Japanese mountain yam is known as East Asian mountain yam or yamaimo. It has the scientific name as Dioscorea japonica that is consumed as food in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Assam. It can be cooked, but in Japan, they are usually eaten raw after being finely julienned or grated. Also, it is being served in hot or chilled miso soup. Moreover, this yam is known to have beneficial benefits for health. One of them is to provide the great nutrients such as fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. Indeed, they are good to promote body function. Thus, to give you more information, here we list the health benefits of Japanese mountain yam below.
1. Source of Fiber
The first health benefit of Japanese mountain yam is to provide the source of fiber. This is amazing as you can boost the fiber intake. As the consequence, fiber is the one who plays a major role in promoting digestive health. It also takes part in reducing the cholesterol level in the body as well as preventing digestion problems such as constipation and bloating. Thus, are you interested to taste the healthy Japanese mountain yam? You can also check on Benefits of Kumquats
2. Source of Antioxidants
Have you ever wondered what Japanese mountain yam can help to fulfill the needs of nutrients in the body? One of the great nutrient contained in this yam is the source of antioxidant. This one will help you to protect the body against diseases. What is even greater from antioxidant is its way to fight against free radical damage as well. Hence, ensure that you consume healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, and Japanese mountain yam to get the best health benefits of antioxidants. You can also check on Health Benefits Sweet Yam Leaves
3. Source of Vitamin A
Next, Japanese mountain yam also has vitamin A in it. As a result, vitamin A will help to promote body functions such as maintaining healthy mucous membranes and skin, heightening night vision, supporting healthy bone development, and preventing risks of lung and mouth cancers. Great, isn’t it?
4. Source of Vitamin B1
It is also shown that Japanese mountain yam also contained the source of vitamin B1. In fact, it has the content of thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, and niacin. It is the vital nutrient that has a role in promoting healthy mucous membranes. Therefore, if you want to keep healthy and having the benefits of vitamin B1, then having a Japanese mountain yam is something that should be taken into account.
5. Source of Vitamin C
As a matter of fact, Japanese mountain yam is the source of vitamin C. It can give you almost 27% of vitamin C daily value. This is such a good thing as vitamin C has a role in boosting the immune system and fighting infections such as colds and flu and quick wound healing. Indeed, It prevents the infection and low immune system as well. Thus, if you want to fulfill the needs of vitamin C, then you can try to add Japanese mountain yam in your diet. You can also check on Health Benefits of Eating Golden Beets
6. Promotes Healthy Cells
As the consequence, it turns out that Japanese mountain yam can be good to promote healthy cells. This is linked with the presence of allantoin. It is a chemical compound that can speed up healing and recovery times by promoting the accelerated growth of healthy tissue. Indeed, this is such a great benefit for you who wants to have healthy cells. Then, you can have this yam to treat disorders like boils and ulcers. Such the great benefits, right?
7. Lowers Risks of High Blood Pressure
You might never imagine that Japanese mountain yam can help to reduce the risks of high blood pressure. It is associated with the presence of B6 in this yam. In fact, if you consume a cup of mountain yam, then you will get 0.209 mg of vitamin B6 which is 16.08% of the recommended value. Consequently, with the good consumption of vitamin B6 foods, then you will have an improvement in blood flow, lowers build up in the arteries and helps prevent common factors of heart disease. Hence, are you interested to have Japanese mountain yam for your food option?
8. Prevents Anemia
Anemia is kind of diseases that can be caused by lack of iron. Then, to deal with this problem, you can have foods which have the source of iron. In the same way, Japanese mountain yam has the good amount of iron. As a matter of fact, it has 0.43 mg of iron which is 5.38% of the daily recommended value per serving. Thus, start your healthy life by consuming healthy foods including Japanese mountain yam for sure.
9. Prevents Heart Diseases
You really need to protect the heart by applying healthy lifestyle and eating healthy foods. At this point, Japanese mountain yam can be the good option. It has potassium that helps to reduce the developing heart problems like stroke and heart disease. In fact, you can get 495 mg of potassium which is 10.53% of the daily recommended value per one serving. You can also check on Health Benefits of Roasted Peanuts for Healthy Heart
10. Treats Diabetes
We know that diabetes is such a chronic disease. In this case, many people try to find how to treat and reduce the risks. Then, here is how the Japanese mountain yam will help you. It is said that the yam has a manganese source. As a result, this nutrient helps to promote the proper production of digestive enzymes responsible for a process called gluconeogenesis. This process includes the conversion of protein’s amino acids into sugar and the balance of sugar within the bloodstream. Then, it may help you to prevent high blood sugar levels that can contribute to diabetes. You can also check on Benefits of Mint Leaves for Diabetes Treatment
11. Promotes Dental Health
Surprisingly, Japanese mountain yam can help you to promote dental health. Due to the presence of phosphorus in it, you can get the benefits of phosphorus to promote teeth and gum health. In this case, phosphorus along with calcium, to promote bone mineral density.
12. Promotes Muscle Health
13. Promotes Brain Health
14. Promotes Healthy Skin
15. Promotes Healthy Hair
As the conclusion, you can have Japanese mountain yam and cook it as well. You can have other vegetables as the food ingredient. For the example, you can have green onion, nori seaweed, and soba noodles. By doing this, you can get the health benefits of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, manganese and B vitamins. Then, you can have a delicious food as well as promoting the nutrient for sure. Thus, stay healthy there!