benefits of cassava

Don t eat cassava raw, because it contains chemicals called cyanogenic glucosides, which act as toxins. Cooking your cassava by roasting or boiling reduces these compounds to safe levels. Prepare cassava similarly to how you d prepare potatoes. Try peeling it and cutting it into chunks, and then roast it, coated lightly in olive oil. Alternatively, boil pieces of peeled cassava and then mash for a dish similar to mashed potatoes. If you want to add more flavor, try mixing the mashed cassava with roasted garlic, or mash it with boiled carrots to add natural sweetness.

The vitamin C and folate abundant in cassava also offer health benefits. Each cup of cassava contains 56 micrograms of folate, or 14 percent of your daily folate intake requirements, as well as 42 milligrams of vitamin E. This amount contributes 56 and 47 percent towards the daily vitamin C intake recommendations for women and men, set by the Institute of Medicine. Including more folate in your diet protects against colon cancer and reduces the risk of complications during pregnancy and a diet high in vitamin C offers protection against coronary heart disease and several types of cancer.

Cassava is a good source of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, manganese, iron and potassium. These minerals are necessary for proper development, growth and function of your body s tissues. For example, calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth; iron helps in the formation of two proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin which carry oxygen to your body tissues; and manganese helps in the formation of bones, connective tissue and sex hormones. Potassium is necessary for synthesis of proteins and helps in the breakdown of carbohydrates.

Cassava contains high amounts of dietary fiber, which can help prevent constipation. According to the Mayo Clinic website, fiber also helps you lose weight as it promotes lasting satiety. It may also help reduce your unhealthy cholesterol levels, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. If you are suffering from diabetes, eating fiber rich cassava may help lower your blood sugar levels. This is because fiber slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

Cassava contains 38 grams of carbohydrates per 100 gram serving. This makes it a good energy source for individuals who engage in strenuous physical activities. Such activities deplete glycogen, which is the form in which glucose is stored in the muscles. When you eat cassava, the carbohydrates present in it are converted to glucose in your body, which is then converted to glycogen and stored in the muscles.

Absence of the allergenic protein gluten makes cassava flour a good substitute for rye, oats, barley and wheat. Persons diagnosed with celiac disease and other gluten based allergies can find relief in consuming foods made using tapioca or cassava flour. Although baking cakes, bread and other foods requires gluten to enable them to swell in size, it can be substituted with guar and xanthan gum.

Cassava is a good source of saponins. These phytochemicals may help lower unhealthy cholesterol levels in your bloodstream. They do so by binding to the bile acids and cholesterol, thus preventing them from being absorbed through the small intestines. The antioxidant effects of saponins may help protect your cells from damage by free radicals. A study by scientists at Tianjin University published in the October 2010 issue of Fitoterapia also found that saponins may help prevent cancer.

Cassava root is a healthy source of natural carbohydrates, great for low calories diets, packed with minerals such as: calcium, phosphorus, manganese, iron and potassium. These minerals are necessary for proper development, growth and function of your body s tissues. For example, calcium is required for strengthening teeth and bones; iron helps in the formation of two proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin which carry oxygen to your body tissues; and manganese helps in the formation of bones, connective tissue and regulating sex hormones. Potassium is essential for the synthesis of proteins and helps in the breakdown of carbohydrates.

Cassava contains high amounts of dietary fiber, (namely insoluble fiber) which can help prevent and or alleviate constipation. Fiber at a glance, helps you lose weight as it promotes long lasting satiety. It has the potential to also help reduce your unhealthy cholesterol levels (if you have unhealthy cholesterol), which lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. If you are suffering from diabetes, eating fiber rich cassava may help lower your blood sugar levels.

Look for firm roots with little smell and no signs of discoloration. Cassava can grow in poor soil and can withstand drought. It is an important famine reserve crop in countries with unreliable rainfall. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Global Cassava Development Strategy, cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after rice and corn. Millions of people depend on cassava in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is grown by poor farmers, many of them women, often on marginal land. This crop is vital for both food security and income generation.