Little by little, tiger nuts are becoming more known to the world as something more than the ingredient to make horchata. Thanks to the number of benefits it brings to our body, tiger nuts have gone from being a local product in Valencia to a fashionable superfood beyond our borders. Wait, haven’t you ever heard about them? Then keep reading because we will explain everything you need to know in this post.
The first wrong belief is that the tiger nut is a nut but it isn´t. You should know that it is an edible tuber that grows underground and grows in the roots of the plant.
If there is something that makes organic tiger nuts an interesting food is that it is free of all major allergens such as lactose, fructose or gluten, so it is suitable for people suffering from different kinds of food intolerances. For this reason, organic tiger nuts adapt to the most demanding diets, such as raw food, paleo, vegan, kosher and halal.
Furthermore, since they are organically grown, they are free of synthetic chemicals, pesticides and herbicides. All the work done in the field is manual and in the traditional way, thus obtaining a natural and healthy ingredient.
Therefore, organic tiger nuts have innumerable benefits for our body and studies show that consumed in moderate amounts, it helps to mitigate the most common pains and diseases.
You are probably not aware that tiger nuts can be beneficial for type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects the use and production of insulin by the body, making more difficult for glucose to enter the cells and do its job of supplying energy. For people suffering from this pathology, the dietetic-nutritional treatment is the key to the correction of the glycemic curves.
Organic tiger nuts provide a large amount of arginine, an amino acid with secretagogue effects on insulin and vasodilating properties that help alleviate circulatory problems arising from diabetes. Hence, diabetics can enjoy the naturally sweet taste of our organic fresh horchata, the Spanish name for tiger nut beverage, without added sugar.
Its lipid profile controls the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and its contribution in fibre allows to decrease intestinal cholesterol absorption.
Tiger nuts are a natural source of iron, necessary for the formation of haemoglobin (the protein responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body), the deficiency of this mineral causes the body to produce fewer red blood cells.
People suffering from iron deficiency anaemia may experience fatigue, dizziness or breathing difficulties and are advised to maintain a varied diet and eat at least one iron-rich food with each meal. Horchata provides more iron than cow’s milk, so it is perfect to consume for breakfast or between meals.
According to the study “Nutritional Supplementation with Valencian tiger nuts for the improvement of visual function” funded by the Designation of origin Regulatory Council of Valencia and carried out by the Santiago Grisolía from the Ophthalmological Research Unit and the Foundation for Health and Biomedical Research of the Generalitat Valenciana (FISABIO), a small amount of approximately 30 grams of tiger nuts daily, helps improve ocular health, maintaining the optical density of the macular pigment thanks to its contribution of carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin).
Besides these benefits for our vision, tiger nuts have eupeptic properties that help people suffering from dyspepsia (heavy digestion). Their content in enzymes such as amylase and lipase favour the digestion of carbohydrates and fats that cause heaviness, stomach pain and flatulence. As well, they relieve the symptoms of hyperacidity caused by gastroesophageal reflux.
These tubers have a significant amount of phospholipids that, combined together with healthy monounsaturated fats, help to strengthen cell membranes. They are a prebiotic food that favours the growth of beneficial intestinal flora and have a high fibre content that helps regulate intestinal movement and combat constipation.
Focusing now on tiger nut horchata, you should know that it has disinfectant properties because it has peroxidase and catalase, which help relieve canker sores or mouth ulcers. In addition, its low sodium content and its contribution of arginine make it a perfect food for people suffering from high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, of course by when combined with physical activity and a balanced diet.
Another important mineral that tiger nuts contribute to our health is calcium, which prevents bone diseases. Therefore, horchata is highly recommended for vegan diets which nofoods from animal origin, as it provides more nutrients than other beverages of vegetable origin. Combining tubers and cereals in a meal provides proteins of high biological value.
Leave a Reply: