The tigernut is known to be the star ingredient of the famous Valencian horchata, but there is much more than this tasty and refreshing drink. The tigernut is full of benefits for the body, and after reading this text we will want to add it to our diet more times than we have in our entire lives. For example, eating tigernut helps us avoid anemia, constipation, reduces bad cholesterol, etc.
Having a balanced diet is of vital importance and among all those vegetables, greens, vegetables, fruits, cereals, seeds, dried fruits and others, tiger nuts must appear. In fact, the good thing about tigernut is that it is versatile. Horchata is one of the best vegetable drinks, although depending on which brand we buy it can be very sugary and caloric.
Tigernuts have a multitude of properties that are given by their vitamins and minerals. It is true that when taken raw they can be very hard for some dentures, especially those with braces or some type of orthodontics. Even so, they are a great choice, but be careful, we do not go overboard with the quantities or we will suffer adverse effects.
Nutritional values of tigernut
Eating tigernuts is a very good idea, especially when we know the amount of essential vitamins and minerals they have. We are going to review its nutritional values based on 100 grams, although we already anticipated that this is not the recommended daily amount, it is only a standard value to measure the nutritional values of foods.
On the one hand, we see that 100 grams of raw tigernuts are 400 kilocalories, almost 43 grams of carbohydrates, 6.13 grams of vegetable proteins, more than 17 grams of fiber and almost 24 grams of fat. This is why we do not recommend eating so many tigernuts in one day.
On the other hand, the vitamins and minerals in this food are the following: Vitamin A, K, B3 and B9, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, selenium and manganese. An interesting mixture that provides tiger nuts with a multitude of benefits that we will see later in another section.
Daily dose and how to add it to the diet
Well, we have seen how much fiber 100 grams of tigernuts provide and how many calories, because now we have to remove 80% from that amount because according to experts the maximum recommended amount for an average adult in a day is 20 grams.
In that 20 grams enter about 25 tigernuts approximately and with that we will get 1.5 grams of protein, 2.4 grams of fiber, 5.7 grams of fat, 8.5 grams of carbohydrates and a total of 86.5 kilocalories.
So far so good, but … are there really more options to eat tigernuts other than horchata? The answer is yes. We are going to give some ideas below, but remember that it is not recommended to exceed 20 grams due to the amount of calories, sugars and fibers.
This is why if we want to add some tigernuts to our daily diet we can make cakes, cakes, mousse, rice pudding, vegetable milk, cookies with tigernut pulp, rolls with tigernut flour, flan, panellets, slush, ice cream, flour tigernut, etc.
Tigernuts benefits
We already know all the vitamins and minerals, as well as the nutritional values of tigernut, because now it only remains to see what benefits those 20 grams of tigernut daily provide us. Let’s not get obsessed either. If one day we do not eat tigernut, nothing happens, the diet has to be very varied, the more the better.
Heart-healthy and fight anemia
We have said heart healthy, because eating tigernut helps reduce triglyceride levels and bad cholesterol. Nor should it be taken as a miracle, but rather it must be consistent with a varied diet , where there is a large presence of vegetables, greens, fruits and fresh and healthy products. Also reduce fat, ultra-processed, sugary drinks, etc.
Thanks to its rich fiber content, it helps regulate blood sugar levels. In addition, thanks to the amount of vitamins and minerals the chances of suffering from anemia are reduced, and if we have it, we can compensate the iron levels thanks to this rich snack.
Good for pregnancy
We always say that, when it comes to a pregnancy, it is best to turn to a doctor and better the one who knows our case closely. Folic acid is essential throughout our lives, and even more so during pregnancy and lactation, as it helps the normal development of the child.
Folic acid or vitamin B9 helps the formation of red and white blood cells, nerve cells and the formation of antibodies, so we are also strengthening the immune system. A very complete tuber that does us a lot of good, both for us and for children and fetuses.
Perfect for growing ages
If we have growing children at home, tigernuts are the perfect ally, even if they only take 20 or 25 a day. This tuber is highly recommended for children and young people of growing age, since there is a high demand for energy and essential nutrients such as calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium , etc.
The sweet taste of horchata makes it easier for children to admit tigernuts in their diet, which, as we said before, are somewhat harsh on some dentures. However, if we grind them and prepare cakes, puddings, milk, rice pudding, etc. the children will enjoy them much more.
Natural energy supply for athletes
The tigernut is has a large amount of plant proteins and is a natural energy source, apart from being high in fiber, lowering cholesterol and regulating glucose levels . Being a source of vegetable proteins, it contains a good amount of essential amino acids, including lysine, which is involved in the formation of collagen, and glycine, which is a neurotransmitter.
Taking tiger nuts every day benefits athletes, thanks to its energy intake that benefits physical performance. If we usually train with a certain intensity and we have a very clear objective in mind, a daily handful of tigernuts, it will help us a lot thanks to its proteins and the extra supply of energy.
Contraindications of eating a lot of tigernuts
To tell the truth, tigernuts do not have any contraindications, beyond excess fiber if we consume more than 50 grams. If we are going through a period of stress or a specific situation in which our intestinal transit is not regulated, we could use these tubers and eat a cup almost on an empty stomach to force the body, but it is not recommended to take it as usual, since we could irritate the colon or produce daily diarrhea, and it is not good.
