Lady's finger (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Abelmoschus esculentus also known as Okra belongs to the family Malvaceae. Okra is a warm-season annual herbaceous vegetable crop grown primarily for immature fruits used in soup and stew.

Okra is a repository of valuable nutrients. Nearly half of which is soluble in the form of gums and pectin. Soluble fibres helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart diseases (Brown et al., 1999). The other half is insoluble fibre which helps to keep the intestinal trait healthy, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer (Schneeman, 1998). Nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid are also present in a half cup of cooked okra (Hammond and Charrier, 1997).

References

Brown, L.; Rosner, B.; Willett, W. W. and Sacks, F. M. (1999). Cholesterol – lowering effects of dietary fibre: a meta-analysis. American Journal Coin. Nutr., 69:30-42

Hammond, S. and Charrier, A. (1997). Les gombos. In: Charrier, A.; Jacquot, M.; Hamon, S. and Nicholas, D. (eds). L'ame ‘lioration des planted tropicales CIRAD/ORSTOM, Montpelier, France, pp. 313-333

Schneeman, B. O. (1998). Dietary fiber and gastrointestinal function. Nutr. Res., 13:625-632