Overview
Water chestnuts are a starchy root vegetable, despite their nut-like name. Water chestnuts can be eaten raw or cooked and are grown in marshy or wetland surroundings.
They are a common ingredient in Asian cuisine. Water chestnuts provide a mild, sweet flavour, and even after cooking, they retain their crunchiness. This vegetable is also rich in fibre, potassium and several antioxidants.
What is water chestnut?
Water chestnut is an aquatic plant and is scientifically termed Trapa natans. The vegetable is found throughout temperate Eurasia and Africa in marshy environments, ponds, swamps and lakes.
Other names, such as water caltrops, buffalo nuts, bat nuts, devil pods and moustache nuts, also refer to water chestnuts.
The plant produces edible fruits with a starchy texture and white, crispy flesh that is mildly sweet. When dried, the fruits have a black exterior and two horn-like projections and resemble the head of a goat or bull.
They make a great addition when incorporated into stir-fries, curries, pasta and salads.
In Hindi, water chestnut is referred to as paniphal or singhara in India. It is widely distributed in Kashmir's lakes.
During the Navratri season, when devotees abstain from grains and cereals, water chestnuts are highly popular. To prepare delicacies like puris, parathas and rotis, chestnut flour, also known as singhara ka atta, is substituted for wheat flour.
Water chestnut nutrition
Nutrition in 100 g of water chestnut
- Energy - 42 Kcal
- Carbohydrate - 9.15 g
- Protein - 0.7 g
- Fat - 0 g
Calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, sodium and potassium are among the minerals found in water chestnut plants. Vitamins A, B and C and certain proteins are present in the water chestnut fruit kernels.
The water chestnut fruits contain certain phenolic chemicals, minerals and carbs. Its antioxidant properties are a result of the presence of flavonoids, flavones, saponins, phytosterols, oils and tannins in them. These polyphenols are required by the body to remove free radicals.
Reasons to include in the diet
- Low calorie
Water chestnut is a low-calorie vegetable and is a rich source of fibre. As a result, people seeking weight management are advised to use them. Research demonstrates that fibre-rich foods increase bowel movements, lower cholesterol levels, and manage blood sugar levels.
- Body coolant
It satisfies the thirst while promoting salivation. The water content in them helps cool the body.
- Eliminates toxins
Water chestnuts are recommended for jaundice patients because they can aid in detoxification and the removal of toxins from the body.
Health benefits of water chestnuts
- Fights inflammation
The extracts of water chestnut help in the inhibition of interleukin and nitric oxide production. The genes responsible for producing these substances are down regulated by the fruit's active ingredients.
The phenolic antioxidants in water chestnuts scavenge free radicals in the body and stop them from causing organ damage, inflammation and pain. As a result, water chestnut has a strong analgesic (pain-relieving) effect on the body.
With these properties, this aquatic vegetable can treat skin irritation, fever, stomach ulcers and age-related brain diseases.
- Helps manage Diabetes
Water chestnuts and other root vegetables serve as a plant's source of nutrients and water storage. They are, therefore, abundant in carbohydrates, fibre, minerals and antioxidants.
Including water chestnuts in the diet could help manage Diabetes. Although this vegetable contains some carbohydrates, it outperforms other vegetables in terms of fibre and antioxidant levels.
- Improves heart health
Water chestnuts are considered natural diuretics. It has significant potassium content, a mineral that lowers blood sodium levels. High blood pressure and water retention are caused by sodium.
Consuming water chestnuts helps eliminate salt and lower blood pressure. Singhara is a beneficial supplement to a diet that promotes heart health.
- Promotes weight loss
Water chestnuts have several health benefits, including the ability to help with weight loss. While providing fewer calories, it is high in water and fibre, which helps us feel full. Water chestnuts can stop us from overeating and putting on weight by promoting satiety.
- Helps digestive system
For gluten-intolerant individuals, chestnut flour can be used instead of wheat flour while making rotis. It is an easy-to-digest flour and is free of gluten.
Singhara is a treatment recommended in Ayurveda for various digestive issues, including dysentery, indigestion and gas. It has a lot of digesting fibre, which ensures that food is digested quickly in the large intestine.
- Contains alkaloids
Research states that water chestnuts contain 0.775± 0.33% alkaloid.
Due to the role of alkaloids in the anticholinergic, anaesthetic, and spasmolytic properties of these vegetables, researchers found these levels to be significant.
Water chestnuts have spasmolytic and anticholinergic properties. This helps them relieve smooth muscle spasms and prevent the actions of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, respectively.
Water chestnuts might cause insensitivity to pain because of their anaesthetic effects.
- Antioxidant-rich
Antioxidants found in abundance in water chestnuts serve several purposes. Antioxidants are essential nutrients for the body as they support the immune system in combating free radicals. These unfavourable chemicals destroy the cells when they accumulate and cause oxidative stress.
- Lowers disease risk
Consuming many vegetables, like water chestnuts, has been associated with a lower chance of developing several diseases. Cancer is one such disease.
As previously discussed, these veggies are a good source of antioxidants, which protect cells from the free radicals known to increase the risk of cancer.
By decreasing blood pressure, these vegetables also reduce the risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
Water chestnuts are also gluten-free, making them a good food choice for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy.
- Exhibits antimicrobial activity
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes are a few bacterial strains that water chestnut extracts can eliminate.
According to another study, Bacillus cereus and Shigella sonnei are also found to be susceptible.
Moreover, helminths (worms and insects) were prevented from growing by water chestnut extracts.
These investigations support the antibacterial properties of red and green water chestnuts. Its extracts can be used to treat bacterial infections as they can destroy various pathogenic strains.
The effectiveness of this antibacterial action is comparable to that of standard antibiotics. Hence, by adding water chestnut to the food, the shelf-life of the food increases. With these antibacterial effects, this plant may also purify water sources.
- Low in FODMAP
Eating foods low in FODMAPs can help people with Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reduce their symptoms (fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols, a type of carbohydrate).
Water chestnuts are appropriate to be included in a low-FODMAP diet.
How to include water chestnut in the diet?
- Eat their raw flesh - Peel the brown layer on the exterior of the fruit to get the white flesh inside.
- Add them into the Flour - These tuber vegetables can also be added to the flour mixture to make any type of baked item. For example - one can make a pound cake.
- Use them as a thickening agent - Try water chestnuts to make the soup or gravy thicker.
- Make different cuisines - Water chestnuts can be used to make curries, stir-fries and chop suey. Depending on the cuisine you are preparing, you could be required to use this vegetable in several forms. You can use them whole, ground up, sliced or diced.
Side effects of water chestnuts
Water chestnuts have several benefits, but they are also linked to various negative effects. Consuming too many water chestnuts may cause nausea, stomach discomfort or vomiting.
Those with tree nut allergies can consume water chestnut without risk because it is not a nut.
No reports of water chestnut allergies have been proven in the medical literature. After eating water chestnuts or any other food, if you have food allergy symptoms (such as hives or swelling around your mouth), consult a doctor to get a diagnosis.
Conclusion
Water chestnut is an aquatic tuber that resembles a chestnut in shape and colour (papery brown skin over white flesh). However, the water chestnut is not a true nut.
Fresh water chestnuts are preferable because they have a sweeter flavour, are crisp, and have a slightly juicy taste. Use fresh vegetables for dishes where water chestnuts are the main element. We can eat them either raw or cooked.
