In this post & video I am going to analyse the nutrition facts of cooked cassava & explain some of its health benefits.
Cassava also called as manioc or yuca is a tuberous edible plant grown in the tropical & subtropical countries. It is a highly drought-tolerant staple food crop that is a valuable food source in many developing countries.
Consuming cassava without cooking can be toxic. Hence it must be consumed only after cooking. Cassava flour is used in bread making and a famous west African food garri is also prepared from its roots.
In the year of 2020 Nigeria was the largest producer of cassava in the world followed by Democratic Republic of the Congo and Thailand.
Contents
Nutritional profile | Water | Carbohydrates | Fat & Protein | Energy | Health benefits | Conclusion |
Nutritional profile of cooked Cassava
| Percentage | |
| Water | 55% |
| Carbohydrates | 39.6% |
| Dietary fibre | 1.9% |
| Sugars | 1.77% |
| Fat | 3% |
| Protein | 1.42% |
| Energy (Per 100 g) | 191 Cal/ 800 kJ |
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Water
About 55% of the total weight of cooked cassava is water. It’s much lesser amount compared to other tubers such as potatoes and sweet potatoes.
About me
Prashanth Cheruku
Hello!!! Thanks for stopping by.
I am the founder of this platform & a qualified Food Technologist. I have more than 10 years of Research & content creation experience in the field of Food Science.
I hold a Master of Technology degree in Food Process Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.
Carbohydrates
Cassava is very rich in its carbohydrate content. 39.6% of the total weight of these tubers is carbohydrate. This is the only major nutrient that provides energy from these root vegetables.
The dietary fibre content of cassava is quite low. It stands at just below 2%. If you are consuming these frequently make sure that you add more fibre rich foods to your diet.
Even the sugars percentage in these tubers is very less. It stands at just 1.77% of their total weight.
The major portion of the carbohydrate present in cassava is starch.
Fat & Protein
Cassava contains almost no fat. The reason why you see 3% fat in the table is because during the cooking process of cassava 3 g of fat was added. Raw cassava roots contain as little as 0.28% fat. Since the fat content of these root vegetables is so low, we can’t depend on them for obtaining essential fatty acids.
These tubers also seriously lack all the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E & K. Hence people dependent on these tubers on a regular basis must try to consume other food groups rich in these vital nutrients.
As you can see in the table even the protein content of these tubers is just about 1.5% which is considered as very poor quantity.
Energy
Cassava falls into moderate calorie foods category. 100 g of these provide 191 Cal or about 800 kJ of energy.
Vitamins, minerals & Health benefits
Now let’s look at the vitamins, minerals & Health benefits of cassava.
Cooked cassava roots contain a small number of vitamins & minerals in modest amounts.
Vitamin C is the most prevalent vitamin present in these tubers at 20% daily value. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps our body in fighting with infections and wounds. This vitamin is also involved in making several hormones and neurotransmitters.
Other vitamins present in these tubers are B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, folate, vitamin B6 and niacin.
There are only three minerals present in these tubers in mentionable amounts.
Copper is the most abundant of all followed by potassium and magnesium.
Copper is an essential mineral that works with iron in forming red blood cells. It also helps in iron absorption.
Potassium is an electrolyte. It helps in nerve function and muscle contractions.
Magnesium helps in regulating blood pressure, blood glucose and heartbeat.
Conclusion
- Looking at the nutrition facts of cooked cassava roots we can say that these are not really well-balanced food items. The only major nutrient present in them is carbohydrate.
- These tubers provide energy but are very poor sources of many essential nutrients such as protein, fat, fat soluble vitamins & majority of minerals.
- These tubers are also poor source of dietary fibre.
- On the other hand they contain good amounts of vitamin C & copper.
- Over dependence on cassava is not healthy. I would suggest you to consume a well-balanced diet consisting of different food groups such as fruits, vegetables, nuts & animal-based foods in addition to these tubers for good health.
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