Okra is a popular vegetable eaten in a dish called gumbo in South Africa and is often eaten as a favourite vegetable. You either love okra or you hate it. It can be hard, slimy, or with an overwhelmingly sour taste. Maybe that's why it's hidden in this fragrant dish.
A study and researchers found that okra contains powerful compounds that hold promise in fighting cancer and heart disease. Okra has the added benefit of a variety of healthy nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. And the best part is that it's very low in calories. You can easily buy okra via https://kirifoods.co.uk/fresh-food-bakery/1422-357-fresh-okro-okra.html#/34-unit-05kg.
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The main ingredient in gumbo contains compounds that researchers say hold promise for fighting cancer. This compound is known as glutathione. It attacks cancer in two ways. First, as an antioxidant, it prevents the effects of free radicals, unstable oxygen that can damage healthy cells and trigger cancer.
Second, glutathione prevents other cancer-causing chemicals from damaging DNA, the chemical scheme that tells cells how to function. It does this by removing chemicals in the urine from the cells, which are eventually eliminated from the body.
Researchers studied more than 1,800 people and found that those with the highest intakes of glutathione were 50 percent less likely to develop mouth and throat cancer than those with the lowest levels of the compound.
Other foods that contain glutathione like okra are watermelon, avocado, and grapefruit. Okra isn't the highest source of glutathione, but it isn't the lowest either. Measured in the middle area.