Yacon helps you lose weight, but what is yacon?
The botanical names of yacon are Smallanthous sonchifolious, Polymnia edulis, Polymnia sonchifolia.
Originally from South America and primarily grows in the Andes of Peru, Colombia, and Argentina. It was transplanted in small scale to different countries like New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, South Corea, Philippines, United States, and the UK.
The plant can grow up to 2mt/6.5 ft. It is a perennial plant. Its tuberous roots are edible and taste like an apple/celery/watermelon flavor. This is why it is called Peruvian Ground Apple or Apple From The Earth
It is relative to the sunflower and the Jerusalem artichoke.
It is edible for human consumption especially the tubers. The yacon roots and plant have the potential to be used for animal feed too.
Nutrients in Yacon
Yacon is low in calories and refreshing. It is used as a sweetener.
Yacon Protein Sugar/Inulin Fat Fiber Ash
Fresh tubers 0.4-2.2% 20%
Dry tubers 6-7% 60% 0.4-1.3 6-7% 4-7%
Dry herbage 11-17% 38-41% 2-7%
Yacon tubers store carbohydrates in the form of Inulin instead of starch, similar to beets.
Inulin is a soluble fiber, a polymer of fructose with a glucose terminal unit.
To hydrolize Inulin, the intestine needs a specific enzyme, but humans do not have this enzyme, therefore inulin cannot be digested, absorbed and metabolized. This is a fiber.
Inulin is considered a prebiotic. Prebiotics are nutrients that promote intestinal health and aid digestion by feeding the good bacteria of the intestine.
Yacon contains Inulin made of the following sugars: Fructooligossacharide (FOS) and indigestible polysaccharides made of fructose. This is why the tubers taste sweet but are not digested or metabolized and have little caloric value.
Other roots like potato, yam, sweet potato and yucca store carbohydrates as starch, a polymer of glucose.
Yacon tubers are rich in Potassium, Calcium, and Phosphorus.The yacon roots and leaves have antioxidants:
1-Protocatechuis Acid (PCA) metabolite of polyphenol found in Green tea. PCA is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
2- Chlorogenic Acid is contained in peaches, potatoes, and eggplants too, and it is known to lower slightly high blood pressure; it can cause allergic respiratory reaction in susceptible people.
3- Cafeic Acid is found in mushrooms, coffee, argan oil, thyme, sage, spearmint, cinnamon, star anise, sunflower seeds, red wine, apple sauce, apricot, prunes, yerba mate, black chokeberry, lingonberry, barley and rye. Cafeic Acid inhibits cancer cell proliferation, reduces aflatoxin production, it is a natural fungicide. Cafeic Acid is antioxidant, antiinflamatory. Improves intestinal health.
4- Tryptophan: Tryptophan is an amino acid and a building block protein. It was thought that it was an antioxidant but now there are studies that show that it is not the Tryptophan by itself but its metabolites that are the antioxidants.
5- Ferulic Acid: Found in plants, popcorn , bamboo, wheat, flax seed, barley, yacon, blue and common beans, Chinese medicinal herbs – Angelica sinensis/ female ginseng, Cimicifuga heracleifolia/Cohosh, Ligusticun chuangxion/licorice root-, Ceuntarium erithraea/ European centaury tea plant, rice bran Chinese oil. It is released and absorbed in the small intestine. Ferulic acid is antioxidant and helps in the prevention of cancer and aging by reducing free-radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are related to DNA damage, cancer and aging. Topical preparations of vitamin E, ascorbic acid and ferulic acid help to prevent wrinkles and cancer of the skin.
Interesting post about Yacon helping you lose weight.
Anything that can help with losing weight is worth looking into, and this looks like a healthy and safe way to go about it!
I will do some more research on Yacon, as this sound promising!
Cheers 🙂
Yes, yacon is a healthy and safe product that helps you lose weight and makes you healthier. Tastes good too if you want to use it as a sweetener. Thank you for your comment
Wow, this is something that I’ve never heard of and I am both petite and wanting to release some weight, so I am super excited! Thank you!!
Hi Shellie, yes, yacon can help you release some weight, it has been used for a lot of years in its different forms. Thank you for your comment.
Seems I need some yacon. This is the first time I am hearing about this plant. I have been battling with about 6 pounds for over a year. I have used different diets and programs. I don’t eat much and I am fit. There are just these last few pounds that might need with a yacon nudge. About how long does it take to show results?
It depends on how often you substitute all carbohydrate-rich foods, like bread, pasta, rice, potato, cookies, with greens and add yacon. If you can do that, I could say that you would begin to feel lighter in a week. Try with a small portion first and see how you feel. You have to be consistent and eat a variety of other nutritious foods according to your size. Thank you for your comment.
I have benefited greatly by reading your article.You discuss in your article about Yacon . You also said yacon helps to lose weight, it’s importance, it’s uses etc. After reading your article i have learned in this topics clearly. Lot of information through your article. So, Thank you very much for sharing your article.
I am glad you find this article useful and informative. Yes, yacon has a lot of health benefits. Thank you for your comment.
This is great and interest article . I am so much interested in any product that can reduce the unnecessary weight. Yacon ? I have never heard it and I believe I need to research more on yacon because I have people at my home who need to loss weight. May I ask where can we find yacon? Can it be find in supermarket or where? Thanks for this great information.
Hi, yacon is very good to help with losing weight, it has been studied since the ’50s. Yacon is available in places that sell vitamins and supplements. It is available in Amazon too, the article has some links from Amazon in the different forms, powder, syrup, and capsules. Thank you for your comment.
I have never heard of this plant before, but it certainly has many of the things that we look for in any kind of weight loss product. Seems like the best way to eat it really is in a salad.
The health benefits of lowering inflammation really appeals to me, so I think I may have to check this Yacon out.
Your review, really breaks down everything from how and where it grows, to the amazing health benefits.
Great job
Yes, one of the best ways is of eating it on a salad when it is raw, you can boil it too and eat it as a substitute of sweet potato, or use it as an edulcorant as a syrup or powder. Thank you for your comment.
I agree!
I am glad you find the content helpful. Thank you for your comment!