7 Okra Benefits to Boost Your Health

Okra, a small edible flowering plant, is packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and other healthy nutrients. Okra benefits include a possible boost to heart health, stronger bones, stable blood sugar, improved gut health, and anti-cancer properties.

To incorporate okra into your diet, use it in soups, stews, and gumbo recipes, or try okra water. Talk with your healthcare provider about okra, since its use can lead to side effects or certain drug interactions.

Nutrition in Okra benefits

Okra is loaded with vitamins and minerals. The slimy material inside the okra, called mucilage, is also high in fibre.

One cup of cooked okra provides the following:

• Calories: 56
• Fat: 0.32 grams (g)
• Fiber: 5.4 g
• Protein: 3.31 g
• Calcium: 141 milligrams (mg)
• Magnesium: 97.6 mg
• Vitamin C: 33.6 mg
• Potassium: 514 mg
• Iron: 1.06 mg
• Vitamin K: 53.8 micrograms (mcg)

Okra is not considered among the more powerful “superfoods” that are packed with vitamins, minerals, and the health benefits of antioxidants to boost the immune system. But okra provides valuable nutrients, including protein and fibre.

ALSO READ: 10 Superfoods to Boost a Healthy Diet

Health Conditions

Okra may offer benefits with some specific health issues and researchers continue to explore the potential uses of okra. These include:

• Heart health: Okra contains polyphenols, a type of antioxidant in plant foods that lessens the risk of heart problems and stroke. The mucilage in okra can bind to cholesterol and help it leave the body during digestion. One study found that mice fed a high-fat diet containing okra powder had lower blood cholesterol levels. However, more human studies are needed.
• Fights cancer: Okra contains antioxidants and a protein called lectin, which may have antitumor properties.1 However, more research is needed to understand its potential in cancer treatment.
• Strengthens bones: Okra is a good source of calcium and vitamin K, important for bone health. Studies show eating foods high in vitamin K may help strengthen bones and prevent fractures.
• Regulates blood sugar: Research suggests okra helps control blood sugar levels. Several studies support the hypoglycemic effects of okra. This may occur due to okra limiting the sugars absorbed during digestion.
• Improves gut health: The dietary fibre in okra could help prevent constipation and lessen bloating. Additionally, okra contains a specific type of fibre called pectin, which helps boost the good bacteria in your gut.
• Support during pregnancy: One cup of okra contains about 15% of the daily value of folate, an important nutrient for pregnant people.2 Folate helps lessen the risk of neural tube defects in fetuses.

Risks of Okra

In some cases, there may be risks to eating okra if you have certain health conditions or take certain medications. For example, too much okra can adversely affect gut health. The fructans in okra can cause gas, bloating, or diarrhoea in people with digestive problems.

While there may not be risks to eating okra every day, most experts recommend a varied and balanced diet rather than focused consumption of just one food. Okra is considered part of a diet rather than a staple food.

Specific situations that may lead to added risk include the use of:

• Diabetes medications: A 2023 review of seven studies found consistent evidence that okra can offer benefits in controlling blood sugar. There’s much more to learn about these effects, but it’s possible that eating too much okra could interfere with diabetes medications you already take, such as metformin.
• Blood thinners: The vitamin K in okra naturally helps blood to clot. People who take blood thinners should talk to their healthcare providers about consuming okra because of its high vitamin K levels.

Okra contains compounds called oxalates, which may increase the risk of kidney stones in people who have had them in the past. People with chronic kidney disease also may need to monitor potassium intake and avoid the high amounts of okra.

ALSO READ: Foods You Should Never Eat After 40 – Experts Warns

How to Eat Okra and its benefits

There are many different ways to prepare, cook, and consume okra. You can buy okra year-round, but it’s in season in late summer or early fall. Frozen versions are available. You also can grow okra in most climates and enjoy the buttery flower colours as it grows.

For preparing okra, you can:

• Add fresh okra to salads or salsas.
• Stir-fry okra to make it softer and less sticky.
• Roast or grill okra, alone or with mixed veggies.
• Season and dry it in a dehydrator.
• Choose a fermented (pickled) version.
• Use okra and okra peel as a natural thickener in soups and stews.
• Substitute it for other foods (like green beans) in your favourite recipes or add it to tomato sauce for a Mediterranean-style dish.

Cooking okra causes minimal fat increase and protein loss when compared with raw okra. Levels of nutrients including potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium will drop when okra is cooked.

Okra Water and its benefits

Okra water is made by soaking okra pods for up to 24 hours. While there’s not a lot of solid research on the benefits of okra water, some studies suggest health benefits from okra and okra water, including improved blood sugar control.

Drinking okra water can help to boost hydration. Other potential benefits may include managing cholesterol, limiting weight gain, and easing constipation.

Okra is a nutritious food that offers a slew of health benefits. The vitamins and minerals in the fruit may help protect your heart, regulate blood glucose levels, strengthen bones, improve gut health, and more.

From okra water to pickled okra, there are many different ways to prepare and consume the fruit. If you have an underlying medical condition, it’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider before adding okra to your diet.