Have you heard of the Jerusalem artichoke? This plant, a perennial member of the Asteraceae family, resembles ginger or potatoes in appearance. Despite its tuber-like look, which might suggest high carbohydrate content and potential weight gain, the Jerusalem artichoke is a low-calorie food with minimal carbohydrates, distinguishing it from other starch-rich tubers.
The Jerusalem artichoke’s appeal extends beyond its low carbohydrate content. It contains a specific nutrient that is gaining attention among health and beauty enthusiasts as a potential game-changer for diabetes management and weight loss. If you’re someone who often craves sweets, struggles with dieting, worries about future health due to an unbalanced diet, or wants to start early health measures even though you’re currently healthy, this article is a must-read!
In this article, we delve into the lesser-known benefits of the Jerusalem artichoke.
About the nutrients contained in Jerusalem artichoke
Jerusalem artichokes are rich in beneficial nutrients, including:
- Water-soluble dietary fiber, Inulin
- Polyphenols, which protect the body from oxidative stress
- Potassium, which aids in expelling excess sodium (salt) from the body, thus preventing high blood pressure
- The Vitamin B group, which assists in metabolizing carbohydrates and proteins
Additionally, Jerusalem artichokes contain a wide array of health-supporting nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
Jerusalem artichoke is the best source of water-soluble dietary fiber “Inulin”!
One of the standout features of the Jerusalem artichoke is its high content of inulin, a type of water-soluble dietary fiber. While inulin is also found in other vegetables like leeks, onions, and garlic, Jerusalem artichokes contain it in significantly higher quantities.
Inulin, found abundantly in Jerusalem artichoke, offers several beneficial functions:
- Blood Sugar Regulation: When consumed, inulin forms a gel-like substance in the gut, slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates from meals. This gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream helps to moderate post-meal blood sugar spikes.
- Gut Health Support: Inulin acts as a prebiotic, serving as nourishment for beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria, known as probiotics, play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. By promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria, inulin from Jerusalem artichoke contributes to a balanced and thriving gut environment. A healthy gut microbiome is associated with improved digestion, enhanced nutrient absorption, and strengthened immune function.
Incorporating Jerusalem artichoke into your diet can offer these notable advantages. Embracing the benefits of Jerusalem artichoke and its rich inulin content can be a rewarding step towards a healthier lifestyle.
Why Inulin is called “Natural Insulin”
Excessive intake of carbohydrates is a principal trigger for the onset of diabetes. Generally, anyone’s blood sugar levels elevate after carbohydrate consumption. To counter this, a hormone called insulin is released, aiming to gently restore the blood sugar levels back to their baseline within approximately two hours after a meal. However, if an overabundance of arbohydrates is consumed, blood sugar levels can skyrocket. This necessitates the secretion of a large quantity of insulin, which in turn, can induce a rapid plunge in blood sugar levels.
This tumultuous fluctuation of blood sugar levels, akin to a rollercoaster ride, when plotted on a graph, forms an acute angle. These blood sugar spikes are detrimental as they inflict damage on blood vessels and can contribute to serious health conditions like diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Thus, it’s essential to implement strategies that ensure a moderate increase in blood sugar levels for the sake of our health.
In this context, the Jerusalem artichoke plays a supportive role. It contains a substance called inulin, which moderates the absorption of carbohydrates, thereby easing the demand on insulin production. This property of inulin provides it with a potential preventative effect against diabetes. This is the reason why inulin is often dubbed as “natural insulin”.
Lead to a gut environment dominated by good bacteria by taking Inulin
Ingesting Inulin can also guide your gut environment towards a state dominated by beneficial bacteria, which is advantageous for those suffering from constipation or aiming for successful weight loss. When Inulin is broken down in the gut, it becomes fructooligosaccharides, which serve as food for beneficial bacteria. This process can help improve the gut environment, promote bowel movements, and alleviate constipation.
In addition to moderating post-meal blood sugar spikes and improving gut health, Inulin also aids in reducing neutral fats and blood cholesterol levels and boosting immunity. Therefore, it’s a highly recommended food for those concerned about blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
When is the best time to eat Jerusalem artichoke?
While Jerusalem artichokes can be eaten at any time, incorporating them into your morning meal is recommended for optimal blood sugar control. Dietary fiber consumed during breakfast not only moderates blood sugar spikes after the meal but also continues to work after lunch. Even if your lunch is high in carbohydrates, the dietary fiber from your breakfast can prevent a rapid rise in blood sugar levels post-lunch.
What is an easy way to consume the nutrients of Jerusalem artichoke?
Despite the numerous health benefits of Jerusalem artichokes, their limited harvest time and difficulty in long-term storage can make them hard to obtain. Moreover, the rugged appearance of the tuber can make preparation challenging, and the Inulin content decreases gradually after harvest. Therefore, Jerusalem artichoke supplements, which conveniently concentrate the plant’s benefits, are recommended. These supplements allow you to easily consume a wealth of nutrients, including Inulin, by simply drinking them with water. Remember, building a healthy body isn’t a one or two-day affair, but a long-term commitment. So, consider incorporating methods that can be sustained without overexertion.