Adakah Chestnut Air Baik Untuk Anda? Bagaimana Memakannya?

2024 Pengarang: Cecilia Ryder | [email protected]. Diubah suai terakhir: 2023-12-17 14:21

Adakah anda tahu bahawa beberapa sayur-sayuran tumbuh di bawah air juga?

Berangan air adalah contoh yang baik. Dengan nama mereka, anda mungkin menganggap mereka tergolong dalam keluarga buah berangan. Keliru! Chestnut tumbuh di atas pokok, sementara chestnut air tumbuh di bawah air.

Mereka lebih seperti buah-buahan daripada tumbuhan akuatik yang tumbuh di cetek air. Mereka digunakan dalam masakan India, Cina, dan beberapa masakan Eropah. Penyelidikan membuktikan mereka untuk menjadi perbendaharaan daripada mineral dan antioksidan. Tetapi, bagaimana mereka membantu badan anda? Bagaimana anda boleh memakannya? Adakah mereka selamat? Bagaimana rasanya?

Terus menatal untuk mencari jawapan!

Isi kandungan

• Apa itu Chestnut Air? Apakah Varieti Mereka?
• Mengapa Kacang Air Popular?
• Apakah Faedah Chestnut Air?
• Profil Pemakanan Chestnuts Air
• Cara Menggunakan / Mengonsumsi Kekacang Air
• Cara Membeli Kekacang Air
• Cara Menyimpan Chestnut Air
• Bagaimana Anda Boleh Mengetahui Sekiranya Chestnut Air Telah Buruk?

Apa itu Chestnut Air? Apakah Varieti Mereka?

Berangan air bukan kacang. Mereka adalah sayur-sayuran akuatik / bawah air (atau corm) yang tumbuh di China, India, dan sebahagian Eropah. Dua spesies ditanam dengan nama chestnut air - Trapa natans (alias air caltrops atau Jesuit nut) dan Eleocharis dulcis (1), (2).

Trapa natans (caltrop air atau 'ling') ditanam di Eropah Selatan dan Asia. Eleocharis dulcis ditanam secara meluas di China. Oleh itu, Trapa natans disebut chestnut air Eropah, sementara yang terakhir dikenal sebagai chestnut air Cina (1), (2)

The European chestnut mempunyai 03:57 berduri, bersudut, ortogon, buah-buahan yang besar. Bahagian yang boleh dimakan adalah inti dalaman seperti kacang. The Chinese air chestnut, di sisi lain, kelihatan lebih seperti ubi lobak berbentuk - bulat dan lembut.

Kedua-dua spesies ini adalah rumpai invasif dan agresif. Mereka tumbuh dengan cepat dan membentuk tikar padat di kolam, tasik, dan badan air dalam dangkal (2).

Walau bagaimanapun, penduduk tempatan menikmati makan sayur-sayuran akuatik ini. Kastanye air dikupas dipanggang, direbus, dikukus, digiling, dan dimasak dengan pelbagai cara. Anda dapat melihatnya banyak digunakan dalam masakan Asia, terutama dalam makanan Cina asli.

Pernah terfikir mengapa?

Teruskan membaca!

Mengapa Kacang Air Popular?

Kacang air adalah gudang mineral, vitamin, kanji, serat, dan sebatian fenolik. Kandungan pati dan serat mereka menjadikannya tambahan yang baik untuk diet biasa anda.

Oleh kerana mereka mempunyai nilai pemakanan yang tinggi, chestnut air dikaitkan dengan beberapa manfaat kesihatan. Ia adalah komponen penting dalam Ayurveda. Ia terkenal dengan sifat diuretik, antiseptik, dan pencernaan.

Persediaan chestnut air dapat membantu merawat disentri, cirit-birit, pendarahan, patah tulang, dan gangguan keradangan (3). Untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut mengenai manfaat kesihatan buah berangan air, tatal ke bawah!

Apakah Faedah Chestnut Air?

Kacang air tinggi antioksidan dan sebatian anti-radang. Sebatian ini membantu memperbaiki masalah pencernaan, anemia, dan keletihan. Mereka juga dapat membantu mengurangkan demam, sakit, dan radang.

1. Meredakan Sakit Dan Keradangan

Menurut ujian klinikal, ekstrak chestnut air menghalang pengeluaran sebatian keradangan seperti interleukin dan nitrik oksida. Bahan kimia aktif dalam buah ini downregulate yang gen yang bertanggungjawab untuk menghasilkan sebatian ini (4).

Antioksidan fenolik dalam chestnut air membersihkan radikal bebas dalam sistem anda dan menghalangnya daripada menyebabkan kerosakan organ, keradangan, dan kesakitan. Oleh itu, chestnut air mempunyai kesan melegakan kesakitan (analgesik) pada badan anda (4).

With these properties, this aquatic vegetable can be used to treat skin irritation, stomach ulcers, fever, and age-related brain disorders (3), (4).

2. May Help In Managing Diabetes

Root vegetables like water chestnuts store water and nutrients and supply them to the plant. Hence, they are rich in fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and starches. Making water chestnuts a part of your diet may help manage diabetes (5), (6).

Though this vegetable has fair amounts of starch, its fiber and antioxidant content have the upper hand (5), (6).

3. Possess Antioxidant And Anticancer Effects

Potent antioxidant effects have been identified in various parts of water chestnut. Multiple experimental studies showed that the fruit and peel extracts of water chestnuts scavenged free radicals in subjects (7).

Hence, water chestnut can prevent/slow down lipid peroxidation, tumor proliferation (growth and metastasis), and DNA damage induced by free radicals. Flavonoids like luteolin, fisetin, and diosmetin are responsible for this property (7), (8).

According to lab trials, Chinese and European water chestnuts may exert anticancer activity against human breast, lung, and colon cells (8).

4. May Lower Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Water chestnuts are high in minerals. Compared to wheat flour, water chestnut flour has higher potassium, magnesium, zinc, and copper content. This flour also retains its antioxidant properties, unlike wheat flour. Including it in your diet can help in regulating blood pressure (9).

Along with water chestnuts, adding dark green leafy and cruciferous vegetables also enhances heart health. Such high-potassium foods are known to relax your heart muscles and prevent stroke (10).

Moreover, these vegetables are low in calories and carbohydrates. They may help people with hypertension to lose weight (10).

5. Exhibit Antimicrobial Activity

Water chestnut extracts can eliminate bacterial strains like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Shigella sonnei and Bacillus cereus were also found to be susceptible in another study. Water chestnut extracts inhibited the growth of helminths (worms and insects) as well (11), (12), (13).

These studies prove the antibacterial nature of green and red water chestnuts. Since they can kill several pathogenic strains, their extracts can be used to treat bacterial infections (11), (12).

Moreover, this antibacterial activity is comparable to the effect of standard antibiotics (like kanamycin). Therefore, adding water chestnut to your food may increase its shelf life (11). This plant may also purify water bodies with this antimicrobial effect.

Such health and ecological benefits are attributed to the mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical content of water chestnuts.

Find out more about their nutritional value in the following section.

Nutritional Profile Of Water Chestnuts

The water chestnut plant contains minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

The fruit kernels contain vitamins A, B, and C, and functional proteins.

The water chestnut fruits contain carbohydrates, minerals, and fair amounts of phenolic compounds. The flavonoids, flavones, saponins, phytosterols, oils, and tannins in them contribute to their antioxidant properties. It is these polyphenols that scavenge free radicals from your system (14).

Consuming water chestnuts means supplying your body with all these phytonutritional components.

How can you do it? Can you eat raw water chestnuts or should they be processed?

Keep reading for answers!

How To Use/Consume Water Chestnuts

Freshwater chestnuts can be eaten raw after peeling and washing them well. They are crispy and taste mildly sweet, similar to lotus root.

No matter how long you cook or steam them, these corns have a magical power to remain crunchy.

Therefore, you often see them added to soups, ramen, stew/stocks, and any broth-like preparation for a fresh and crunchy twist.

Don’t you want to taste water chestnuts? Let’s stir up something quick with them!

Here’s a simple recipe you can try in your kitchen right away!

Water Chestnut And Veggies Stir Fry

What You Need

• Olive oil: 1-2 tablespoons (enough for a stir fry)
• Water chestnuts: 1 ounce (canned or fresh), sliced
• Broccoli florets: 5-6, washed and cleaned
• Snow peas: 1 pound, fresh, trimmed
• Baby corn kernels: 6-8, fresh, sliced into halves
• Bell peppers: 1-2 medium-sized, sliced long
• Fresh mint: 1 tablespoon, chopped
• Sesame seeds: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste
• Pepper: to taste
• Skillet: 1, medium-large

Let’s Make It

1. Place a large skillet over a medium-high flame and add olive oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, stir in the broccoli, snow peas, baby corn, and bell peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Toss in the water chestnuts, mint, and sesame seeds.
4. Cook and stir well for about 3-5 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender.
5. Sprinkle salt and pepper and give a final stir.
6. Serve hot alongside rice, noodles, or flatbreads.

Such sides or stir-fries are a super healthy and tasty way of incorporating these nutty water vegetables into your diet.

This dish can give your body a boost of antioxidants and much-needed micronutrients.

You can find a horde of such quick, simple, and nutritious recipes with water chestnuts. They go very well with greens, chicken, and meat dishes.

You can dry water chestnuts and get them milled for flour. Water chestnut flour can be used in baking and cooking, similar to wheat flour.

But before you think about cooking with it, let’s talk about how to pick the best water chestnuts at the grocery store.

How To Buy Water Chestnuts

You can find fresh water chestnuts if you live close to a pond or a lake that has been invaded by this plant. If not, you can get them from supermarkets that sell international foods or Asian grocery stores.

Pick the hard and glossy ones. Ensure that they have no pits, bruises, or mushy spots. Good quality and healthy water chestnuts should look bright and white on the inside. They should taste sweet and nutty.

How To Store Water Chestnuts

After buying water chestnuts, store them unpeeled in paper bags in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze them in suitable containers. They last up to 5-6 months at 0ºF.

It is better to peel water chestnuts just before use. Storing peeled ones in water may rob them of their fresh taste and texture.

If you still wish to do so, keep them in this condition only for 2-3 days. Change the water every day.

Some of us find it convenient to cook and store such vegetables. The best way to do so is to boil water chestnuts, peel them, pack them in freezer bags/suitable containers, and freeze.

Label the bags with the date of packing. Leave enough headspace in each bag to prevent rotting or partial freezing.

Cooked, peeled, and frozen water chestnuts will last up to a year if stored the right way.

Another fuss-free option is using canned water chestnuts. Good quality water chestnuts are washed, peeled, and stored in brine (saltwater) before canning. You can buy them here.

You can use canned water chestnuts just like the fresh ones. They taste similar. Once opened, the leftovers need to be stored in fresh, filtered water. Change the water every day.

How Can You Tell If Water Chestnuts Have Gone Bad?

Water chestnuts spoil quickly if not stored well. Do not use the canned contents if they smell off and feel slimy.

Fungal molds may develop in the containers if you don’t change the water. This can also happen in the cans.

Be careful when you are buying water chestnuts – fresh or canned ones.

Sometimes, the fresh ones may be picked from a lake/pond that has polluted/contaminated water. Therefore, stick to a trusted source/brand.

Also, check the expiration date and storage conditions before purchasing canned water chestnuts.

In Summary

Water chestnuts are aquatic corns that grow in shallow water bodies. The plant and its fruits are rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and starches. This is why they have been traditionally used to treat dysentery, diabetes, and blood pressure.

Their antioxidant activity is also thought to reduce the risk of cancer. However, there is not enough information about its safety and side effects.

Hence, talk to your dietitian or healthcare provider about water chestnuts. If permitted, try cooking and baking with it. Follow our storage tips to recreate that favorite Chinese dish of yours any time of the year! Share your feedback in the section below.

14 sources

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