Food Facts: Jicama (32)
Every month a new interesting food fact will be listed for your health and convenience. There will be nutriental information, facts and health benefits about each special food. This issue we have Jicama.
Jicama is a round, fleshy taproot vegetable of bean family plant. Its underground starchy root is one of the popular edible root vegetables grown in many parts of Central American, South Asian, Caribbean, and some Andean South American regions. It's refreshing; crispy, ice-white fruit-like pulp is eaten raw or cooked in a variety of sweet and savory dishes worldwide.
Jicama is a perennial vine plant growing vigorously under semitropical and tropical climates. It has similar growth characteristics as that of lima bean or any other bean species plant. The most distinguishing feature, however, is that it bears globular, fleshy, turnip-like starchy edible root below the ground surface. Unlike other starch roots like potato, and sweet-potato wherein the peel may be eaten; jicama features thick dust-brown color inedible skin. Inside, its white starchy flesh has crisp texture and fruit-like succulent, sweet-starchy taste. Each tuber weighs about 250 to 1200 g.
There exist at least five cultivar types of Pachyrhizus species; however, the three popular cultivated varieties include Pachyrhizus erosus (Mexican yam bean), Pachyuhizus ahipa (Andean yam bean), and Pachyrhizus tuberosus (Amazonian yam bean, jíquima). P. erosus (‘jícama de leche’) or Mexican yam bean is the popular variety imported in the USA. Another cultivar, P. palmatilobus, locally known as ‘jícama de leche’, has deeply lobed leaflets, a milky sap and less agreeable taste.
Jicama Nutritional Highlights:
Serving Size: 1 cup (120g)
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Total Fat: 0g - 0%
Saturated Fat: 0g - 0%
Trans Fat: 0g - 0%
Cholestrol: 0mg - 0%
Calories: 46
Total Carbohydrate: 11g - 4%
Dietary Fiber: 6g - 24%
Protein: 1g
Sugars: 2g
Sodium: 5mg - 0%
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Vitamin A: 25.2 IU - 1%
Vitamin C: 24.2mg - 40%
Vitamin E: 0.6mg - 3%
Vitamin K: 0.4mcg - 0%
Thiamine: 0.0mg - 2%
Vitamin B6: 0.1mg - 3%
Folate: 14.4mcg - 4%
Calcium: 14.4mg - 1%
Iron: 0.7mg - 4%
Magnesium: 14.4mg - 4%
Potassium: 180mg - 5%
Manganese: 0.1mg - 4%
Phosphorus: 21.6mg - 2%
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Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your individual needs. Nutrient data source: US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database from Nutritiondata.com
Food Basics
Jicama is a member of the legume family. Indigenous to Mexico and Central and South America, it has a thin, strong skin and crisp, juicy flesh. While its flavor is more similar to an apple or pear than to any vegetable, its texture is more like a radish (it’s nearly 90 percent water). Jicama ranges in size from 4 ounces to as much as 6 pounds, but tastes the same whether large or small. Choose jicama that has a slightly silky sheen. Blemishes, wrinkled skin, or bluish-green soft or dark spots indicate old, over-ripened jicama, which tends to be dry, stringy and starchy.
Nutritional Know-How
A good source of vitamin C, jicama also contains potassium, iron and calcium — nutrients that help boost the immune system, aid muscle contraction and nerve transmission, help deliver oxygen to the tissues, and promote bone strength and density. It is also high in carbohydrates in the form of dietary fiber. Its sweet flavor and low sugar content make it a satisfying, healthy snack food for everyone, including diabetics or anyone concerned with sugar intake.
Health Benefits:
Jicama is very low calorie root vegetables; contains only 35 calories per 100 g. However, its high quality phyto-nutrition profile comprises of dietary fiber, and anti-oxidants, in addition to small proportions of minerals, and vitamins.
It is one of the finest source dietary fiber and excellent source of oligofructose inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. The root pulp provides 4.9 mg or 13% of fiber. Inulin is a zero calorie, sweet inert carbohydrate and does not metabolize in the human body, which make the root an ideal sweet snack for diabetics and dieters.
As in turnips, fresh yam bean tubers are rich in vitamin C; provide about 20.2 mg or 34% of DRA of vitamin C per 100 g. Vitamin-C is a powerful water-soluble anti-oxidant that helps body scavenge harmful free radicals, thereby offers protection from cancers, inflammation and viral cough and cold.
It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and thiamin.
Further, it provides healthy amounts of some important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.
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