What nutritional value does yacon have, and can people with diabetes eat it?

Yacon is also called yacon potato. Is this a tuber crop? Or is it a fruit? Where did it come from? Want to know? Then let's take a look together.

Yacon potato belongs to the Asteraceae family and originated in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the Andes Mountains. It has certain pharmacological effects. The local people often eat it and all live long lives, which once attracted the attention of some countries. Among them, the most curious was Japan, because Japanese people have considerable interest in any plant with tubers and highly praise them. They say that anything with tubers can accumulate qi and expand its tubers only because it has long hidden underground absorbing earthly qi and the essence of the sun and moon. Therefore, eating more tubers must be greatly beneficial to the human body. As a result, radish was dubbed "ginseng," and Japanese people eat it at almost every meal, which is truly "admirable." Therefore, as to why "yacon potato" was able to spread to Taiwan, China, based on my observation and judgment, it should have come from Japan.

Actually, "yacon potato" should not be called "yacon potato." The more correct name should be "yacon," because if you see the flower in the photo above (a chrysanthemum flower) and its connection to the Asteraceae family, you will believe that this way of naming it is consistent with its habits.

However, "yacon potato" is not as mysterious as consumers make it out to be, nor is it as puzzling as they imagine. In fact, "yacon potato," like other Asteraceae plants, contains "inulin" in its tubers, mainly formed by the polymerization of fructose, with a small amount of glucose, while its protein content is low, it contains almost no fat, and it contains no starch (ordinary tuber plants all contain large amounts of starch). It is low in fiber and high in potassium and magnesium, and has a unique refreshing taste. It can be eaten as a fruit or as a dish. However, in its place of origin, what is actually valued more is eating its leaves. Local people brew the leaves of "yacon potato" in water as tea, because research has found that the leaves contain a considerable amount of minerals, especially calcium, potassium, catechins, flavonoid glycosides, as well as vitamin C, vitamin B2, carotene, and inulin. However, such an explanation may still not be enough to emphasize its characteristics, because at present there are also many plants that have such simple elements. But research has shown that the leaves of "yacon potato" also contain insulin-like substances, which can help the human body control blood sugar, and also have the effect of lowering cholesterol and triglycerides. In addition, the fructose contained in "yacon potato" can be eaten by people with diabetes, because its energy is lower than that of ordinary fruits, so it will not cause obesity either. However, it cannot be treated as a weight-loss food, because its protein cannot supply all the human body's needs. Eating too much may instead cause protein malnutrition and even edema. Moreover, the fructooligosaccharides in "yacon potato" are easily broken down into sucrose, fructose, and glucose during storage. After 6 days of storage, its loss reaches half. Therefore, if it is eaten again, there may be concerns about elevated blood sugar, so one must be cautious!