The Benefits Of Water Yam For Health.

Water yam is the tuber of Dioscorea alata and is also called wild yam. It is different from most other yams because it is mucilaginous and so, it is not as popular for cooking. It is used by Yoruba people to make delicacies like ikokore (water yam porridge) and ojojo (fried grated water yam balls). Water yam is called ewura in Yoruba.

Water yam contains nutrients which have benefits to the body. It contains a lot of minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and copper. It contains vitamins C and E which have antioxidant properties, vitamin A and some B vitamins.

Water yams contain carbohydrates and fiber. Dietary fiber is important in the diet for the healing and

health-promoting properties it provides. Read here about the health benefits of foods that are rich in fiber and mucilage. Water yams are digested and absorbed slowly by the body and so do not cause blood sugar spikes. This makes them useful for adding to the diet of diabetics.

Water yams are good plant sources of the female hormone, progesterone.

Some of the benefits of consuming water yams are;

• Blood sugar regulation which implies they are of benefit to those dealing with diabetes.
• Lowering effect on blood cholesterol levels.
• Decrease in blood pressure levels.
• Help to balance female hormones and are good for hormonal imbalance disorders and regulation of menses.
• They improve digestive health and help with constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
• The antioxidants in water yams help to reduce damage by free radicals in the body and slow down the effects of aging. They also have anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Including water yams in the diet can help to boost fiber and beneficial nutrients because they are eaten without processing methods which can remove most of these important nutrients. They are also useful to those who are looking for healthy food items to add to their diet.

A lot of Nigerians do not know about water yams or what they can be used to prepare. We have so many healthy food ingredients that we have removed from our diets over the years because we want foods that are convenient to cook or we just prefer a diet of over-processed foods.

Please share your healthy water yam recipes below. Follow on Twitter @heal2bwell.