Okra is a member of the mallow family, which places it in the same family as cacao, hibiscus, and cotton. It’s a flowering plant, native to West Africa. Traditional belief is that it made its way to the Americas coincidentally through the slave trade.

It is a good source of fiber (3.2 g./c. raw), vitamin A, vitamins B6 and B9 (folic acid – 88 mcg./c.), vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. See vitamin notes at end of article.

Okra is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, making it beneficial in controlling blood sugar, increasing regularity while preventing hemorrhoids and constipation, and assisting with weight loss, while lowering the cholesterol absorption.

Okra is also high in mucilage, a lubricating substance that soothes internal irritations, including ulcers and sensitive stomachs while aiding in the movement of digestion waste.

When shopping for fresh okra, choose the younger pods less than four inches long. They should be moderately firm without bruises or other damage.

Okra is best stored in the refrigerator in a storage container or bag, wrapped in a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. It should keep for 3-4 days.

My favorite way to eat okra is in salads. Unlike when it’s cooked, there’s no noticable mucilage (sliminess) and it has a delicate crunch and mild flavor. I usually cut off the cap just below the line and slice them 1/4-inch thick with spring greens, tomato slices, green onions, and whatever else you like.

As with many veggies, okra should be cooked using the least amount of heat for as short a time as possible. It will keep for 3-4 days in most cooked dishes.

Nutritional benefits of Okra:

1. Fiber, soluble — dissolves in water, cannot be digested, but is transformed by fermentation in the digestive tract. Absorbs moisture to become a gelatinous substance that passes through the tract.
2. Fiber, insoluble — passes through the tract unchanged.
3. Vitamin A — aids in vision, gene transcription, immune function, embryonic development and reproduction, bone metabolism, haematopoiesis (the formation of blood cellular components), skin health, and antioxidant activity.
4. Vitamin B6 — involved in many aspects of macronutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and function and gene expression.
5. Vitamin B9 (aka folic acid) — involved in many aspects of macronutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and function and gene expression.
6. Vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid) — essential to a healthy diet as well as being a highly effective antioxidant; and an enzyme cofactor for the biosynthesis of many important biochemicals. Vitamin C acts as an electron donor for eight different enzymes.
7. Calcium — a common cellular ionic messenger with many functions, and serves also as a structural element in bone. It is the relatively high atomic-numbered calcium in the skeleton which causes bone to be radio-opaque.
8. Potassium — Potassium cations are important in neuron (brain and nerve) function, and in influencing osmotic balance between cells and the interstitial fluid.
9. Magnesium — its ions are essential to all living cells, where they play a major role in manipulating important biological polyphosphate compounds like ATP, DNA, and RNA. Hundreds of enzymes thus require magnesium ions in order to function.
Credit: Wikipedia.

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