Tiger nuts were a highly valued food in ancient Egypt and interestingly, there is ancient Egyptian art depicting the careful sorting of Tiger nuts. They can also been found in Chile, Brazil, USA, Ghana, Sierra Leon, Burkina Faso, Northern Cameroon and Mali.
The truth is, no one really knew much about the potential health benefits of this ancient food up until recently.
Tiger nuts are also called chufa, nut grass, or yellow nutsedge and there are two varieties – yellow and brown and both can be eaten raw, dried and ground into flour. It can also be pressed to extract its milk which is a great substitute for cow’s milk.
Tiger nuts are not just crunchy, sweet and delicious they also have nutritional benefits like you will read below.
High In Fibre
Tiger nuts have proven to be high in dietary fibre. Fibre is very helpful to our body and our digestive system by providing simple relief (and prevention) of constipation, prevents colon cancer, alleviate flatulence and gastrointestinal disorders. Its fibre content is also higher than other often suggested sources of fibre, such as oat bran, rice bran, peaches, cabbage, pears, apple, carrots and jack beans. The fibre content also aids in weight loss and weight maintenance hence a great way to lower cholesterol.
Suitable For Diabetics And Obesity
Sugar-free tiger nut milk is suitable for diabetic people and also helps in weight control, due to its content of carbohydrates with a base of sucrose and resistant starch and its high content of Arginine, which liberates the hormone that produces insulin. The high content of oleic acid has positive effect on cholesterol, thereby preventing heart attacks, thrombosis and activates blood content of soluble glucose.
Healthy Fats
Unlike other starchy vegetable tubers such as potatoes, tiger nuts are a good source of healthy fats. They have a fatty acid composition similar to olive oil, with the fat composition being about 73% monounsaturated fat, 18% saturated fat and 9% polyunsaturated fat (source). The lower percentage of polyunsaturated fat, which can be highly inflammatory, in contrast to the specific monounsaturated and saturated fats (both nourishing, non-inflammatory types of fat) makes a healthy fat profile. The oil reduces low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and increases high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), reduces levels of triglycerides in blood and the risk of forming bloody clots
Good Source Of Protein
Tiger nuts happens to be very rich in Protein which is an important addition to anyone’s diet and it plays the role of building bones, cartilage, muscles, blood and skin as well as functioning as a building block for enzymes, hormones and vitamins in our body.
Substitute For Cow Milk
If you are struggling with lactose intolerance, then you might want to look into drinking tiger nut milk instead because it has no lactose. The good part is that it is as well rich in Calcium. According to a 2006 study, published in the International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, tiger nut milk was compared with cow and soybean milk. Tiger nuts showed to be a serious nutritional contender with other non-milk substitutes, ranking among the highest in fat content, protein levels, calcium, phosphorus, oleic acid and calories. In addition to being a great source of calcium, tiger nut milk also has some health benefit that milk lacks which are Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
Good For Blood Pressure
Tiger nuts are high in amino acids and one of the dominant amino acids in Tiger nuts is Arginine which the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research names as a precursor to nitric oxide, which keeps our blood vessels wide enough to keep blood flow normal. Arginine has been shown to aid in conditions that are caused or made worse by restricted blood vessels, such as chest pain, clogged arteries, heart failure or disease, erectile dysfunction and muscle cramps.
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