By Samuel
Chief Research Officer of the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Dr Emmanuel Ajayi, has said that okra adds a lot of benefits to the body.
The crop scientist made this known in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Tuesday.
According to him, the food crop can help to lower the chances of cardiovascular diseases because it contains soluble fibre that naturally reduces cholesterol.
Okra also contains a significant amount of carbohydrate, proteins and vitamin C, he added.
Ajayi explained that the essential and non-essential amino acids contained in okra are comparable to those of soybean. This, he said, plays a vital role in maintaining the human diet.
Essential amino acids are the ones that cannot be made by the body while the non-essential ones are those produced by the body, even if we do not get it from our food.
Ajayi explained, “Okra seeds can be dried. The dried seed is a nutritious material that can be used to prepare vegetable curds. It can also be roasted and ground to be used as a coffee additive or substitute.
“Okra mucilage is suitable for medicinal and industrial applications. It contains Vitamin A and beta-carotene which helps to improve sight and prevent eye-related diseases.
“Okra is rich in calcium and magnesium. It helps in easing respiratory disease, because of the high content of Vitamin C.”
The NIHORT scientist added that the food crop grows well at a temperature of 20 ºC and can be grown on varieties of soil as long as the soil is not waterlogged.
