OKRA

[AngelSprings]

Hi

Currently, there's many web sites and You Tube promoting the vegetable Okra for health, and is said to be of significant benefit in reducing blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholestrol, etc. And I understand its health properties have been known for a long time. Has anyone put it to the test and found it beneficial?

 

[rebrascora]

Okra is a low carb green veg, so it will not substantially increase your BG levels but claims of it lowering you BG should be taken with a pinch of salt. It you ate almost entirely okra and stopped eating higher carb foods then yes your levels will likely reduce but this would also happen if you ate more cabbage or broccoli or cauliflower. I don't believe okra grow in this country so there are better choices like cabbage which is grown locally. Okra will also be reasonably high in fibre which can be beneficial for cholesterol, but so is cabbage.

To my mind, this information is a marketing ploy to encourage more consumption of okra. I am not knocking okra and I am happy to eat it occasionally but I don't expect it to work miracles on my diabetes management and it is not worth buying it regularly for that purpose, when there are other locally produced vegetables which are just as good with less air miles.

 

[Martin.A]

Some info here:-

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/natural-therapies/okra.html

But note this paragraph:-

If you are diagnosed with diabetes and on medication, check with your doctor that any natural remedies you plan on using are safe alongside prescription medicines (insulin, oral hypoglycemics, etc) before making any changes to your diet and/or treatment.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Okra is one of several plants that have been traditionally used for health benefits. And there are many who are not latching onto them (and in some cases combining them in untested ways) in order to create a product. Cinnamon, Apple Cider Vinegar, Bitter Gourd and many others frequently come around, and are picked up by the media to fill column inches.

Some have small amounts of clinical data around them, eg this placebo-controlled trial of concentrated Okra capsules

Clinical efficacy and safety of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial - Acta Diabetologica

Aims The recent trend toward the use of natural functional and medical supplements has motivated the focus on the search and revival of traditional medicinal plant applications for many years. As a valuable dietary crop, okra fruit (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) has been used for thousands...

link.springer.com

I am dubious of the often extravagant claims that are made for these natural products (and especially combination tablets) which are often sold at a premium to people in an anxious state.

I think the bottom line is that if these vegetables/spices etc had real potential, labs would be identifying the active ingredient, concentrating it, trialling it, and marketing it - just as they did with morphine, ephedrine, quinine, aspirin etc.

 

[trophywench]

If Okra is so wonderful - how come there are so very very many people from (and still on) the Indian sub continent with diabetes?

 

[zuludog]

Okra, aka Bhindi, aka Ladies Fingers is a vegetable often used in Indian & Caribbean cookery, according to my brief Search

I use it now & again, and yes, it's a vegetable! ....though it tends to produce a gel or mucous
Search YT and there are several recipes

I don't see why it should have any special health benefits apart from being used in a vegetarian/vegan/generally healthy diet - more likely is that just like kale, hummus, bone broth, and so on, now & again some foods become fashionable & trendy

A problem though is that it is often used in curries that have lots of carbohydrates such as rice or nan bread, and generally heavy & fat laden meals
Although opinions have changed and fat is no longer considered to be so bad, you should avoid seed oils, and look for recipes that are lighter & low carb, or modify existing ones.

As for the health benefits, and slightly OT, over the past few months I have changed to a low carb mostly Mediterranean style diet which sometimes includes okra (I did say mostly!) and have lost 15kg in weight, and have come off medication for BP & cholesterol
The only fats I eat are butter, olive oil, and naturally occurring in meat, fish, and dairy
I also do Tai chi and take regular short walks
My DSN is both surprised and impressed that my BP & cholesterol results are acceptable without any medication

You can buy fresh okra, but shop around supermarkets, frozen food shops, and Asian shops, and you can often find frozen okra
In fact, as I live on my own, I use quite a lot of frozen veg.