THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT OKRO

Okro or okra is known in many English- speaking countries as ladies' fingers because the pods are long and shaped like a lady's finger. Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus. It is a good source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants.

As a vegetable, okra may be prepared like asparagus, sauteed or pickled. A large amount of mucilage it contains makes it useful as a thickener for soups. Okra flowers usually bloom for less than a day before it drops off the plant.

As much as there are benefits to eating this crop, too much isn't so good because there are side effects.

Let's start with the side effects;

Okra contains fructans, a type of carbohydrate. This can cause diarrhoea, gas, cramping and bloating especially to those with bowel problems. It can also cause gout and kidney stones because okra is high in oxalates which prevent your body from absorbing beneficial nutrients in your digestive tract.

Benefits of Okra

Okra helps control obesity or fat. Eating okra makes one full for a long time because it is rich in fibre.

Okra is low in calories.

Okra provides support to cells to fight off cancer.

Okra improves cardiac function and lowers bad cholesterol.

Okra contains Vitamin C which helps repair body tissues and helps your skin look younger.

Okra strengthens the bone and improves eye health because it contains Vitamin A, K and folates.

Okra helps control blood sugar levels.

Okra helps control asthma and strengthens immunity.

Okra improves fertility in women and gives prenatal support because it is high in folate which is good for the brain development of fetuses.

In as much as okra has this many benefits, don't eat in excess but in moderation because of its side effect stated earlier.

On a side note, I just made some delicious okra soup this evening. Bon appetite as the French say.

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?

Subscribe to get updates!

Connect with me on social media

Instagram - Follow @thoniaking_tara

Twitter - Follow @ThoniaKing

YouTube - Subscribe to Thonia King

Comments

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A TALENT, A SKILL AND A GIFT

Talents are natural and can be attributed to the natural genetic factors existing within us passed down from generation to generation. It is propagated naturally at birth. Talents and skills are often misconceived in conversations. Although both pertains to the ability of an individual to perform a particular task. A talent is permanent or naturally occurring in a person. It is said to be a special ability with experience or a specific tutoring. It is the ability to carry out a task without extra effort but yet perfect in enactment. Some people have it while some don't. A talent can be improved overtime with direction and training. A skill is an ability that is learned and practiced over a period of time. It is acquired or obtained as an outcome of perpetual improvement and performance on a given task. Skills are taught and regarded as a displayed talent unlike a talent which is a natural procurement of an ability. In other words, a skill is a result of a person'...

HOW TO REMOVE LUMPS IN OGBONO SOUP

If you are not African, you might not know ogbono soup. Permit me to explain this to my non-African readers what ogbono is then we can proceed to the essence of this article. Ogbono soup is a Nigerian dish made with dry ground ogbono seeds. It originated from the eastern part of Nigeria where the Igbos come from. The seed is sometimes known as wild mango, African mango or bush mango. Ogbono soup is easy to prepare and it is slimy in texture, similar to a soup called okra. The soup is called draw soup in English. How to remove lumps in Ogbono soup; This soup is easy to make but if you don't start right, you will end up getting it wrong. If you ever find lumps while making this soup then something went wrong. I experienced this recently for the very first time and decided to share how I was able to get rid of the lumps. Usually, there are two methods in making this soup, you can either fry or boil the ground seeds. Well, the frying method is my style. When frying, you put the ...

BENEFITS OF DATES (DABINO)

Do we all know what a date is? Date, locally known as Dabino in Hausa is from the date palm tree, a flowering plant specie in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for it's edible sweet fruit. Date trees reach about 69-75ft in height growing individually with several stem from a single root system. Date fruits are oval, ranging from bright red to bright yellow in color . They are sweet containing about 7.5 percent of sugar when dried. Dates are healthy but only in moderation. They're high in sugar and calories; so eating too many can result in weight gain. If you're trying to lose weight, avoid dates and stick to other fruits and vegetables. Dates are chewy with a sweet flavor. They are also high in some important nutrients and have a variety of advantages and uses. BENEFITS Their calorie content is higher than most fresh fruit since its dried. Despite their calories, dates contain some important vitamins, minerals and a significant amount of fiber. Most of the ...

Search This Blog