What is Cassava?
Cassava is a nutty-flavored, starchy root vegetable or tuber. The most commonly consumed part of the cassava plant is the root, which is incredibly versatile. You can eat it whole, grated, or ground into flour to use in bread and crackers.
Cassava root and its fiber are also used to produce tapioca, a type of starch, as well as garri, a product similar to tapioca.
Keto Status?
Objectionable
Why?
Cassava is very high in carbohydrates. It has 40 grams per 3.5 oz serving with only 2 grams of fiber.
Possible Side Effects From Ingesting Cassava?
It may spike blood sugar and insulin and may kick you out of ketosis.
Cassava is categorized as either sweet or bitter. Like other roots and tubers, both sweet and bitter cassava varieties contain antinutritional factors and toxins, however, the bitter variety includes much more significant amounts.
Raw cassava is lethal when consumed in large quantities because it contains toxic levels of a cyanogenic compound called linamarin. A cyanogenic compound is a compound that, when digested, your body turns into the toxic chemical hydrogen cyanide. To adequately clean and process cassava, one must dry, soak in water, and rise or bake to remove the cassava’s linamarin content. In Africa, inadequately prepared cassava is a significant dilemma. It’s linked with several cyanide-related health disorders, especially among people who are already malnourished.
In the United States, the cassava sold in grocery stores is the sweet variety where the cyanide is at the surface. Therefore, peeling and cooking it through baking, boiling, roasting, or frying makes cassava root safe to consume
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