The benefits of tiger nuts are many. They have been cultivated for centuries and were used in many cuisines. Nigerians first used them, and the Spanish used these nuts to make a creamy drink called horchata.
The benefits of these nuts are being researched. Their rich nutritional profile makes them popular among health enthusiasts.
Tiger nuts are also known as chufa nuts or earth almonds. They are small root vegetables (also called tubers). The presence of stripes on their exteriors gives them the name tiger nuts.
Tiger nuts are the size of chickpeas with a slightly sweet and coconut-like flavor. They are starchy and fibrous and a little hard to chew. They are the perfect snack option since you can enjoy their nutty and creamy flavor and fill up on your fiber intake for the day.
In addition to offering you the goodness of fiber, these nuts have other important benefits.
1. May Aid Weight loss
Fiber is an essential part of our daily diet. It helps in better digestion and excretion and reduces the risk of high cholesterol (like heart disease).
A serving of tiger nuts contains about 10 grams of fiber. The fiber also helps promote weight loss. It makes you feel full for longer and promotes satiety – thereby cutting down cravings.
2. Promotes Digestion
Tiger nuts are high in fiber (1). Fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps the digested food in your stomach to move through the gut easily (2). It also helps in better absorption of nutrients from the digested food and reduces chances of constipation by increasing the diversity of microbiome (good bacteria) in the gut.
Tiger nuts also contain certain enzymes, such as lipases, amylases, and catalases, which help in breaking down foods in the stomach and relieve flatulence, diarrhea, or indigestion.
3. May Lower Blood Sugar Levels
The fiber in the nuts slows down the absorption of sugar in the intestines.
Tiger nuts also have high contents of arginine, an amino acid that stimulates insulin sensitivity.
A recent study was performed on diabetic rats to determine the glucose-lowering potential of a mixture of defatted soybean and tiger nut flour. Consuming a dough-meal made with a combination of these flours was found to significantly lower blood sugar values in diabetic rats.
4. May Improve Heart Health
Tiger nuts contain high amounts of MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acid). MUFAs are known to reduce bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels in the body. This eventually lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tiger nuts are also high in arginine (as mentioned above), an amino acid that helps the body produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure (7).
5. Act As An Aphrodisiac
Historically, tiger nuts have been used as an aphrodisiac to boost libido. These are especially popular among African men, who have been consuming tiger nuts for generations to improve their sperm count and treat erectile dysfunction.
Several rat studies confirm that regular consumption of tiger nuts can stimulate sexual activity, which is indicated by an increase in testosterone levels.
6. Boost Immunity
Tiger nuts are beneficial for the immune system.
In a 2009 study, tiger nut extracts showed maximum effectiveness against E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus bacteria.
These are the benefits of tiger nuts. Making them an essential part of the daily diet is one way you can improve your health. In the following section, we will see the various nutrients in tiger nuts that are responsible for their wholesome goodness.