Okra looks like the horns of a sheep, also called a carob. It is a vegetable that many friends love to eat, the taste is smooth, and it is in a five-corner or multi-angle shape after cutting, and it is also very beautiful for plating.
Originating in Ethiopia, okra was introduced to North Africa, the Mediterranean, Arabia and India, and was introduced to the mainland in the early 1990s and is now cultivated throughout the continent. It is often used to make white-seared okra, cold mixed okra, garlic okra, okra stuffed meat, okra scrambled eggs and other delicacies.
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Since okra entered the kitchen of ordinary people's homes, there have been more and more rumors about it, such as eating can clear the intestines and lose weight, can aphrodisiac, can lower blood sugar, etc. This article we will talk about the true and false of okra.
01
Can Okra Detoxify and Lose Weight?
Many small partners who are controlling their weight will eat okra because they have heard that eating okra can promote defecation, clear intestinal detoxification, and eat it to lose weight.
To say that for promoting bowel movements and preventing constipation, eating okra often is really helpful. The dietary fiber content per 100 grams of okra is 1.8 grams, which is 2 times that of Chinese cabbage, and adequate dietary fiber can not only enhance satiety, but also promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation. [1]
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However, this is not a unique effect of okra, like hollow cabbage and rapeseed dietary fiber content are similar to okra, and broccoli dietary fiber content is higher than okra, 1.5 times that of okra, prevention of constipation is more suitable.
But for intestinal detoxification is not useful, the body is a magical system, can absorb and utilize the nutrients needed by our human body from food, but also can metabolize useless or toxic substances, through urine, sweat and stool excreted out of the body.
This process of absorbing nutrients and removing waste takes place in the body all the time, and can be done by the body alone, without any other intervention to cleanse the intestines and detoxify.
Therefore, expecting to eat okra detoxification is redundant, and weight loss is not to eat okra to achieve the goal, in the end, it depends on the overall diet and living habits.
02
Eating okra can aphrodisiac?
Some people say that eating okra can aphrodisiac, this... Is it because of its shape? The thinking of "complementing shapes with shapes" is very unreliable.
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At present, it has not been found that okra contains any sex hormone components that can act on humans, and there is no scientific evidence to prove that eating okra aphrodisiac.
In addition, although okra seeds contain about 1% caffeine, they have a certain excitatory effect. But generally only after the okra seeds are fully matured will be a little useful, we usually eat okra did not reach this maturity, nor does it have an excitatory effect. [2]
So, counting on eating okra aphrodisiac is no play!
03
Eating okra to lower blood sugar?
When eating okra, people are most impressed by its sticky taste, some people see it as a symbol of "high protein", and some people think that this mucus can lower blood sugar.
First of all, there is no relationship between the mucus and protein content of okra, and the protein content of okra is not high, only 1.8 g/100 g, which is not as high as broccoli. The composition of this mucus is mainly polysaccharides, which are macromolecular substances with many glucose conjunctions.
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Secondly, although animal experiments have shown that okra water extract can reduce the blood sugar level of diabetic mice, okra polysaccharide has an improving effect on diabetic rat glycolipid metabolism and kidney damage, but this can not be directly pushed to people, okra extract is not equivalent to directly eating okra. [3、4]
Okra is just an ordinary vegetable, and you can't expect to lower your blood sugar by eating it. However, the dietary fiber contained in okra helps regulate the rate of absorption of sugar in the intestine, can help control blood sugar levels, and is helpful in preventing diabetes and related kidney disease. [5]
04
How to store optimally?
People who often buy okra will find that if the okra is not stored properly, it is easy to lose water and become afloat, which will also affect the edible value and taste of okra, and there will be some differences in different okra storage conditions.
Studies have analyzed the preservation methods of different varieties of okra, and the results show that: Guangdong Yellow Okra will lose water and wilt for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, if placed in the refrigerator refrigeration below 4.4 °C, frost damage will occur, and 5 °C refrigeration can effectively reduce the evaporation of water and the decomposition of reducing sugar, inhibit the synthesis of crude fibers, and can effectively inhibit VC degradation, can be stored for more than 5 days, the preservation effect and edibleability are the strongest. [6]
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The best storage temperature for Japanese okra is 4 °C, and can be stored for up to 24 days[7]; Taiwan's "Wufu" okra has the best effect of storage and preservation at 9 °C, and frost damage will occur if stored in a 4 °C environment for 11 days. [8]
Summary:
Okra is also one of the common vegetables, don't expect to eat it for any special purpose. However, okra has a calcium content of up to 101 mg/100 g, which is still excellent among vegetables, nearly twice that of Chinese cabbage!
Bibliography:
Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Ingredient List, 6th Edition, Volume 1[M].Peking University Medical Press, 2018
Zheng Hongyan,Gao Yang,Wang Huibin. Optimization of caffeine extraction process and antioxidant activity of okra seeds[J].Food Science and Technology,2016,41(06):230-236.DOI:10.13684/j.cnki.spkj.2016.06.047.
Feng Guanying,Song Xiaoxue,Xu Zhili,Luan Zezhu,Zhang Mingbo. Hypoglycemic effect of okra on diabetic mice[J].Translational Medicine Electronic Journal,2017,4(11):44-47.
[4] ZHANG Yanjun,LI Jing,ZHANG Yuling,HAN Yonghong,CHEN Erhua. Effect of okra polysaccharide on improving glycolipid metabolism and kidney damage in diabetic rats[J].Modern Food Science and Technology,2021,37(03):46-52.DOI:10.13982/j.mfst.1673-9078.2021.3.0446.
Deng Aihua,Wang Yun,Xie Peng,Peng Youlin,Yi Mengyuan,Liu Kangke. Research progress on the nutritional value of okra[J].Agricultural Product Processing,2020(14):81-84.DOI:10.16693/j.cnki.1671-9646(X).2020.07.056.
Zhong Guojun,Lin Chunhua,Cheng Xiaohui,Xie Guoping,Li Zhaolong. Okra cold storage and preservation[J].Anhui Agricultural Sciences,2016,44(35):109-112.DOI:10.13989/j.cnki.0517-6611.2016.35.038.
Zhang Biqing,Lin Hengjin,Xu Huaide. Effect of different storage temperatures on the preservation effect of okra[J].Chinese Fruit and Vegetables,2019,39(11):1-8+19.DOI:10.19590/j.cnki.1008-1038.2019.11.001.
Xin Songlin,Qin Wen,Li Huiyan,Huang Qian,Sun Chuanhong. Effects of different storage temperatures and preservation treatments on storage quality and physiology of okra[J].Preservation and Processing,2019,19(05):59-65.
Author | Xue Qingxin Member of Chinese Nutrition Society Registered Dietitian Health Manager Public Dietitian
Audit | Gao Chao is an associate researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
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