Okra water is very famous is the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
I remember the first time I ever had it. It was when I was invited to a house warming party where everyone needed to bring a dish from his home country.
And I had never seen okra before. I did not even know this vegetable existed before that day.
I was in total shock as I thought I learned quite a lot about different vegetables from different parts of the world.
But this one fell below the net and I am so glad I went to that house party.
I learned about water okra and how good it is for your health.
Since then, I use this vegetable a lot while I have also learned about the benefits of okra water.
Note that I cook okra quite a lot at home, especially with rice, because it is so easy and so good for health.
Just before I start, Okra is also known as “woman’s finger” in North-East African region.
What is Okra?
Okra is a flowering plant that comes from the mallow family. It is also known as Okro, Ochro or ladies’ finger (or woman’s finger). (1)
People around the world like it for its healing properties.
They also like as it is edible and come in green color.
We don’t really know where Okra comes from.
People are still disputing this and West Africans, as well as South Asians, both claim its origin.
But this is not really important, what is important is that the plant is good for our health.
Usually, the vegetable is cultivated near the tropics and subtropics location as it likes a warm climate.
Okra nutrition figures
In terms of nutrition, raw okra is 90% water, 2% protein, 7% carbohydrates, and some very negligible fat substance.
If you absorb a 100 gram of raw okra then you’ll consume about 20% or more of your Daily Value in a number of compounds that your body dearly need.
In fact, in 100 gram of okra, you’ll absorb 20% of your daily dietary fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K.
You’ll also be privileged to gain some moderate contents of thiamin, folate, and magnesium.
In summary, okra is highly nutritious.
It contains only 30 calories.
But it has 21 milligrams of vitamin C, 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 7.6 grams carbohydrates.
It also contains 2 grams of protein, 0.1 grams of fat, 80 micrograms of folate, and 60 milligrams of magnesium.
This is why people have called okra a nutrition hero and a very healthy plant to consume at home.
Okra water health benefits
There are a number of okra soaked in water benefits. Here I list some of these:
- It strengthens your immune system. (2)
- You can lower the amount of glucose absorbed from food.
- It is a suitable food for diabetics. (3)
- Okra water lowers cholesterol levels. (4, 5)
- It prevents kidney diseases. (6, 7)
- Consuming this plant helps with asthma symptoms. (8)
- Okra water weight loss. (9, 10)
- Fight cancer (11)
Where to use okra?
You can consume okra boiled in water, or stewed, and even fried.
There are people who pickle them, but I am not a big fan of that.
As I said, I usually cook it with rice and I try to mix and match with other vegetables, such as aubergines (eggplant).
Drinking okra water
It is only recently that “drinking okra water” has become very popular. It is a new way of using okra.
And there is now evidence (12) that okra can be used to address diabetes symptoms. This is known as okra water diabetes.
There are many different recipes out there for making your homemade okra water for diabetes.
But the basic is to make the okra water and diabetes drink by putting okra pods in drinkable water.
You leave them soaking overnight. And you are done.
You just need to drink the beverage in the morning when you wake up.
Most of the highly valuable nutrients are in the skin and in the seed pods. These nutrients will be transferred overnight into the “okra water”.
How to make okra water?
I mentioned this above, but I am sure you’d like to have a simple recipe on how you can use okra in water.
And by the way, I forgot to say this. I can tell you that if you drink this water often, you’ll rip the effect of what is known as okra water weight loss.
The reason you’ll lose weight is that your body will take the nutrients from the plant and you’ll feel full quickly. That’s why.
But let’s get on with the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 to 4 fresh okras.
- A glass of water.
Direction:
Cut the heads and tails of the okras and put the pieces in a glass of fresh, drinkable water.
Let them soak overnight.
Consume:
The following morning, you just need to consume the whole glass of “okra watering” beverage.
For the best effect on your body, drink okra water half an hour before you have your breakfast.
Side effects of okra water
Eating too much okra or drinking too much okra water can have side effects on you.
I want to be clear, everything has a dark side and this is the same for okra.
1- IBS syndrome could lead to Okra diarrhea
In the nutrition section above, we mentioned that okra can provide 20% of the daily fiber. So, eating too much of this vegetable can lead to side effects.
To be more precise, Okra is rich in fructans.
Fructan is a type of carbohydrate that has shown to cause diarrhea, gas, cramping, and sometimes bloating in people with bowel problems.
Note, that these are symptoms mostly noticeable on people with bowel issues.
So, anyone affected by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other gut conditions are potentially at risk to contract diarrhea and other bowel conditions.
2- Oxalates and kidney stones with Okra
Okra contains a lot of oxalates. And you know what, the most common type of kidney stone is made of calcium oxalate.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NDDKD) has described that high consumption of natural products with high-oxalate content may increase the risk of stones building up.
This is more likely to happen in people who have experienced stones previously.
So you need to watch for these foods including Okra water, spinach, rhubarb, and Swiss chard.
3 – Okra water solanine and inflammation
Solanine is a compound that we can find in Okra.
Rest assure that this compound quantity in Okra is quite small.
But still, I wanted to warn you.
Solanine is a toxic chemical.
And this chemical has lately been linked to joint pain, arthritis, and long-lasting inflammation.
But the good news is that this is applicable to a very small portion of the population that may be sensitive to it.
By the way, it is also found in many fruits and vegetables.
For instance, you have it in potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, blueberries, and artichokes.
By the way, there are no studies have suggested reducing solanine intake. This is only for people who are sensitive to this substance.
4- Okra Vitamin K and blood clotting
Again, this is for the people who are at risk with blood clotting.
In essence, Okra contains vitamin K.
And it is known that this vitamin can affect those who use blood-thinning drugs.
For instance, if you use warfarin or Coumadin it is best for you not to eat Okra.
Vitamin K helps the blood to clot for people who are subjected to blood thinning medicine.
So, people who are at risk of blood clots, please do not consume this plant.
Conclusions
Water okra is a fantastic way to get thinner (weight loss), reduce the effect of diabetes, improve the immune system and reduce asthma.
In fact, water okra was proven to heal many other conditions. You can have okra water for arthritis, okra water, and high blood pressure reduction, okra water for cholesterol, okra and water weight loss, okra water for hair, etc.
The list is long and maybe tedious.
However, the fact is that Okra has been studied heavily by medical experts and it has shown to provide all of the above positives.
So, this plant is cheap to buy in the shops and does a great deal with your health.
My take is that you can choose to eat it or not. I know what I’ll do.
I have also given you the side effects of Okra, and I decided to develop on these as I felt you needed to understand the conditions where the plant can harm you.
This is for a small portion of the population, but it is important to provide you with the knowledge. Like we empower you to eat or not to eat.
Back to you
I have to say that I spent a lot of time researching about Okra when I first ate it.
And I can tell you there was no much information at the time.
Nowadays, there is a lot more research and that is why I chose to write the fact and figures about this plant.
Back to you in the Omigy studio, I am finished with Okra water.