There are vegetables that boast a lot of amazing effect on the overall health. One of which is the sunchoke -this vegetable is one of the rarest vegetables in the whole wide world. Not only that, the health benefits of sunchoke are also amazing. Read on to this article to know more!
Sunchoke? What is it?
Jerusalem artichoke that also referred to as sunchoke is a species of the sunflower that is native at the eastern part of North America. This is cultivated because it is a tuber that is identified as root vegetables. Even though the name of it is Jerusalem Artichoke, it is not a variety of the artichoke and has no relation to Jerusalem. The artichoke part of the name of this vegetable because a French explorer noted that taste of it is similar to an artichoke. Also, it has starchy-taste and flavor that also resemble the taste of the potatoes. The color of the skin of this may vary from light brown and white to red and purple. It is typically 7.5-10 centimeters long and 3-5 centimeters thick.
The sunchoke can be eaten either raw or cooked. You can also add this to salad or soup and it is popular to those who have raw food diet. If you want to know more about this root vegetable, just continue reading below.
Nutrient Content of Sunchoke
Sunchoke contains very low Saturated fats, Sodium, and Cholesterol. It is a good source of Phosphorus, Potassium, and Thiamin. Furthermore, it is also a very good source of Iron.
One cup (150 g) contains the following:
| Principle | Nutrient Value | % of RDA |
| Calories | 109 | 5% |
| Carbohydrates | 26.2 g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.4 g | 10% |
| Protein | 3 g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 30 IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 6 mg | 10% |
| Vitamin E | 0.3 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin K | 0.2 mcg | 0% |
| Thiamin | 0.3 mg | 20% |
| Riboflavin | 0.1 mg | 5% |
| Niacin | 2 mg | 10% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 6% |
| Folate | 19.5 mcg | 5% |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.6 mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 21 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 5.1 mg | 28% |
| Magnesium | 25.5 mg | 6% |
| Phosphorus | 117 mg | 12% |
| Potassium | 643 mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 6 mg | 0% |
| Zinc | 0.2 mg | 1% |
| Copper | 0.2 mg | 10% |
| Manganese | 0.1 mg | 4% |
Health Benefits of Sunchoke
Sunchoke is popular because it contains an insulin that plays a vital part in intestinal health. Also, it contains many vitamin and minerals that give your body the benefits in terms of health. Here are the reasons why you would eat and love sunchoke:
- Reduce constipation problems. Sunchoke contains dietary fiber that is needed for good bowel movement and also gives relief to the people who suffers from constipation.
- Maintains the health of teeth. Sunchoke contains a big amount of phosphorus that plays a vital role in maintenance and formation of the teeth and also helps the decayed tooth to heal.
- Helps muscle formation. Sunchoke contains iron that plays an important role in better muscle health. If you are insufficient in iron, most likely you will have anemia and have this disease means having weak muscles.
- Lower the blood pressure. Sunchoke has a large amount of potassium and low amount of sodium that is needed to lower the blood pressure.
- Boosts immunity. Sunchoke is consists of antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin C and A that has an important role. These vitamins are needed in order to find and kill the free radical in order to avoid different diseases.
- Anti-ageing. Sunchoke is consist of copper which is an antioxidant that is important for the protection of cell membranes from the free radicals.
Recipes to try
Like any other vegetables, sunchoke can also be cooked in many ways. It can be mashed, baked, steamed, boiled, grated or pickled. If you want to make something out of this, we will give you 2 recipes to try on.
Sunchoke Stew
Ingredients:
- 30 mL virgin olive oil
- 500 mL chopped red onions
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 500 mL chopped sunchokes
- 500 mL chopped carrots
- 5 mL grey sea or pink rock salt
- 454 g beef stew meat
- 1 L broth of vegetable
- 250 mL water
- 30 mL minced fresh rosemary
Procedure:
- Sauté garlic, onion, carrots and sunchoke and salt on oil over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.
- Then add the meat, vegetable broth, water and the minced rosemary. Bring to light boil and then reduce to low heat. Cover.
- Simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Roasted Sunchokes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of sunchokes
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ black pepper, ground
- 2 tablespoon parsley, minced
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 375 °.
- Using a vegetable brush, brush the sunchokes.
- In a bowl, toss the sunchokes with garlic, the olive oil, salt, and
- Arrange in a single layer the sunchokes on the baking pan.
- Roast for about 20-25 minutes, turning only once until the color of the sunchokes turns to golden brown.
- Sprinkle the parsley and serve.
Conclusion
There is hidden treasure everywhere and the sunchokes prove to be one of them. Who would have taught that there is an edible tuber under a beautiful flower? Well, setting aside this amazing fact, this root vegetable is a hidden treasure not because where it hides but what it has. It has so many nutrients that really gives many benefits in terms of health. If you want to eat it, you can find it at local stores and markets. Give it a try and surely it is really worth it.
