The benefits of tiger nuts cannot be over-emphasized. These nuts have become popular in the world as a result of their health benefits. Even though it is called a “nut,” the tiger nut is a “tuber.” A tuber is a piece of a plant’s stem that is usually buried in the ground.
The Tiger nut is the tuber of the Cyperus esculentus plant, also known as the yellow nutsedge. It tastes sweet, like almonds. In ancient Egypt, tiger nuts were a primary source of food. Most people eat them today in parts of Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean.
It is called chufa nuts in Spain, “aya” in Hausa, “aki awusa” in Igbo, and “ofio” or “ajemunmi” in Yoruba. It is the main ingredient in a drink called horchata de chufa, made from tiger nut milk. In China and other places, tiger nut milk is used to help the liver.
Tiger nuts can be eaten raw or cooked, but in most Western markets, they are usually only sold dried or ground and not raw. Tiger nut flour, which can be used in baking, and dried raw tiger nuts, which can be eaten as a crunchy snack.
They are a great choice for a snack because they taste nutty and creamy and give you all the fiber you need for the day.
People are looking into what these nuts can do for you. People interested in health like them because they have a lot of good nutrients. Find out more about these nuts, what they are good for, and how to eat them. Keep on reading.
Health Benefits Of Tiger Nuts
Tiger nuts have been used in traditional medicine for many years, but scientists haven’t considered their health benefits very much. Because tiger nuts are rich in vitamins and minerals, more health benefits will likely be found as they are studied more.
1. Helps in weight loss
Fiber is an important part of what we eat every day. It helps the body digest and get rid of waste better and lowers the risk of high cholesterol, like heart disease.
About 10 grams of fiber are in a serving of tiger nuts. Fiber can also help you lose weight. It makes you feel fuller for longer and makes you feel less hungry by increasing satiety.
A study from 2009 shows that tiger nuts are an important part of a healthy diet because they have a lot of fiber.
2. Promotes Digestion
There is a lot of fiber in tiger nuts. Fiber makes your stool bulkier and makes it easier for your stomach’s digested food to move through your gut.
It also helps the body get more nutrients from the food it has digested and reduces the chance of constipation by increasing the number of “good bacteria” in the gut.
Tiger nuts also have enzymes like lipases, amylases, and catalases, which help break down food in the stomach and relieve gas, diarrhea, and indigestion.
3. Lowers blood sugar level
The fiber in the nuts makes it take longer for the sugar to get into the bloodstream. Tiger nuts have a lot of arginines, an amino acid that makes the body more sensitive to insulin.
A recent study was done on diabetic rats to see if a mixture of defatted soy flour and tiger nut flour could lower glucose levels. When diabetic rats ate a dough meal made with a mix of these flour, their blood sugar levels dropped significantly.
4. Improve the health of the heart
There are a lot of MUFAs in tiger nuts (monounsaturated fatty acids). It is known that MUFAs lower the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body and raise the amount of good cholesterol (HDL). This lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke in the long run.
As was said above, tiger nuts also have a lot of arginine and amino acid that helps the body make nitric oxide. Nitric oxide makes blood vessels wider and lowers blood pressure.
5. Works as an Aphrodisiac
In the past, tiger nuts were used as an aphrodisiac to make people more sexually interested. African men have been eating tiger nuts for generations to increase their sperm count and treat problems with getting and keeping an erection.
Several studies on rats show that eating tiger nuts regularly can increase sexual activity, which is shown by a rise in testosterone levels.
6. Boosts Immunity
The immune system can get a boost from tiger nuts. In a study done in 2009, tiger nut extracts were found to be most effective against the bacteria E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus.
Here are some good things about tiger nuts. One way to boost your health is to make them an important part of your daily diet. In the next section, we’ll look at the different nutrients in tiger nuts that give them healthy qualities.
7. Fights against Breast Cancer
The tubers have a high water-soluble flavonoid glycoside, giving them a high antioxidant capacity. This makes them a great medicine for breast lumps and cancer.
Tiger nuts are also a great source of antioxidants, protecting your body from diseases like breast cancer and aging.
8. Lactose-free Milk
During pregnancy, milk is an important food. But lactose intolerance makes it so that not all pregnant women can drink milk.
Because it doesn’t have lactose, tiger nut milk can be taken by anyone. Tiger nut milk doesn’t have any lactose, fructose, or gluten in it, and since tiger nuts aren’t nuts, it’s a great food for people with nut allergies.
A study found that tiger nuts have more healthy fats, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and oleic acid than other non-milk alternatives. They also have one of the highest calcium, phosphorus, and oleic acid levels. Cow milk doesn’t have vitamins C and E, but tiger nut milk does.
9. Magnesium-rich source
Magnesium is an important mineral that starts more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body.
A lack of magnesium can cause serious problems in the body, like frequent muscle cramps and heart palpitations. This is because magnesium helps the muscles and nerves work the way they should.
People have also said that foods high in magnesium, like tiger nuts, can help ease menstrual cramps and stop dysmenorrhea.
10. Increases the production of breast milk
Breast milk contains vital nutrients for babies. It has many antibiotics and strengthens the baby’s immune system.
Tiger nut contains important nutrients and vitamins, which can help a pregnant woman’s breasts make more milk.
11. Boosts bone health
Diets that are high in calcium are linked to stronger bones. Tiger nuts are a good way to get more calcium into your diet because they have 80% of your daily value of calcium.
Calcium is important for healthy bones and helps stop osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become weak and brittle over time. This is especially important for women because they are more likely than men to get osteoporosis.
Calcium helps your bones stay healthy, but it also helps your blood clot and your muscles contract. It’s important for nerve function and controlling your heart rate, and it helps your cells grow and stay healthy all over your body.
Eating foods like tiger nuts that are high in calcium help ensure your body has enough calcium to keep these processes going.
Also read: Benefits of eating bitter kola first thing in the morning explained
Nutritional Profile Of Tiger Nuts
We already know that tiger nuts have a lot of fiber, but that’s not the only good thing they have to offer. It contains other nutrients too.
Also, these nuts have a good amount of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, which are good for your heart. Here is what you should know about the nutrition of tiger nuts.
| Nutrients | Value per 100g |
| fiber | 23-32g |
| protein | 5.5g |
| Sugar | 18g |
| Calories | 450kcals |
| Carbohydrate | 46g |
| Fat | 23g |
| Omega 6 fatty acid | 12% |
| Oleic acid(Omega 9) | 71% |
We now know that tiger nuts can be good for you. How do you eat them, though? How do you eat them daily?
How Do You Eat Tiger Nuts?
You can enjoy these tasty nuts in many different ways.
1. You can eat them as they are. This is how you should eat tiger nuts. They are a great choice for a healthy and tasty snack. You can also put them in a trail mix with nuts.
2. Some people might not like to eat them raw because you have to chew them a bit. In this case, you can soak them in water and sprinkle some salt on them. This will make the nuts easier to eat and more pleasant to taste.
3. Make Horchata in the style of Spain. This milk is made from tiger nuts and is very popular in Spain. It is sweet and creamy. It is made by mixing sugar, water, and softened tiger nuts.
4. You can make nut butter with tiger nuts like peanut, almond, or cashew nuts. You can eat tiger nuts this way, which is a very healthy way.
5. You could have these nuts with your breakfast. You can put them in your porridge, cereal, or smoothie.
6. When dried and ground into a powder, tiger nuts can be used to make flour.
These are just some ways to eat tiger nuts regularly to get their health benefits. The most common way to eat tiger nuts is in their milk.
You can use tiger nut milk instead of regular cow milk at home. It would be great to ensure you get all the good nutrients from tiger nuts.
In the next section, we’ll discuss how to make tiger nut milk.
How You Can Make Tiger Nut Milk
Horchata, another name for tiger nut milk, is a very tasty drink. You can eat it plain without adding any flavor or sweetener or add any flavor you want. Mixing tiger nut milk into smoothies, milkshakes, or coffee makes them taste great.
Requirements
- 2 cups of tiger nuts
- 4 cups of clean water
- 1/4 tsp. of sea salt
- You can add any flavor, like cinnamon, vanilla, honey, maple, etc.
- A mason jar
- A sifter
- A blender
Procedures
1. Put the nuts and salt in a mason jar after mixing them.
2. Cover them with water and let them soak for 24 to 48 hours. The better they are, the longer they soak.
3. Pour them through a strainer and give them a good rinse after they have been soaked.
4. Put the tiger nuts and two cups of water in the blender. You can also give them any taste.
5. Mix the nuts and water until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
6. Pour this mixture through a strainer with mesh to separate the milk. If you need more milk from the nuts, mix them again.
7. Put the milk in a glass jar and keep it in the fridge. It can stay fresh for up to three days.
The procedures are hitch-free. There’s something you need to know before eating tiger nuts.
Do Tiger Nuts Have Any Side Effects?
The only thing that might be bad about them is that they have a lot of fiber, which can be bad if you eat too much of it. Excess fiber can lead to gas, stomach pain, or even constipation.
No one has looked into how many tiger nuts a person can eat. Every day, a handful of nuts should be enough. Because it has so much fiber, eating more than that can cause stomach cramps and other problems.
Tiger nuts are sweet tubers that taste like nuts. Tiger nuts are good for you because they contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
They may help you lose weight, help your body digest food, lower your blood sugar, improve your heart health, raise your testosterone levels, and strengthen your immune system.
But their high fiber content can cause stomach pain, gas, and trouble going to the bathroom. So, don’t eat too many of them.
Conclusion
Tiger nuts are not nuts, despite what their name might suggest. Instead, they are tubers that look and taste like nuts.
They have a lot of different nutrients, like fiber, antioxidants, vitamin E, magnesium, iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C.
There are many benefits of tiger nuts. It is good for both men and women. And can help prevent cancer, ease menstrual cramps, control blood pressure, help you stay at a healthy weight, and make more breast milk.
Tiger nuts taste like nuts but are higher in carbs and lower in protein than most nuts. Also, they are neither low in sugar nor fat. People watching how much sugar, carbs, or fat they eat should be aware that tiger nuts have a lot of all three.
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