It doesn’t matter if you’re a fitness freak or someone who looks after his/her body from time to time, we all think about the food that we put in our body after all your health depends on it. Keeping that in mind there is a list of food that can taste good and are good for your health too.
In this article, you will get to know everything about sabudana its nutritional value, the benefits of sabudana or is it good for weight loss, and much more.
So without any further ado let’s dive right into it…
What is sabudana?
Sabudana has many names such as sago, Arabia, etc. Sabudana is a type of starch that is extracted from the spongy center of various tropical palm stem. After sabudana is done being extracted it is processed into looking of pearl. South Asia is the largest supplier of sabudana (Sago).
While sabudana is calorie-dense food with a high amount of carbohydrates it also included different essential nutrients like fiber, protein, calcium and all these nutrients are good for strengthening your muscle, improving your digestion system, and much more.
Sabudana has a neutral flavor and because of that property, it can be consumed/added with soup and bread without affecting the taste. Sabudana is also part of many religious fasting one great example would be India, sabudana khichadi, sabudana vada, and sabudana kheer are the most common recipe in Indian households during fasting. In some parts of India sabudana is fed to the kids (1 year or older) to aid in their physical growth and also aid in the growth of height, weight, and organs.
Sabudana is not a complex food it’s a simple carbohydrate like potatoes, rice, and pasta. Carbohydrates are important for your body because they provide energy but you should eat carbohydrates in moderation because too much good can be bad.
Nutritional value of sabudana
According to the information provided by the U.S Department of Agriculture, one cup of the sabudana has the following nutritional value…
- Calories: 544
- Carbohydrates: 135 g
- Fiber: 1.37 g
- Protein: 0.29 g
- Fat: 0.03 g
- Calcium: 30.4 mg
- Iron: 2.4 mg
- Magnesium: 1.52 mg
- Potassium: 16.7 mg
Benefits of sabudana
- Energy source
Sabudana is loaded with starches and simple sugar, these starches and sugar can easily be digested by your body so it can convert into energy and other biochemical that the body needs to functions. Sabudana can give you an instant energy boost that will help you get rid of tiredness and will help you push through your day. Some researchers found that sabudana help increases endurance in cyclists by 84% compared with placebo and fatigue(1).
Some studies have also shown eating sabudana before a workout may help you improve your performance
2. Gluten-free
Several people, young as well as old have developed intolerance towards products that contain gluten, and it is unfortunate for people living in the country where it is a regular ingredient but sabudana can be a good food to be included in their diet as it is organically gluten-free.
If you are suffering from celiac disease or have gluten intolerance, eating gluten will cause you various health problems such as bloating, stomach ache, diarrhea, and fatigue.
3. Aids in weight gain
As people want to lose weight there are also some people that want to gain weight but have a hard time doing that, If you’re trying to gain weight that eating a calorie-dense diet might help you and sabudana might be a good choice as it is a calorie-dense food. Sabudana also helps you in building essential fat tissue in your body to protect internal organs while also ensuring uniform lipid distribution throughout the body.
Sabudana is high in carbs but low in fat so It helps you avoid bad effects that are associated with eating too much fat like having a risk of cardiovascular diseases. Eating food that makes you fat will help you gain weight but remember the risk that comes with eating fat.
4. May improve digestion
One of the other benefits of sabudana is that Sabudana is also a rich source of resistant starch that can help you improve your digestion health. The resistant starch in our body is passed undigested from the stomach and when it reaches the colon it promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria. It helps your body to bulk up the stool and prevents the problem of constipation, bloating.
5. May improve your bone health
Sabudana is packed with various minerals also being rich in calcium and minerals. which can promote bone health and also improve your bone density. Eating calcium-rich food every day will reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis and arthritis.
6. Reduces blood pressure
A large number of people from around the globe are suffering from this problem known as blood pressure. While medication might help you but there are other ways to control your blood pressure and that is through meditation and diet.
Sabudana is rich in potassium and potassium helps you promote healthy blood flow and keep your blood pressure in check. It also reduces the stress you put on your heart, therefore, eliminating the risk of heart stroke. If you have a blood pressure level of 120/80 and if it’s not you’re unhealthy.
7. Reduce the risk of heart diseases
In a study conducted on mice, the study found out that intake of sabudana can help you reduce the risk of heart diseases because sabudana is shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride level. This is due to the amount of amylose (A long chain of glucose that takes time to digest) as it takes time to digest the sugar is released slowly in the body in a manner that it improves your cholesterol and triglyceride level.
8. Treats amenia
Iron deficiency is a no joke, many people around the world are suffering from this, leading to excessive fatigue and low productivity level. Sabudana is rich in iron and it can serve as good medicine for people suffering from low hemoglobin levels in the blood and in turn also treating amenia.
Is sabudana a good choice for weight loss?
Now you know all the benefits of sabudana but is it good for weight loss?. As I said earlier sabudana is calorie-dense food so it won’t be an ideal choice if you’re trying to lose weight. If you want to lose weight it’s simple math start burning more calories than you intake and you will see a positive change in your weight.
Eating fat and protein will help you curb hunger but unfortunately, sabudana contains a very low amount of those minerals. So trying to fit sabudana in your weight loss diet will work against you and in the end, you won’t notice a positive change in your weight.
If you adjust the consumption it is possible for you to lose weight as well as enjoy sabudana like I explained calorie deficit is the key to weight loss so whenever you eat sabudana limit yourself to 100 to 150 grams and workout to make sure you burn more calories or go for a walk (brisk walking) or jump ropes. Doing all these things will help you enjoy the benefits of sabudana without worrying about gaining weight.
Try eating other healthy food and fruits that will help you lose weight for example muesli, granola, etc.
Conclusion
Now that you know about all the benefits of sabudana just do go ahead and munch on it daily and if you do be sure to increase the number of calories your burn or change your diet to eating food with low calories or maybe try 24-hour fasting for weight loss. The dish made from these small pearls is usually healthy but in case you have diabetes you should avoid them.
Only consume processed sabudana from the market because unprocessed sabudana contains poison and can be harmful to your health.