Health Benefits of Eating Raw Okra

Taking care of throat conditions and bronchitis are some of the benefits of eating raw okra. It is one of the foods that’s highly nutritious and quite soothing especially for the stomach.

It may seem hard eating okra when it is raw but it is best the best way to maximize its medicinal benefits. Therefore, I would recommend you eat it when it is cooked, but half-done.

This post “benefits of eating raw okra” does not mean you must eat it raw before maximizing its medicinal properties. You can enjoy it roasted, cooked or prepared with other leafy green vegetables, however, try as much as possible to not lose its beneficial value when preparing it.

Okro or lady’s finger or gombo is one of the plants that’s been in use as vegetable for centuries. Egyptians and Ethiopians used it millennia ago and presently, okro is grown throughout the regions of Africa (tropical), America and Asia.

Other names:       Lady’s finger, Okro, Ochro, Gombo, Quiabo, Vendakai

French:       Bonnet grec, gombo, calalou

Spanish:     Okra, gombo, dedos de dama

German:    Okra.

Okro fruit (‘Hibiscus esculentus’ L.) is an annual herbaceous plant which belongs to the Malvacea botanical family. It reaches or grows up to a height of 2 meters.

The fruit is green or yellow in color with fine hairlike structures. The shape is somewhat elongated having a size between 8 and 15 cm.

Okra is native to Ethiopia and highly valued in places such as East and West Africa, Middle East, India, Thailand, Southeastern United States and other tropical regions of the globe.

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Properties of Okra

When we talk about the benefits of eating raw okra, we should first and foremost consider its medicinal properties.

In essence, Okra or lady’s finger is a highly nutritious vegetable with enormous medicinal properties. Quite notable for its richness in proteins, okra has about 2% of proteins per 100 grams of its raw edible portion.

The protein content of okra as mentioned above is quite high for a vegetable and again, one of the benefits of eating raw okra is because of its provitamin A content (66 µg RE/100 grams).

There is presence of B group vitamins, especially B₁ which comes in about 0.2 mg / 100 grams. Okra is rich in vitamins C and E.

It is few vegetables that surpass okra in calcium (81 mg /100 g), iron and magnesium are 0.8 mg / 100 g and 57 mg / 100 g respectively.

Consider the benefits of eating raw okra because apart from it richness in vitamins and minerals, okra has a great deal of soluble mucilage fiber which is good at exercising a protective and emollient function right within the digestive tract. This is one of the reasons for its goodness for the stomach.

Okra Composition

Before I let you know about its indications or in cases where it is recommended, here’s the composition of okra.

This is based on per 100 grams of raw edible portion of this food

Energy                  =                 38.0 kcal = 158 kj

Fiber                     =                 3.20 g

Carbohydrates     =                 4.43 g

Protein                 =                 2.00 g

Vitamin A            =                 66.0 µg RE

Vitamin B₁           =                 0.200 mg

Vitamin B₂           =                 0.060 mg

Niacin                   =                 1.28 mg NE

Vitamin B₆           =                 0.215 mg

Folate                   =                 87.8 µg

Vitamin B₁₂          =                 ___

Vitamin C            =                 21.1 mg

Vitamin E             =                 0.690 mg α-TE

Calcium                =                 81.0 mg

Magnesium          =                 57.0 mg

Phosphorus          =                 63.0 mg

Iron                      =                 0.800 mg

Potassium            =                 303 mg

Zinc                      =                 0.600 mg

Saturated Fat       =                 0.026 g

Total Fat              =                 0.100 g

Sodium                 =                 8.00 mg

Cholesterol           =                 ___

This is based on % daily value provided by 100 grams of Okra

Percentage composition

Fiber                     =                 3.20%

Carbohydrates     =                 4.43%

Fat                        =                 0.100%

Minerals               =                 0.700%

Protein                 =                 2.00%

Water                   =                 89.6%

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Indications regarding the Benefits of Eating Raw Okra

The juice released when it is cooked or when eaten raw or half-done is best included for its medicinal properties. In the following cases, benefits of eating raw okra is particularly recommended.

1. Stomach ulcer, stomach disorders, and gastritis.
2. Throat conditions and bronchitis. The mucilage is used hot and can also be taken as a gargle.

Health Benefits

Polyphenols, vitamins A and C are some of the antioxidants found in okra and also a protein known as lectin which is good at inhibiting cancer in human.

These are awesome benefits of eating raw okra. The antioxidants help fight against free radicals that stand to damage cells.

The vitamin C in okra helps improve healthy immune system function. It contains vitamin K, which helps to facilitate your body in terms blood clotting.

As mentioned above, the polyphenols helps decrease the risk of stroke and heart problems while the antioxidants may help protect your brain by countering brain inflammation.

According to web MD, controlling blood sugar is one of the benefits of eating raw okra because researchers believe it is capable of preventing sugar from getting absorbed in times of digestion.

Preparation and Use of Okro

1. Cooked with lemon: Ensure that the mucilage which comes with the cooking liquid is not discarded because it holds most of its benefits.

Okro goes well with potatoes, eggs and other vegetables

2. Soup: Okra is mostly used in making soups with other leafy green vegetables in West Africa. Cooking okra for too long is not good as it destroys it medicinal value.
3. Roasted: Some people prefer okra when roasted so as to avoid the mucilage. Roasted okra lacks some of its medicinal value.

Warning!

Contact with the skin may cause allergic dermatitis

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