INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT OKRA  

Okra or Okro, known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods and popular nutritious vegetables of North-East African origin.The pods usually gathered while they are green, tender, and at immature stage. 

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per 100 grams
Calories 33
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.2 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 7 mg 0%
Potassium 299 mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 7 g 2%
Dietary fiber 3.2 g 12%
Sugar 1.5 g
Protein 1.9 g 3%
Vitamin A 14% Vitamin C 38%
Calcium 8% Iron 3%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 10%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 14%

Okra might not be the most conventional vegetable in the garden, but its rich content of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Furthermore, okra contains high levels of mucilaginous fiber.

Botanically, okra is a perennial flowering plant belongs to the Malvaceae (mallows) family, and named scientifically as Abelmoschus esculentus.

The okra plant bears numerous dark green colored pods measuring about 5-15 cm in length. It takes about 45-60 days to get ready-to-harvest fruits. Internally, the pods feature small, round, mucilaginous white colored seeds arranged in vertical rows. The pods are handpicked while just short of reaching maturity and eaten as a vegetable.The health benefits of okra include its ability to lower total cholesterol levels, improve digestive health, improve vision, boost skin health, protect infant health, prevent certain cancers, strengthen bones, improve cardiovascular health, aid the immune system, lower blood pressure, and protect heart health.

There are plenty of alternative uses for okra, due to its wide range of health benefits, but most of the health benefits are due to the minerals, vitamins, and organic compounds found in this vegetable.

             Health Benefits of Okra

Digestive Health: Perhaps the best part of adding okra to your diet is the significant increase it can have on your total fiber intake. Mucilaginous fiber like you find in okra can help move food through your digestive tract by adding bulk. This means that bowel movements are more regular and there is a reduction in gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, cramping, constipation, and excess gas. Oddly, it also helps prevent diarrhea, because it adds bulk to watery stools. Finally, fiber can help to clear out excess cholesterol in the body.

Vision Booster: Okra contains a very high content of vitamin A, as well as antioxidant components like beta carotenes, xanthein, and lutein. Antioxidants are powerful compounds that destroy or neutralize free radicals, which are the dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism. Free radicals are responsible for the degreadation of the cells in the body, including those responsible for vision. With high levels of okra in your diet, you will have more protection for your sight, including macular degeneration and cataracts.

Controls cholesterol : The bamia pods are among the very low calorie vegetables. They provide just 30 calories per 100 g besides containing no saturated fats or cholesterol. Nonetheless, they are rich sources of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins; often recommended by nutritionists in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.

Anti oxidant agent : The pods compose healthy amounts of vitamin A, and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, xanthin and lutein. It is one of the vegetables with highest levels of these anti-oxidants. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Fresh pods are the good source of folates; provide about 22% of RDA per 100 g. Consumption of foods rich in folates, especially during the pre-conception period helps decrease the incidence of neural tube defects in the offspring.

Skin Health: Vitamin A antioxidants are also able to protect skin health, by promoting quicker healing, reducing the appearance of scars and acne, and eliminating wrinkles. This is because the antioxidants are able to neutralize the free radicals which may have damaged those skin cells.

They are rich in B-complex group of vitamins like niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. The pods also contain good amounts of vitamin K. Vitamin K is a co-factor for blood clotting enzymes and is required for strengthening of bones.

Immune System: The various antioxidant components of okra make it very beneficial to fight off free radicals, but the high vitamin C content also means that the general immune system is boosted. Vitamin C can stimulate the immune system to create more white blood cells, which can combat the other foreign pathogens and materials in the body that can compromise the immune system.


Blood Pressure and Heart Health: Okra is a good source of both vitamins and minerals, including potassium, which is an essential aspect of human health. Potassium is necessary to maintain proper fluid balance in the body, because it balances sodium. Furthermore, potassium helps to relax the blood vessels and arteries, which therefore reduces blood pressure and lessens the strain on the cardiovascular system. This means that clotting and atherosclerosis will be greatly reduced.

A Final Word of Caution

One thing you do need to worry about with okra is its high levels of oxalates. Oxalates can cause kidney and gall stone conditions to worsen, as the oxalates bond to existing stones and cause them to grow. Frying okra can also contain a dangerously high level of your cholesterol intake for the day, so cooking it in other ways is wise if you want to maintain a good cholesterol balance in your body. Other than these considerations, enjoy okra in many of your favorite dishes or find some new delectable dietary choices from around the world!

 

West African Okro Soup with Fufu Recipe

Introduction

Eat by dipping fufu into soup with fingers or fork.

Minutes to Prepare: 30

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

20 oz of Okra, cut and defrosted
1/2 lb beef steak, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 of onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, table to taste
6 cups water
1/8 cup canola oil (palm oil is traditional but fatty)
1 bouillion chicken stock cube about 10g each, Maggi, Knorr or other brand
3 tbsp 6 to 8 dashes of Maggi seasoning sauce
1 dash of red pepper to taste

Fufu:
3 cups farina or yam (like potatoes) or garri (cassava grain) flour
6 cups water

Directions

Directions
Season beef with onion, garlic, & salt in 4-6 quart pot

Add water. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat for 40 minutes.

Add oil, maggi cubes, maggi seasoning sauce, red pepper. Boil on medium heat about 12 minutes.

Stir in okra and boil on medium heat about 10 minutes. The okra soup is finished!

Make the Fufu: Boil water then reduce heat and stir in farina (or yam or garri) flour.

Stir constantly 2 minutes adding water as needed. Should look like stiff mashed potatoes.

Scoop onto a wet plate with wet wooden spoon.

Shape into a big ball for each person. For kids, roll into lots of 1 inch sized balls so they can dip it in their soup and swallow it easily.       

 Healthy living is a lifestyle!