While not everyone likes okra, it is a lot healthier than most people realize. The benefits that this veggie can offer are almost endless and will blow your mind.
Whether you hate the texture or just aren’t a fan of the taste, eating okra might be something you should start doing. Okra is a pod vegetable that is available year-round and can have positive effects on those with kidney disease as well as those with liver issues. One study from back in 2014 actually showed that okra extracts can help reduce oxidative stress as well as insulin resistance. This meaning it works wonders for those with diabetes.
For those who might not know okra is full of potassium, calcium, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin A. These things are known for protecting us from things like brittle bones, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Okra is an ancient crop that has been used in traditional medicine throughout many different cultures. The leaves of the plant itself were used for pain relief and even urinary problems.
Dr. Mercola has written as follows on okra and the benefits it can offer us all:
Like most other vegetables, okra provides a unique set of nutrients and, therefore, a unique set of plant-based nutrients with all the related vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting compounds.
A protein in okra, called lectin, is also found in peanuts and beans. In one study,14 researchers extracted lectin from okra to test on breast cancer cells and found the cancer growth to not only decrease by 63 percent but to kill 72 percent of the cancer cells. In another review published in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal:15
“The preliminary phytochemical studies showed that flavonoids, tannins, sterols, and triterpenes were present in okra. Phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids are commonly present in vegetables and fruits, which provide the health-benefits, associated with diets rich in plant-food.
Flavonoids are a class of secondary plant phenolics, found ubiquitously in fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, which are known to play a pivotal role as dietary antioxidants for the prevention of oxidative damage in the living system.
Furthermore, a large number of biological actions of flavonoids have been attributed to their potent antioxidant properties; as they act in different ways, including direct quenching ROS, chelation of metal ions and regeneration of membrane-bound antioxidants.”
A 2013 study demonstrated that the antidepressant activity in okra was linked to mood improvement, which could make it helpful for people suffering from depression.16 Interestingly, Kantha Shelke, a food scientist at Corvus Blue LLC and spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists, said okra was the “preferred vegetable” among athletes at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, possibly for more reasons than its taste.
“Because of its physiological effects, it has gained some interesting names including ‘green Panax’ in Japan and ‘plant viagra’ in the USA. The polysaccharides in okra are thought to open up the arteries in a similar way to Viagra.”
One of the best things about okra is the dietary fiber presence it offers us. This is important for our well-being and will work wonders in all areas of your health. Not only will this help fight off fatigue it will also help you to eliminate waste from your bodies system. This vegetable really does offer so much more than most people tend to realize.
To learn more about the benefits this amazing veggie can offer you please check out the video below. It is low in calories and will protect you in more ways than I can explain. While I am not the biggest fan of okra when it is fried, I could eat it all day long. Perhaps you just need to find a way to prepare it that works for you?