Tiger nuts have proven to be high in dietary fibre. Fibre is very helpful to our body and our digestive system by providing simple relief (and prevention) of constipation, prevents colon cancer, alleviate flatulence and gastrointestinal disorders. Its fibre content is also higher than other often suggested sources of fibre, such as oat bran, rice bran, peaches, cabbage, pears, apple, carrots and jack beans. The fibre content also aids in weight loss and weight maintenance hence a great way to lower cholesterol.



Suitable For Diabetics And Obesity

Sugar-free tiger nut milk is suitable for diabetic people and also helps in weight control, due to its content of carbohydrates with a base of sucrose and resistant starch and its high content of Arginine, which liberates the hormone that produces insulin. The high content of oleic acid has positive effect on cholesterol, thereby preventing heart attacks, thrombosis and activates blood content of soluble glucose.



Healthy Fats

Unlike other starchy vegetable tubers such as potatoes, tiger nuts are a good source of healthy fats. They have a fatty acid composition similar to olive oil, with the fat composition being about 73% monounsaturated fat, 18% saturated fat and 9% polyunsaturated fat (source). The lower percentage of polyunsaturated fat, which can be highly inflammatory, in contrast to the specific monounsaturated and saturated fats (both nourishing, non-inflammatory types of fat) makes a healthy fat profile. The oil reduces low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and increases high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), reduces levels of triglycerides in blood and the risk of forming bloody clots



Good Source Of Protein

Tiger nuts happens to be very rich in Protein which is an important addition to anyone’s diet and it plays the role of building bones, cartilage, muscles, blood and skin as well as functioning as a building block for enzymes, hormones and vitamins in our body.

The Botanic name for Tiger nuts is “Cyperus Esculentus” and they have been known for over 4000 years. They are not actually a nut par se, but a small tuber which is high in fibre, proteins and natural sugars. It is popularly referred to as ‘Ofiyo’ or ‘Hausa Groundnut’ in Nigeria.

Substitute For Cow Milk

If you are struggling with lactose intolerance, then you might want to look into drinking tiger nut milk instead because it has no lactose. The good part is that it is as well rich in Calcium. According to a 2006 study, published in the International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, tiger nut milk was compared with cow and soybean milk. Tiger nuts showed to be a serious nutritional contender with other non-milk substitutes, ranking among the highest in fat content, protein levels, calcium, phosphorus, oleic acid and calories. In addition to being a great source of calcium, tiger nut milk also has some health benefit that milk lacks which are Vitamin C and Vitamin E.


More: http://www.hfmagazineonline.com/health-benefits-of-tiger-nuts-hausa-groundnut/