Gardening, became more than a past time for me, it is more than planting, for me it is planting together with your heart and soul. I'm not much of a gardener, but I want to learn more. I have planted various plants already. I'm so happy that I can't count them with my two hands, I'm enjoying the views and the calmness plants offer me every day. Aside from the serenity your garden can give, the good thing is, your garden can give you healthy foods too. Planting and growing your food helps to supply you with healthy food to consume. One of the healthy foods to grow at home was a “Taro” plant.

Taro or Colocasia esculenta is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows from 3 to 6 feet tall. Its leaves are light green, elongated, and heart-shaped similar to an elephant’s ear, making it to be also called “Elephant's Ear”. In the Philippines, Taro is called “gabi”.

I can still remember when I was a kid, my cousins and I used to play in our backyard. There's giant taro there, and we were strictly told not to went near the plant because they told us it was itchy when touched. Nevertheless, taro is itchy especially when eaten raw. Most edible taro has irritating, needle-like crystals (oxalic acid), and must be cooked to dissolve it. Undercooked taro root and taro leaves can cause extremely terrible itching in your mouth. Even handling the corms can cause itchy skin for some people.

But take note! ⚠

Not all taro is edible and it should not be eaten raw! Ornamental varieties are usually NOT edible. Colocasia esculenta and Xanthosoma sagittifolium are edible.

Surprising Health Benefits of Taro (Roots)

Taro roots contain rich organic compounds, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for human health and can benefit our overall health in some different ways.

Taro root contains a very significant amount of dietary fiber and carbohydrates, as well as high levels of vitamin A, C, E, B6, and folate, as well as magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and copper. The plant also provides some protein in your diet, but the amount is almost insignificant.

Digestive Health

One of the most important functions of the taro root in the diet is its role in digestion. Taro roots have a high level of dietary fibers. It enhances and regulates bowel movements. This can help to prevent certain conditions such as excess gas, bloating, cramping, constipation, and even diarrhea.

Cancer Prevention

Taro Roots have high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C, and various other phenolic antioxidants which boost our immune system and help eliminate dangerous free radicals from our system.

Free radicals are the dangerous byproducts of cellular metabolism that can cause healthy cells to mutate and turn into cancerous cells. Taro roots contain Cryptoxanthin, which is directly connected to a lowered chance of developing both lung and oral cancers.

Diabetes

Dietary fiber found in taro roots can also help lower the chances of developing diabetes because it regulates the release of insulin and glucose in the body. If you have diabetes, then fiber-rich foods like taro root can help prevent the spikes and plunges in blood sugar that can be so dangerous.

Blood Pressure and Heart Health

Taro root contains a significant level of potassium, which is another of the essential minerals that we need to remain healthy and functional. Potassium not only facilitates healthy fluid transfers between membranes and tissues throughout the body but also helps to relieve stress and pressure on blood vessels and arteries.

Boosts Vision

As mentioned above, the taro root contains various antioxidants, including beta-carotene and cryptoxanthin. These antioxidants can help to improve vision as well, by preventing the free radicals from attacking ocular cells and causing macular degeneration or cataracts.

Skin Health

Vitamin E and vitamin A can also be found in taro. Both of these essential vitamins work to eliminate skin conditions and boost overall cellular health, meaning that our wounds and blemishes heal faster, wrinkles can be diminished, and a healthy glow can be returned to the skin.

Immune System Health

It has a very high level of vitamin C in each serving, which stimulates the immune system to create more white blood cells, which defend the body from foreign pathogens and agents.

Circulation Stimulation

The mineral content of taro root has dozens of useful applications, but the dual presence of iron and copper in the taro root makes it a very important food to prevent anemia and boost circulation throughout the body. Iron and copper are both essential for the production of red blood cells, which carry the all-important oxygen to our body’s systems and cells.

The only major problem with taro root is its extremely high-calorie content.

Every 100 grams contains 112 calories, which can be an issue for people trying to lose weight. It has more carbohydrates by volume than potatoes, so overdoing it with taro root can cause obesity if you aren’t careful.

Every food we take must be in moderation, too much isn't healthy and can be bad for our health.

Eat taro root in moderation, to get the health benefits safely without obtaining extra-extra pounds.

Now that you know the health benefits you can get in a Taro plant, and you're wondering how to cook Taro,

Here's the basic cooking method for taro corms or roots:

1. Wash taro thoroughly in tap water; peel and cut up if desired, puncture with a fork if cooking whole

1. Place in a pot with water to cover and bring to a boil

1. Reduce to simmer and cook until the center is soft (40-90 minutes depending on size and variety). Changing the water a couple of times during cooking will reduce the chance of itchiness but will also increase cooking time.

2. Rinse under running water. Peel if not already done.

Once cooked, it can be served just as you would do with potatoes. It can be chunked or mashed or put in soups. It is best served hot, as it can get stretchy when cold. Leaves also need to be cooked thoroughly. Remove the stems and fibrous veins before cooking.

There's this famous Filipino dish with Taro as the main ingredient, it is called “laing”. It is a popular dish and originated in the Bicol province because of its spiciness. I enjoy that dish very much.

I'm not an expert about its recipe so I looked for videos on how to cook it and found this useful video from YouTube.

This video shows how to cook this delightful dish, called Laing.

What does Taro taste like?

If you haven't tasted any taro since before and was curious about what does it taste like, taro has the same starchy texture as mashed potato (when cooked), but it doesn't have the same taste as potato. Well, for me, it has a distinct nutty taste, more likely to sweet-potato.

Taro is one of the most widely cultivated among root vegetables. You can plant your own taro at home. You can plant a whole corm for starters, but for commercial farmers, they chopped off the leaves and cut the corm from the hull. The top portion of the hull is the one being replanted. While I don't still have my own planted taro, I'm planning to plant it soon. I only have one of its varieties, an Alocasia plumbea or “Metallica”.

Plants are really important for the planet and for all living things. If we only care to know more about them, plants are very useful. Aside from the beauty they provide, they can offer us foods with various health benefits.

To end this article, let me share with you a pleasant quote said by Alice Sebold.

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.”

Till next time!

@eommaZel ✍🏻

Source:

https://www.thecoconet.tv/cocoblog/health-benefits-of-taro/