Okra - useful properties and contraindications

Okra is an amazing exotic plant that produces green oblong pods similar to peppers. The culture has many names - gombo, ladies' fingers, abelmosh, okra. In fact, it is a vegetable that has a specific taste. Someone compares okra with beans, to someone, the taste seems like eggplant, zucchini and even asparagus. Okra is widespread in Africa, southern Europe, Asia, America. In Russia, okra can be found in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, there are small plantations where vegetables disperse throughout the country. The gentle taste of okra allows you to use it in various culinary masterpieces - stew the vegetable and serve as a side dish for meat or fish. Okra can be cooked with cereals or other vegetables, pods are often pickled and added to salads.

Okra grows very quickly, the grown pods should be cut off in a timely manner, otherwise they will mature, become sinewy and stiff. At the same time, fresh okra is not stored for long, only a few days. For this reason, people try to keep the pods for a long time - they canned or frozen vegetables. This is done in order to feast on the delicate taste of the green pod in winter and receive from it only the most valuable and useful. After all, the composition of okra is amazing - it contains a huge amount of ascorbic acid and other vitamins. Okra is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, organic acids, mineral salts. The seeds have a special oil that makes the product look like olives. Okra has a peculiar slimy structure - this mucus envelops the walls of the stomach and allows you to cope with many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. What else is useful okra, try to figure it out.

Useful properties of okra for humans

In the literature there is a mention of okra. In one of his works, the famous science fiction writer Harry Harrison talked about a spaceship, all of whose team members were fed exclusively by okra. This allowed the heroes to survive and maintain health. Indeed, okra is unique, it has many useful substances that have a positive effect on the human body, especially with regular use of the product.

1. During pregnancy. The composition of okra is folic acid - this is one of the most important vitamins for a pregnant woman. When the future mother finds out about her situation, she must certainly drink folic acid separately or introduce foods rich in this substance into her diet. Folic acid helps the fetus to form properly, reduces the risk of developing pathologies of the baby’s nervous system.
2. With diabetes. The mucus, which is rich in okra pods, is a natural regulator of blood sugar. Okra is certainly recommended for diabetics.
3. For the digestive tract. As noted, the mucus in the composition of the pod, getting on the walls of the stomach, gently envelops the mucous membrane, relieves inflammation, soothes, relieves pain. Okra has a similar effect with a decoction of oatmeal. Such dishes are very effective for diseases of the stomach - they do not irritate the mucous membrane. And okra is useful for the intestines - enter the vegetable in the diet and you will forget what constipation and bloating are, okra provides an increase in the number of beneficial bacteria.
4. When losing weight. Okra is not just a useful medicine, but also an incredibly tasty vegetable that has a soft and delicate structure. Moreover, its calorific value is very small - only 25-30 calories and per 100 grams of product. Okra allows you to get enough of a small amount of food, it gives the body vitamins and minerals, which are so lacking with limited nutrition.And okra has a mild diuretic effect, which means that you can get rid of excess water in the body, swelling on the legs and arms, bags under the eyes will gradually disappear. Okra cleanses the body of toxins and toxins, removes excess bile. This cleansing is especially important at the first stage of losing weight, so that the body gets rid of extra pounds without problems.
5. For potency. The tribes of Africa were necessarily introduced into the diet of okra for young men, as the best way to improve potency. Okra is an obligatory attribute at wedding celebrations, as a symbol of man’s fertility. Eat okra to gain masculine strength and sexual stamina.
6. To restore vitality. And also okra is an excellent immunostimulant that can be used both during an illness and after it to restore strength. And if you take okra constantly - this is an excellent prevention of colds. Okra must be given to children after infections, the elderly, women after childbirth and during lactation. Vegetable protects the body from disease, gives vitality and tone.
7. Against cough. Okra pods and seeds have an excellent expectorant effect, one should prepare a decoction and drink it as often as possible. This dilutes sputum, removes it from the lungs, and allows you to quickly get rid of a cough of any nature. Regular consumption of okra will help reduce the number of asthmatic attacks and make them less intense and dangerous.
8. For vessels and capillaries. According to statistics, people whose diet is rich in okra are much less likely to suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system. Regular consumption of a vegetable strengthens the walls of blood vessels, makes them more elastic and mobile, lowers blood cholesterol, and fights against atherosclerosis.

In addition, okra reduces the risk of cancer, especially colon cancer. A vegetable is so diverse that you should not think about its beneficial properties - there are a lot of them. But is okra so safe?

Contraindications to the use of okra

Having learned about the incredible benefits of the product, many people begin to consume it in large quantities, making a mistake. An overabundance of many healthy vegetables and fruits can lead to unpleasant consequences. But not with okra! You can eat green pods as much as you want; there is no harm in vegetables. The only thing you need to know about the method of preparation of the product. On the surface of the okra there are small hairs that can be aggressive to the stomach and skin. Therefore, during the preparation of the vegetable, all small villi should be cleaned with a hard sponge or just a clean cloth. Processing is best done with gloves, hairs that get on the skin often cause itching, redness and burning. And further. If you consume okra for the first time, start with small portions - watch the body. Like any other product, okra can cause an allergic reaction.

How to cook okra?

If you got this amazing vegetable in your hands, wrap it in a newspaper or food paper and place it in the refrigerator - this way you can save the pods for several days. And it’s better to immediately cook okra - there may be many options for dishes from the product.

1. Garnish. Pour a little oil into a dry frying pan, fry the onions and garlic. Okra needs to be prepared - cut the stalk so that the seeds do not open. Be sure to rinse the pods and clean them from lint. Pure okra is sent to the pan to the onion and garlic. The product does not stew for long - about 15 minutes. So that the okra does not boil and break, try not to interfere with the dish too often. Before cooking, garnish with salt and pepper, add chopped tomato and lemon juice if desired.Serve cold or hot - this is an excellent combination to any meat or fish product.
2. Pickled okra. Marinating okra is not difficult - just like cucumbers. At the bottom of the can, greens are laid out to taste, garlic, a couple of peas of black pepper, the okra pods are densely laid on top. Pour boiling water, leave to sterilize for 5 minutes, repeat the procedure twice. For the third time, sugar, salt and vinegar are added to the water. About a dessert spoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar and the same amount of vinegar per liter of water. To make the okra crispy, you can add a little alcohol or vodka to the brine. When the brine begins to boil, for the third time, the banks are poured and rolled up with sterilized lids. Such a delicacy will surprise your guests.
3. Okra with meat. The meat should be cut into pieces, fry in a pan. If the meat is tough, it is additionally poured with water and stewed for about half an hour. Okra should be prepared and washed. Usually stewed vegetables in whole, too large pods can be cut in half. Okra has a special slime. If you want the dish to be viscous, add okra directly to the meat and simmer another 20-30 minutes. If you want to get the dish in slices, put out the pods separately to get rid of the slimy mass, and only then mix the ingredients. Before cooking, add garlic, spices, tomato pulp, parsley to the dish.

They also freeze okra - prepared pods are laid out on a flat surface, and after freezing they are put in bags or containers. In winter, you can add the right amount of vegetable to your meals. Overripe okra fruits become dark, hard and fibrous - they are rarely eaten. But coffee is made from the overripe pod beans - the grains are dried, roasted and the aromatic drink is brewed from them.

Okra is a wonderful plant, which is characterized by high productivity. In warm climates, pods need to be collected every 3-5 days. Shrubs of okra are very unpretentious, although they can not tolerate cold and frost. If you live in a warm strip, be sure to plant okra in the summer cottage - this is the personification of health and well-being!

Video: beneficial properties and growing okra