Konnyaku Root: Jell-O Alternative & more
I’ve always loved to eat jell-O (gelatin), actually the Asia jelly made of agar agar is my favorite. Another interesting jelly that is not commonly known in the U.S. is konnyaku. It’s made from the tubers of konnyaku root. The konnyaku potato is native to Asia. The Japanese pronounce it as “cone yuk”. In Indonesia, they call it “iles- iles”. In some countries it is known as voodoo lily or Devils’ Tongues.
They have huge blooms, but it’s the root that is eaten. Photo from University of Connecticut
The Japanese have been eating this stuff for thousands of years. And there are many benefits of eating Konnyaku. They mainly use Konnyaku to make jellies, tofu and noodles. The are low in calories, contains no fat, high in fiber, and rich in trace minerals. The Konnyaku fiber help clean the digestive tract of toxins.
When digested, konnyaku expands about 30-50 times in the digestive system - thus making you feel fuller longer. This would be good for those that want to lose weight. But there is a caution to not just depend on konnyaku for weight loss. As we all know, too much of anything is not good for you!
Konnyaku potatoes, photo from Bromo Agroindustry of Indonesia. They don’t look so appetizing now, but they are suppose to be really healthy stuff.
Konnyaku contains glucomannan, which is a water-soluble dietary fiber. It is very low in carbohydrates. There are research being done that shows that konnyaku helps lower cholesterol, prevents high blood pressure and normalizes blood sugar as well as prevents diabetes.
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