Sabudana Health Benefits
In every Indian household, sabudana or tropical pearl or Tapioca is a favorite breakfast and evening snacks. Be it in the form of sabudana cutlet, sabudana pakoda, sabudana soups, sabudana kheer or sabudana khichdi. It is also used in different carbonated drinks to provide energy without any artificial sweeteners or chemicals. It is known as traditional food, which is full of energy, starch, and carbohydrates.
Sabudana is also a popular food for babies. As babies have an immature digestive system and no teeth, so it becomes a difficult task to look for foods that are easy to digest, nutritious and easy to swallow. Although sooji and Rawa are good options, which provide the right amount of vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals for your baby, a better choice would be sabudana.
What is sabudana?
Sabudana looks like a small white pearl made from tapioca sago. It is a starch extracted from the cassava roots. The starchy liquids from the sources of Cassava are squeezed out, and the fluid is kept to evaporate. When all the water gets dried, then the powder is processed and used to make pearls, flour and flakes. It mostly made into pearls which are easily added to water or milk to thicken the mixture.
Nutrition facts
Sabudana is never praised for having great nutritious value but have some vital nutrition what our body needs. It helps to elevate the level of calories, starch and carbohydrates in our body, which makes it precious in areas where energy sources are less. It has low levels of iron, copper, calcium and potassium. There is also a moderate amount of vitamin B and folic acid.
Sabudana contains protein, fat and fibre, less than 2grams of each in a 100-gram serving. Due to its dense nutrient sabudana is always mixed with other nutrient-dense, but low-calorie foods, to create an energy-boosting mixture. The fat contained in sabudana is relatively little; this will not add fat to your body and gain weight.
Health Benefits
Keep the Digestive system healthy
Fibre can cure different conditions inside of the human body, yet the most obvious is as far as digestion. It is known to prevent stomach related issue like gas, indigestion, constipation and bloating. Sabudana contains an abundance amount of dietary fibre, which increases your metabolism and keeps your digestive system healthy. Dietary fibre can boost the digestive process and rebalance the healthy gut bacteria. Babies are often fed sabudana because it’s easy to digest and are not hard on their stomach.
Powerhouse of Energy
The main reason why people eat sabudana is that they are rich in energy. Sabudana contains a lot of starch, packed with the right carbohydrates that would help you to stay energized throughout the day. The first reason why people eat this dish during fasting on Navratri is that it loads you with instant energy. It is also known to treat excess bile as it provides a cooling effect to reduce the body heat instantly during fast.
Helps in healthy weight gain
If you want to gain some healthy weight or you are malnourished, sabudana can be an excellent and inexpensive way to gain weight rapidly as they contain a good amount of calories and carbohydrates. There are 350 calories in every 100 grams of sabudana.
Helps to develop muscles
Sabudana is a good source of protein which helps in muscle growth. It helps repair damaged cells and tissue.
Good for blood pressure
A significant health benefit of sabudana is its potassium content that keeps your blood pressure low and under control. This mineral acts as a vasodilator which relaxes the tension in the blood vessels and opens them up. It promotes healthy blood circulation and lowers the strain in your heart.
Helps fight birth defects
Sabudana contains vitamin B6 and folate, which support the proper development of the foetus and prevent the occurrence of neural tube defects in infants. Folate is an essential nutrient which ensures that the baby can grow healthy in the womb.
As you now know the health benefits of sabudana, try considering it in your diet.
External References:
https://www.indiatimes.com/health/tips-tricks/health-benefits-of-tapioca-sabudana-242682.html
https://www.boldsky.com/health/nutrition/2014/sabudana-nutrition-benefits-058864.html