How To Prepare And Serve Jicama

Meet Jicama - The Healthy Mexican Veggie With The Funny Name

When it comes to finding healthy Mexican foods, you don't have to look much further than a humble looking little root vegetable with a funny name - jicama.  Pronounced 'hi-kamah,' this is a tuber similar in appearance to a potato or a rutabaga, but definitely not similar in taste to either. The texture and taste is much more like an apple - both crispy, juicy, and surprisingly sweet. The outer peel is quite woody and must be removed, not only because it is inedible but it is actually toxic.

Jicama can be found in most large supermarkets now. Look for medium sized tubers with a firm feeling. Avoid tubers that are large as they tend to be a bit dry and fibrous instead of moist and crunchy.
You may store whole jicama tubers in a cool, dry place for several weeks. Or, if you wish you may peel and slice them, then store in the refrigerator in a sealed container. However, they will not keep nearly as long after they are peeled, so plan to eat jicama pieces within the week.

Serving jicama is easy. If you want to try a favorite Mexican dish, all you need is sliced jicama, lime juice, chili powder, and salt. Mix everything in a bowl and put in the refrigerator until chilled. This makes a refreshing, healthy snack. Jicama can also be sliced very thin or grated and tossed with other vegetables to create a crunchy salad. You can add chopped jicama to soups or even stir fry dishes. This is a very versatile vegetable that is well worth getting to know.

Nutritionally speaking, you have hit the jackpot when you put jicama on your family's table. In just one cup you get 6 grams of dietary fiber, or about 25% of the daily recommended amount. Specific properties in jicama's fiber aid in the absorption of calcium from other foods, as well as providing good bacteria for the digestive system.

A cup of jicama also has a whopping 24 mg of vitamin C, or about 40% of the recommended daily amount. With powerful antioxidants to fight damaging free radicals, jicama can help protect against inflammatory illnesses, cancer, and infections. You'll also enjoy a healthy dose of potassium, riboflavin, folates, copper, iron, manganese, and a host of other vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain overall health and well being.

If all these healthy benefits weren't enough, jicama is also one of the best weight loss foods you'll ever truly love. Because jicama has a very low glycemic index and almost no calories, anyone interested in losing weight or controlling their weight can enjoy this tasty tuber. With no cholesterol, tons of fiber, and delicious taste and texture, jicama is the ideal snacking food for anyone watching their weight.

Low-carb dieters may also want to take a look at jicama. Even though jicama has about 11 grams of carbohydrates in a one cup serving, it also has 6 grams of dietary fiber, dropping the actual carb intake down to 5 net grams, which is a very respectable amount.

Isn't it amazing how much nutrition and delicious flavor one little humble tuber can hold? Now, if anyone says to you that all Mexican food is fatty, greasy, and unhealthy, tell them that they just haven't tried jicama yet!