Tarishi Shrivastava
Updated:Feb 21, 2024
For many seeking to turn to a healthier lifestyle or weight loss, the quest for the perfect diet can seem endless. There’s always a new superfood or weight loss trick that promises miraculous results. Lately, a more old-fashioned ingredient has been gaining attention for its potential weight loss benefits: tapioca.
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Tapioca flour comes from grinding the dried pearls into a silky powder. This flour acts as a thickener and adds structure in gluten-free baking. It also makes creamy puddings when cooked with milk. In flake form, tapioca adds body to fruit pies and jams. For Thai treats like tad mun pla, chewy tapioca sticks provide texture. With its neutral flavour, tapioca adapts well to sweet and savoury dishes. It gives gluten-free goods like bread and pizza crust a boost. And it thickens up soups, gravies, and sauces. While tapioca offers dietary fibre and a few key minerals, it’s mostly just carbohydrates. In moderation, it can be part of a healthy diet. But tapioca-lovers beware overdoing those bubbly boba drinks can pack in excess calories and sugar. Enjoy those chewy pearls and creamy puddings, but balance tapioca treats with nutrient-rich foods.
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Nutritional Profile
With its chewy pearls and sweet pudding, tapioca seems like an indulgent treat. But could this starchy snack actually help you lose weight? Tapioca’s chewy pearls are bursting with health benefits. As per the study by National Library of Medicine, this gluten-free starch provides energy, fibre, and iron. Tapioca comes from the cassava plant, a shrub native to South America with edible, starchy roots. People have cultivated cassava for thousands of years – the Incas made it a dietary staple. Tapioca pearls, those little balls in bubble tea, are made by squeezing cassava root through a sieve under high pressure. The pearls plump up when cooked, creating that fun, bouncy texture. Beyond bubble tea, tapioca pearls star in Asian soups and desserts.
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Also Read:
Potential Weight Loss Benefits
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How to Add Tapioca to Your Diet
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