AGRIBUSINESS: Nutritional benefits of cassava.

Nutritional benefits of cassava.#Cassava is a perennial, usually grown in tropical climates, very simply propagated by using a cut portion of the stem. The roots, often compared to large yams, can weigh several pounds.The leaves are also used for food and contain 100 times more protein than the root, but both must be cooked and the water discarded. 

  Cassava roots are close to what is known as white potatoes, cassava contains almost twice the calories, and may be the highest-calorie tuber known. 

One cup of boiled cassava contains 330 calories, 78 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein and 4 grams each of fiber and sugar. Cassava is naturally gluten-free is extremely useful for celiac patients and others trying to avoid gluten. 

One aspect of cassava is that it's one of several root foods defined by the Philippines' Department of Science and Technology as having a low glycemic index (GI) and therefore good for diabetics. GI is a classification of food based on the blood glucose response to a food relative to a standard glucose solution.

 Low glycemic foods control the release of glucose into the bloodstream at a steady and sustained rate, keeping the body's metabolic processes and energy levels balanced. People with low glycemic diets or [who] eat low glycemic foods are said to have lower risk of getting coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 

These food items that have low GI would benefit those who are already suffering from diabetes, since these would help in the proper control and management of blood sugar.

 As a low-GI food, eating cassava can also help improve physical endurance because blood glucose levels are moderated instead of dropping when insulin is produced.

 Low-GI foods also may help control triglyceride and other lipid levels in your blood. #Cassava has even been called a "weight loss wonder food" due to its ability to decrease appetite and decrease fat storage in fat cells.

 B-complex vitamins contained in cassava include folate, thiamin, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and riboflavin (vitamin B2). 

The root also includes a number of minerals that perform important functions throughout your body.

Cassava also contains saponins that can ease inflammation, break down organic body wastes like uric acid, cleanse mineral deposits from your joints and help balance your gut flora. #cassava #agribusiness #sme #money #entreprreneur