Already have an account?
Get back to the
Food & Recipes

Eating This Fiber-Rich ‘Turnip’ May Help You Get Closer to Your Weight Loss Goals

Tags:

If you haven’t heard much about the health benefits of jicama, you probably will soon. Jicama is the latest superfood causing a buzz among nutrition enthusiasts. But what is jicama, exactly? Once you learn about all the positive things that jicama has to offer, you’ll be wishing you tried it much sooner.

What is jicama?

Jicama is a root vegetable that is often called a Mexican turnip, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. With a smooth brown exterior and crunchy white flesh, the jicama is native to Central America.

Thanks to its impressive health benefits and slightly sweet flavor, jicama is finally starting to pick up popularity in the United States as well.

Jicama packs six grams of “cancer-fighting” fiber for less than 50 calories, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. But even if you’re not at risk of cancer, fiber also helps us feel full and can help with digestion and weight loss.

Fiber aside, jicama is also a great source of vitamin C, according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation. Sodium-free and fat-free, jicama also makes a good choice if you’re trying to limit your fat or salt intake.

How do you eat jicama?

Here’s the good news: Jicama isn’t one of those superfoods that you can only find in certain health stores. Jicama is available in most major grocery store produce aisles, often near other edible roots like potatoes and yams.

More good news? There are quite a few fun ways to use jicama once you bring it home to your kitchen.

According to EatFresh.org, you can serve jicama raw by simply removing the skin and slicing it up to serve.

One traditional way to eat raw jicama is to sprinkle chili powder and salt and squeeze some lemon or lime juice on top for optimal flavoring. Alternatively, you could simply pair plain raw slices with your favorite dip.

Though it’s not necessary to cook jicama, some folks enjoy baking or roasting jicama fries for a lighter spin on classic French fries. Meanwhile, others use jicama slices as healthy salad toppings.

Who knows? Maybe when you try out jicama for the first time, you’ll come up with your own unique recipe, too!

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items. Use right arrow key to move into submenus. Use escape to exit the menu. Use up and down arrow keys to explore. Use left arrow key to move back to the parent list.