At some places, sometimes we found the people take the health benefits of lotus as the material of their food. All part of the plant such as its root, leaves, beans, or even the young stalk can be processed into any kind of healthy organic food.
Get to Know about Lotus Plant
Lotus is a plant that usually lives in the water such as ponds or swamps. The plant has flowers with beautiful colors like purple, white, or pink. Lotus leaves usually float on the surface of the water. This plant included in the Nelumbonaceae family and have the scientific name Nelumbo Nucifera. Lotus is a very popular plant in some countries such as Japan and also China.
Nutritional Content of Lotus Root Vegetable
The root of lotus plant is one of the tubers that can save energy in the form of starch. The lotus plant root contains many nutrients that are needed by our body. Here is the table about the nutritional content for every 100 grams of lotus plant root or rhizomes :
| Nutritions | Content Amount
| % of RDA |
| Energy | 74 Kcal | 3,7% |
| Carbohydrate | 17.23 g | 13% |
| Protein | 2.60 g | 5% |
| Fat | 0.10 g | 0.5% |
| Fiber | 4.9 g | 13% |
| Folate | 13µg | 3% |
| Niacin | 0.400 mg | 2,5% |
| Pantothenate Acid | 0.377 mg | 7,5% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.258 mg | 20% |
| Ribloflavin | 0.220 mg | 17% |
| Thiamin | 0.160 mg | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 44 mg | 73% |
| Sodium | 40 mg | 3% |
| Potasium | 556 mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 45 mg | 4.5% |
| Copper | 0.257 mg | 29% |
| Iron | 1.16 mg | 14% |
| Magnesium | 23 mg | 6% |
| Manganese | 0.261 mg | 1% |
| Selenium | 0.7 µg | 1% |
| Zinc | 0.39 mg | 3,5% |
From the table of nutritional content above, we could see that there are so many health benefits of lotus root vegetable after we consumed the lotus vegetable. The benefits are :
- Source of energy
In every 100 grams of lotus root contains +/- 74 calories. It makes the plant as one of the main sources for our body to get the energy to do activities. - Can help reduce cholesterol
Rhizomes or root of lotus plant contains a large fiber. The fiber later can work as a helper for the digestive system where the benefits of complex carbohydrate slowly help to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. It’s beneficial just like Health Benefits of Beets and Kale - Can help losing weight
The benefit of natural fiber content that contained in the lotus plant is very good to help a dietary program for someone who wants to lose their weight. This will help to reduce the risk of having obesity. - Can help avoid diabetes
The reduction of cholesterol level in the blood and the risk of obesity surely will effect to the risk reduction of some disorders or diseases that caused by the accession of sugar level in the blood such as diabetes. According to that, the benefits of lotus as one of the alternatives are one of the solutions in the effort of avoiding diabetes. - Can help prevent any kind of skin diseases
Lotus plant is really known for its benefit of vitamin C content. In every 100 grams contain +/- 73% of all vitamin C needs that is needed by our body. Vitamin C is antioxidant that can be dissolved in the water. It is very needed by our body to synthesize the collagen content in the body. Collagen is a type of the main structural protein in the body that is needed to keep the integrity of the blood vessels, skin, bones, and the other organs of the body.
Consuming a food that has many vitamin C contents regularly will help our body to avoid any kind of skin diseases like scabies. Other than that, vitamin C is also used to accelerate the healing process of a wound. - Can help prevent infection
What’s more health benefits of lotus root vegetable? The vitamin C content in lotus plant can help our body to increase more resistance to many types of disease that caused by viral infection. - Act as Immunomodulator in the body
Other than can help to prevent various diseases, the vitamin C content of lotus plant is also very good to help increase the immunity system in our body. - Can help prevent cancer
Another benefit of vitamin C content in lotus vegetable is to help to counteract the free radicals that sometimes can happen to our body. We also knew that the free radicals are one of the causes of cancer. - Can up the mood
Other than its vitamin C, fiber, and also calory contents, the health benefit of lotus root vegetable also come from its vitamin B content that is really useful for the body, such as pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6), folate, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenate acid, and thiamin.
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6) is a vitamin that can act as the co-enzyme in the neuro-chemistry synthesis of the brain that can influence the mood. If the pyridoxine level in the body is enough, it will help to control the irritability of the nerves, headache, and tension. - Can reduce the risk of heartache
The complex vitamin B content in the lotus vegetable, not only can brighten up the mood and lowered the level of tension but also can be useful to control the homocysteine in the blood. So later it can help to reduce the risk of heart attack. It’s beneficial just like Health Benefits of Malagkit Rice - Can help prevent anemia
There is some important mineral substance in lotus vegetables such as iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Copper, manganese, and zinc are important minerals that act as the co-factor of a various enzyme in the body such as cytochrome c oxidation and superoxide dismutation. While iron can help to produce the red blood cells that later can help to prevent anemia. It’s beneficial just like Benefits of Tahitian Chestnut - Help to control heartbeat and blood pressure
Natural electrolyte balance in lotus vegetable makes it as food material that has crisp and delicious flavor. The sodium that contained in the benefit of lotus vegetable can give the effect like its sweet taste. While its benefit of calcium content can help to control heartbeat and blood pressure to against the negative effect that caused by its sodium content.
Side Effect of Lotus Vegetable
Even though giving any kind of benefits for our health, it would be good for us if we also know some effect that can happen when we consume the plant as food. A lotus root is a living place for some types of parasites such as Fasciolopsis buski, a trematode that is usually nested in aquatic plants such as lotus, caltrop water (Trapa natans), Eleocharis dulcis, and some other types of aquatic plants.
The parasite can cause various side effects for our health such as stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and bowel obstruction. Therefore it is advisable to wash cleanly and thoroughly and cook the lotus vegetables until done in order to destroy the larvae of the parasite.
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