Walking through the produce department of your local grocery store, you may have passed by a small, fuzzy and green pod-like vegetable. This is okra, a nutritious vegetable that can be used to enhance many recipes. Its firm texture gives it a taste all its own. If you like string beans, chances are you will enjoy the taste of okra. Okra is a low-calorie, zero-fat vegetable packed with vitamin A.
Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene
Your body obtains vitamin A through its active form or from its precursor, beta-carotene. Meat and dairy foods provide the body with vitamin A. However, plants contain beta-carotene. When beta-carotene is ingested, your body converts it to vitamin A. Eating sources of beta-carotene such as okra is just as beneficial to your body as eating the active form of vitamin A.
Health Benefits
Vitamin A has protective benefits for many functions of the body. It helps maintain vision, improves immunity and maintains skin integrity, bone health and cellular development and reproduction. Vitamin A enhances night vision by aiding the connection of pigment distinction to the brain. The epithelial tissue -- the linings that protect your eyes, lungs, heart and skin -- all rely on vitamin A. Without it, they can become susceptible to bacterial infection. Vitamin A also helps with cellular reproduction by aiding differentiation. Without cell differentiation, cells can't tell what their specific function is.
Okra and Beta-Carotene
Many greens such as okra owe their deep, rich color to the amount of beta-carotene that they contain. Cooking okra affects the amount of vitamins and minerals that it contains. Heat can break down certain aspects of the vegetables. A 1-cup serving of cooked okra contains 61 mcg of vitamin A.
Vitamin A Recommendations
Vitamin A needs vary based on gender. For an adult male, the recommended intake of vitamin A is 900 mcg per day. An adult female needs 700 mcg per day. Getting too little vitamin A can wreak havoc on your body's immune system, bones and skin. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, including okra, can assure that you are getting enough daily vitamin A.
References
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Francis Sizer and Eleanor Whitney; 2003.
- USDA.gov: Find a Food
Member Comments