Yacon root is a superfood well known as a natural prebiotic, stimulating good bacteria in the digestive system and also boosting the immune system– and is a natural low calorie sweetener for diabetics and weight-watchers. Recent studies have proven that Yacon root will supress hunger pangs, that lowers calorie intake and will increase metabolism for fast calories burning, triggering a quicker reducing of weight.
What is Yacon?
Botanically known as Smallanthus sonchifolius and member of sunflower family, Yacon is a perennial plant indigenous to the lower Andean region of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Yacon have celery-like leaves that can grow up to 10 feet tall. Each plant can produce up to 20 roots weighing a pound each, which are are juicy and edible. They have both medicinal and nutritional, and are generally cultivated and processed into syrup, jam and pudding. You can also consume yacon roots fresh, steamed or baked or add them to juices and smoothies
Yacon Root Benefits
Due to its fructooligosaccharides or FOS content, Yacon root is great for the digestive system and great for detoxification. The FOS is an indigestible sugar-fibre of low caloric value that stimulates beneficial bacteria in the colon. Yacon syrup is also a delicious natural sweetener, with significantly less calories than other sweeteners like maple syrup or raw honey. Along with naturally low-caloric, Yacon syrup doesn’t increase blood sugar levels despite its sweetness; its glycemic index is amazingly a low of < 1.
Diuretic: Raw yacon root can act as a diuretic, which means that it will promote urination and elimination of toxins. Medical problems affecting the kidneys, like kidney stones or the bladder are positively affected by the yacon root diuretic properties.
Sweetener for Diabetics: Yacon root features over 50 percent fructooligosacharides or FOS, that are a type of sugar that isn’t easily digested by the stomach. This is helpful for people suffering from diabetes or hypoglycemia, due to the fact FOS can be used as a sweetener that will not increase blood sugar levels and is fairly low in calories.
Prebiotics: The FOS in yacon root are also widely known as a promising potential source of prebiotics, introduced by a study in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.” A prebiotic is a feature in food that’s not digested by the stomach but reaches the ferments and colon and stimulating the growth of good bacteria.. This action of yacon root assists the gastrointestinal tract for good digestion and improves the production of immunostimulants known as beta-glucans.
Antioxidant: Yacon root has antioxidant properties; consists of ferulic, caggeic acids and chlorogenic. Antioxidants aid in fighting free radicals in the body that cause cells oxidation, which causes aging and disease. There are no known side effects to the antioxidant properties of yacon root.
In addition to the above health benefits, Yacon root also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, cancer-preventive properties as it contains ferulic, caffeic acids and chlorogenic.
Yacoon Root Studies
Various research and studies have been conducted on the Yacon root by institutions and universities. Here are some of the research and studies results that show why the Yacon root is beneficial (click on image for full size):
Historically, Yacon has been traditionally eaten for its medicinal properties in improving digestion, lowering blood sugar in diabetics, reducing cholesterol.
The yacon root syrup seems to be the new trendy ‘do-nothing-and-lose-weight’ product!