No It’s Not A Potato…The Ugly (But Delicious) Superfood That Fights Cancer And Lowers Cholesterol

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The Ugly (But Delicious) Superfood That Fights Cancer And Lowers Cholesterol

Written by: JD Lara Natural Health

Image source: corvallisadvocate.com
Ever noticed those big ugly brown roots lining the tables at farmers’ markets and natural food stores? Chances are, they’re yacon (yah-CON) — those sweet, scrumptious vegetables that are the rage in health circles these days.
Strange and ugly as they may appear, their amazing taste and equally amazing health benefits put them right on top of superfoods lists.

Yacon, or Smallanthus sonchifolius (also Polymnia sonchifolia), is a perennial plant native to the Andes mountains of South America. Also called apple of the earth, underground pear and strawberry jicama, it produces a clump of tuberous roots that are crunchy like apples and sweet like watermelons. While maybe just a fraction of Americans have tasted and enjoyed this novel vegetable, fewer still have attempted to grow it.

Much of the yacon sold in the market is imported from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. But why pay when you can grow your own? If you can grow Jerusalem artichokes, dahlias and parsnips where you are, then you grow yacon. You even can get a head start on spring and plant a few in your greenhouse.
Yacon’s name, translated from the Inca/Quechuan word llaqon, means “watery root.” Legend has it that Inca travellers of ancient times brought the roots on long journeys to quench their thirst. Usually big and bulky, the tubers look like yams or sweet potatoes, growing in size of up to 8 inches and weighing up to 2 pounds or so. The juicy flesh inside is either white, yellow, orange, pink or purple. In the U.S., the variety that grows is mostly white.

Yacons are a close relative of the sunflower and Jerusalem artichokes. They have large, velvety leaves and small, daisy-like yellow flowers.

Weight Loss Wonder
Rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, B vitamins and antioxidants, yacon has been prized by the Japanese and much of South America for its weight loss and anti-diabetes benefits for a long time. Only last year did it become popular in the U.S. after Dr. Mehmet Oz featured yacon syrup on his show, calling it the “metabolism game-changer” in weight loss. Because yacon increases metabolism, it doesn’t require weight-watchers to do additional exercises or go on a special diet. Since then, yacon supplements in powder and especially syrup have become the hottest new trend in weight loss circles across the country…MORE HERE

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