Seniors need to control everything they eat for the sake of maintaining their health. For the sake of longevity, they will require more energy and greater quality of live. To obtain that, seniors need to keep eating meals with beneficial nutrients.
One of the vegetables seniors can include in the diet is okra. Do you know that okra is considered as a fruit as it has seeds, even though it is green and tastes like vegetables? This unique okra has a lot of amazing health benefits, not only for seniors, but also for everyone! It is even beneficial for babies, as being explained in health benefits of okra for babies.
Are you curious of the benefits of okra for seniors? Let’s get into deeper understanding of these 8 joyful health benefits of okra for seniors.
Seniors must maintain their blood sugar level so that they won’t get diabetes, which leads to many serious health complications. Okra has been used for many people to stabilize blood sugar level, especially for those who have diabetes. There were some studies which showed that the fiber and mucilage (the gel-like substance inside okra), are able to reduce the absorption of glucose and as a result, it helps lower blood sugar levels.
Okra is able to protect everybody, including seniors against certain types of cancer, such as colorectal, lung and oral cavity cancers. Okra is rich in flavonoids, which can help protect against lung and oral cavity cancers. The fibers and antioxidants in okra can also help prevent against colorectal cancer.
Benefits of tempeh for cancer treatment may give you an idea on how to treat and prevent cancer as well.
To maintain gut health, we need probiotics. Amazingly, okra is rich in probiotics, the healthy bacteria that support the natural production of vitamin B complex. Moreover, okra also contains insoluble fiber which helps soothe the gastrointestinal tract, alleviate constipation, as well as healing ulcers.
Also read more about health benefits of soil based organisms for gut health.
As okra contains a high amount of vitamin C and is rich in antioxidants, it is really helpful to maintain skin health and mucous membranes.
Not only the fruit, okra seeds are also beneficial. Okra water which is made by steeping okra pods in boiling water can be used as hair conditioner. The water can also be added to various face packs in order to reduce dryness and blemishes on the skin and face. Mucilage, the thick-gel-substance in okras helps keep the digestion healthy and vitamin C is important to form collagen.
As people are getting older, the eye vision is decreasing its ability. Seniors need to maintain their eye vision, and one of the ways is by consuming okra. Okra is considered as one of the highest antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables, and it is really essential for supporting eye vision.
Besides antioxidants, okra contains vitamin A, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin which are good for the eyes. Vitamin A helps protect the cornea, lutein and zeaxanthin protect the eyes from blue light and against free radical. Consuming okra regularly is also beneficial for preventing or delaying macular degeneration and cataracts which are mostly experienced by seniors.
To maintain eye health, you can also consider reading benefits of Mulethi for eyesight. Mulethi is a traditional ayurverdic medication.
Okra is really low in calories and has zero fat. That’s what makes it good for controlling cholesterol level and maintaining weight. Okra is also rich in dietary fiber and mucilage which binds with cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxin filtered out by the liver. Okra prevents absorption of cholesterol in the intestines so that it is released with the stools.
Mucilage in okra is beneficial for soothing the intestinal tract. Working together with fiber, its mucilage helps to get rid of constipation gently. It also improves digestion and prevents bloating.
Osteoporosis is commonly experienced by seniors. In calcium absorption by the bones, vitamin K plays an important role. For adults, it is recommended to have 90 mcg/day of vitamin K. Amazingly, a cup of cooked okra can contain around 66% to 80% daily value (DV) of vitamin K along with 7% DV of calcium as well.
Seniors also need to exercise to prevent osteoporosis. Read more about it in prevent osteoporosis naturally with exercise.
Okra is a very amazing and unique fruit and vegetable. It has tons of amazing and joyful health benefits for seniors. However, if you have diabetes, it is better to consult with the doctor as some medications for diabetes can be interfered with okra.