Lady Finger

The Lady Finger, also known as Okra or Okro, is a fruit derived from a flowering plant in the Mallow family. The fruit is edible green seed pods. It is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world.  The Major producers of the Ladyfinger are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Africa, Central and South America, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan.

Description:

The Lady Finger is a green vegetable that resembles like a slim finger. It is grown in the temperate and moderate areas worldwide, because of its rubbery fruits that contain round, white colored seeds. Its fruit is collected while they are not fully formed and consumed as vegetables. This vegetable is a high fiber vegetable due to its high soluble and insoluble fiber content. This vegetable is usually used in many cuisines and a part of many nutritional diets.

Storage:

The Ladyfinger is kept fresh by wrap it up in plastic bag or paper bag at room temperature only for around two days. After that there are chances of moisture loss, thus it can be stored in the refrigerator to keep it fresh for up to a week.

Uses:

The Ladyfinger is among the most widespread vegetables in the South Asian Cuisine. It is used in making a lot of delicious dishes. This is generally used as a thickening mediator in stews and soups due to sticky material that discharge when cut. They can be eaten raw in salads or cooked with curries or stews.

Health Benefits:

There are many Health’s Benefits mentioned below,

• Lower Cholesterol
• Reduces Blood Sugar
• Improve Immunity
• Improves Digestion
• Prevent Cancer
• Lower blood pressure
• Protect Heart Health
• Help in Pregnancy
• Improve Skin
• Treat Anemia
• Treatment of Dandruff

Nutritional Value of Lady Finger:

Nutritional Value of Lady Finger contains per 100gms is mentioned below:

Energy                              33 kcal

Carbohydrates                7.45 g

Sugars       1.48 g

Fiber          3.2 g

Fat                                      0.19 g

Protein                               1.9 g

Vitamins

Vitamin A equiv.               36 μg

Thiamine (B1)                    0.2 mg

Riboflavin (B2)                  0.06 mg

Niacin (B3)                         1 mg

Folate (B9)                         60 μg

Vitamin C                           23 mg

Vitamin E                           0.27 mg

Vitamin K                          31.3 μg

Minerals

Calcium                              82 mg

Iron                                     0.62 mg

Magnesium                       57 mg

Phosphorus                       61 mg

Potassium                         299 mg

Zinc                                    0.58 mg

Properties:

Shape: Narrow and small

Size:  4-6 in

Color:  Dark Green

Taste:  Sweet and Crunchy