FOOD D0CTOR # 4 - MY TOUR ROUND AFRICA (A VISIT TO THE CASSAVA FARM IN GHANA)

gbenga (73)in #health • 7 years ago (edited)

ABOUT MY TOUR

I've just started my tour round a very large continent called Africa to visit, learn, examine and gain knowledge about foods of medical importance. Well it has been fun starting my tour as I'm currently in Ghana. Ghana is a very beautiful country in western Africa.

My main objective for going on my tour is to visit farms and check out foods of nutritional value.

A VISIT TO THE CASSAVA FARM

On reaching the Cassava farm i asked several question and got beautiful answers. I wanted to know about the best climatic condition to plant cassava and other beautiful question. I also joined in the harvesting of Cassava. Cassava root is well known as the raw material that’s used to produce tapioca and Garri.

CULTIVATING AND CASSAVA

Cassava is known to be cultivated in high proportion in West Africa, south America and Asia. Cassava is a long tuberous starchy root about two inches around and eight inches long. The root has a brown fibrous skin and snowy white interior flesh. Cassava is a perennial plant that grows best under tropical, moist, fertile, and well-drained soils.
I really enjoyed harvesting the cassava and getting a little dirty with mud.

I've shared videos of planting and harvesting of cassava below.

NUTRIENT CONTENT OF CASSAVA

The following nutrients are found in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of boiled cassava

Calories: 112
Carbs: 27 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Thiamine: 20% of the RDI
Phosphorus: 5% of the RDI
Calcium: 2% of the RDI
Riboflavin: 2% of the RDI

Health Benefits of Cassava

Cassava is very beneficial to human health in many ways which includes

Cassava has high level of calories and perhaps one of the highest value calorie food for any tropical starch-rich tubers and roots.
Cassava is free from gluten. The gluten-free starch used in special food preparations for celiac disease patients.
Cassava carries some of the valuable B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, thiamin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.

Health Effect Of Cassava In Some Cases

Cassava root contains natural toxic cyanogenic glycoside compounds linamarin and methyl-linamarin. This makes Cassava dangerous if consumed raw, in large amounts or when it is prepared improperly.
Therefore, consumption of raw cassava root results in cyanide poisoning with symptoms of vomiting, nausea, dizziness, stomach pains, headache, and death. Prolong use of monotonous cassava diet may lead to chronic illness like tropical ataxic neuropathy (TAN) and Diabetes, especially among rural and tribal inhabitants who purely engaged in processing and consumption of cassava products.

I hope to enjoy the rest of my stay in Ghana before going to another African country.

References
Disclaimer
Nutritional value of Cassava