra of Egypt and Yang Guifei of China were known to have an affinity for this vegetable.
Okra, a pod vegetable, is an annual plant that requires warm temperatures of 38 degrees to cultivate, thus it does not thrive in cold climates. It belongs to the nightshade family vegetables of tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Okra is best harvested ripe, green, and tender. Connoisseurs appreciate it more when it is very tiny, young, and tender.
The okra stalk can reach the height of 6 feet. The finger-like green vegetable contains tens of seeds. When cooked, it releases a viscous substance, the soluble fiber, which comes with many health benefits for the heart and intestinal tract. The slim and tall stalk, which resembles the hibiscus and hollyhock trees, produces lovely flowers along with the firm okra vegetable.
Due to coffee bean shortage during World War II, people discovered a way of making a hot drink with the okra seeds to substitute for coffee. When the seeds are roasted, they acquire a similar flavor to coffee. In this country too, locals roast grains (wheat, rye) to make Arabic coffee with cardamom, an alternative to caffeine.
The well-known Japanese health researcher Junji Takano explored, analyzed, and wrote extensively about this nutritious veggie. For his research on okra, he went to visit the world’s most productive land that grows it. It is located in a rural area in Kami, Kochi Prefecture, in Japan. Okra came to Japan from Egypt. The young and old there consume okura and all look very healthy and radiant. According to Takano, when they are asked the secret of their good health, they graciously answer “okura.”
According to nutritional researcher Sylvia Zook, PhD, of the University of Illinois, “Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of the veggie is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber, which helps to keep intestinal tract healthy, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colo-rectal cancer. Nearly 10 percent of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid (B9) is also present in half a cup of cooked okra.”
The following nutritional analyzes come from researchers Takano, Zook, and several others. I shall also go through ways to eat this delicious, nutritious, and inexpensive vegetable, the okra, okura, bamia, bhindi, or gumbo. Many different names, but okra remains the same healthy vegetable.
Okra, this nutrient rich vegetable, has the potency to give the body back its balance (homeostasis); reverse disorders; bind to cholesterol and toxins in bile acids and eliminate them; boost the immune defenses against disease, viruses, microbes, and infections; nourish the body on the cellular level; prevent the loss of nutrients; restore energy and wellness; fight free radicals and oxidative stress; address the digestive tract and colon; ease the elimination process; and delay the process of aging and health decline.
The insoluble fiber, or roughage, of the half-cooked okra absorbs water to give bulk to stools, preventing constipation and intestinal disorders. Its action is comparable to psyllium husk and ground flaxseed for relieving constipation, because of its viscous substance. While wheat bran and other roughage could irritate the intestinal tract, okra cleanses and soothes the colon.
The other asset of this vegetable is its naturally-occurring soluble fiber that feeds the “beneficial” intestinal bacteria and enriches them. They are essential to well-being and health and are protective against food poisoning, viral and bacterial infections, and yeast infections (Candida).
Soluble fiber has yet other important function. It protects the heart and vascular system from cholesterol and plaque buildup that blocks the arteries by binding to excess cholesterol and getting rid of it. The same mucilage in okra that binds to cholesterol also filters the liver and binds to toxins and eliminates them.
Soluble fiber also slows down the absorption of sugar in the system, thus stabilizing blood sugar and curbing diabetes type 2, without leaving side effects. Its main side effect is that it is rich in nutrients that are valuable to health.
Okra offers digestive enzymes, which are essential to the synthesis of important nutrients like the B vitamins as well as for the breakdown of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, thus improving the digestion.
In order to retain all the goodness, nutrients, and enzymes, okra should be consumed undercooked and a little crunchy by steaming or quick stir-frying. Takano takes his okra even raw with a squeeze of lemon.
Next week, I shall continue exploring this little known precious vegetable, which offers a plethora of healing and preventive benefits.
Source: www.arabnews.com