With the increasingly high cost of living and lifestyle diseases, you might just want to turn to traditional superfoods which can be planted in your backyard or gotten from the local market, to save your money and health.
Arrowroots in Kenya go for between Sh100 to Sh200 depending on the location or size.
This underground stem, popular in the rural areas for breakfast and sometimes cooked with other foods, is not only good with sweet and savoury foods but also may have medicinal properties as well.
According to a Nanyuki based nutritionist Wincate Wangari, bread has a higher glycemic index whereas the dietary fibre is high in arrowroot and the glycemic index is low.
“Arrowroots can be developed as a snack for diabetics or people with high blood pressure as it is safer than eating bread,” she said.
The tuber which also has higher proteins than other tubers, contains folate, an essential vitamin for development during pregnancy and DNA formation which reduces deformation.
“When a pregnant woman lacks folate, chances of the baby not developing well are higher. Breastfeeding women are also advised to take arrowroots, for nutrients and milk production,”
“The women can take it as ground flour porridge or eat it as a plant, after boiling it,” Wangari said.
