We’re all familiar with meat-based protein sources. After all, it’s one of the first things we learn in school about the kinds of food we eat – meat is protein, vegetables are fiber, and fruits are carbohydrates. This oversimplification, unfortunately, has led to some inaccurate assumptions about how food works, and a lot of people miss out on Plant-based protein simply because they don’t know much about it.

This is starting to change. People are being encouraged to try plant-based protein sources for health and lifestyle reasons, bringing with it a rise in popularity for many meat alternative foods, like tofu, almonds, and legumes.

One great source of plant-based protein that’s gaining a lot of traction in diet communities is the Arrowroot plant, a tropical plant native to Indonesia. Arrowroot is rich in protein, and is typically cooked into savory dishes, or dried and ground into flour for baking or starching. 

It’s also an approved food item for the fast metabolism diet Phase 1 meals. Let’s find out why.

MEET THE ARROWROOT PLANT

The Arrowroot Plant is popular in many Asian cuisines, where it’s known as ararot or uraro. The plant is starchy, like its root vegetable cousins (cassava and taro, among others).

Like many starchy root crops, arrowroot is high in carbohydrates; a 1-cup serving of raw arrowroot can carry roughly 78-80 calories and about 16 grams of carbs, which is pretty heavy. On the other hand, for the same serving amount, it contains 5 grams of protein, 2 grams of dietary fiber, and zero fat content.

By comparison, yam (a more popular root crop by far) contains only 2.3 grams of protein for the same serving amount, as well as almost twice the amount of calories and carbs – a whopping 158 calories and 37 grams of carbs per cup serving.

Its nutrient table isn’t anything to sniff at, either. Arrowroot has a lot of nutrients that meet a considerable amount of the Daily Value (DV) for healthy adults, such as folate (102%), iron (15%), phosphorus (17%), and potassium (11%). The plant’s high concentration of folate is noteworthy, as folate is an integral nutrient for cellular development especially during pregnancy.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Given the nutrients packed into the arrowroot plant, let’s talk about its health benefits.

Arrowroot contains a good amount of probiotics, which are a type of bacteria that lives in our gastrointestinal tracts that filter nutrients from waste.

Don’t worry, they’re not bad bacteria; in fact, our bodies produce small amounts of them naturally. However, we don’t produce nearly enough to remain healthy, as these bacteria have brief life cycles, so we rely on probiotics-rich foods to nurture more of the healthy bacteria.

The plant is also gluten-free. This is an important fact of note for those on specialized diets and can’t eat gluten-rich foods due to gluten sensitivity or allergy, or Celiac disease.

Because of the unique consistency of the arrowroot plant, it can be cooked and used in different ways. It can be used as a flour, as a dish extender, or cooked and served on its own – there are many recipes available online for preparing and cooking arrowroot for those curious in what can be done with the plant.

Arrowroot can also be used as a deodorant ingredient, as dry shampoo, or as a baby powder substitute (as ground arrowroot), so no part of the plant goes to waste.

There are a lot of benefits to and uses for the arrowroot plant. While we’re under the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s give it a chance and try it out for a dish or two.

Let’s stay healthy, eat healthy, and be healthy this summer!

The post An Arrow Through The Heart: Good Things About Arrowroot appeared first on The Fast Metabolism Diet Community.