Sabudana: Uses, Benefits, Side Effects & More!
Therapeutic Uses of Sabudana:
Sabudana is a preferred food option for sick people, as it is easy to digest and provides rapid energy. It is also established that sabudana has a cooling effect on our digestive system, and hence sabudana-gruel is recommended for people having excess bile secretion.5
Benefits of Sabudana:
Benefits of Sabudana in Gluten-free Diet
Sabudana has low protein content and it is free from casein and gluten. Thus, it is consumed as non-allergic food.3
Globally, people want to switch to a healthier diet without changing their eating habits. People decide to go gluten-free for a few different reasons:4
Gluten-free foods are a substitute for those having coeliac disease or those who show gluten sensitivity.
Gluten-free food has health benefits.
Benefits of Sabudana for Diabetic Patients
Sugar (glucose) absorbed from sabudana has numerous health benefits when compared with cane sugar (sucrose).6
In addition, sabudana is considered reasonably safe for diabetic people because it doesn’t elevate blood glucose levels immediately due to its low glycemic index.3
Also Read: Glycemic Index Food Chart For Indian Diabetes Patient
Benefits of Sabudana in Metabolic Disorders
Resistant starch present in sabudana can prevent the risk of colon cancer and constipation.3
Benefits of Sabudana Because of its Longer Shelf Life
The benefits of sabudana due to its longer shelf life are:
Sabudana can be preserved for long periods of time due to its low moisture content
According to research, for boosting the growth of lactic acid bacteria in homemade yogurt, sago starch oligosaccharides were utilised. This can likely be developed as a prebiotic health food in the future.
How to Use Sabudana?
We can use sabudana starch by mixing it with boiling water to form a paste or baking it to make bread, biscuits and pancakes.
It is a traditional food of India used in various festive recipes in western and central India. It is also used as baby food in West Bengal.
In south India, sabudana is used as a food thickener.
It is also popularly used to prepare kheer by cooking it with milk.1
Also Read: Lavender – Uses, Benefits, Side Effects & Precautions
Side Effects of Sabudana:
The most common side effects of sabudana are related to the cyanide glucosides present in cassava detected by aquacyanocobyrinic acid sensor.7
Sabudana derived from cassava may have various compounds such as cyanogenic glucosides, which can affect the iodine utilisation in the body and disrupt the thyroid function leading to hypothyroidism.8,9
Chronic intoxication of cyanide may lead to neurological disorders.
Due to smaller body sizes and less weight, children are more at risk of hydrogen cyanide toxicity.9
Patients allergic to latex may also exhibit allergic reactions to sabudana.10
Precautions to Take With Sabudana:
We should ensure to purchase sabudana from dependable suppliers.
Sabudana needs to be soaked in water and cooked carefully in boiling water before eating it to reduce cyanogenic toxicity.
We should maintain a balanced diet to avoid deficiency of proteins, vitamins and minerals and also to reduce the impact of harmful chemicals when taking a small range of food items.