Jerusalem artichoke, or sunroot, or sunchoke (Latin: Heliánthus tuberósus) is a species of perennial herbaceous tuberose plants of the sunflower genus of the Asteraceae family. The plant is also known by the names "earth apple", "girasole", "topinambour", "lambchoke".
The root vegetable tastes quite ordinary. To say that the taste of Jerusalem artichoke is worth admiring is hardly possible. It tastes like a slightly sweet raw potato. But the beneficial properties of Jerusalem artichoke literally delight!
This root vegetable has a whole list of useful properties:
it has a positive effect on digestion;
it restores and improves the functioning of the endocrine glands;
it promotes weight correction in case of obesity problems and uncontrolled weight gain;
it increases the resistance of the immune system;
it stabilizes the haematopoiesis system, improves blood circulation;
improves the condition of tissues, strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
it strengthens the joints.
This is not a complete list of benefits of this plant, extremely simple in appearance and taste. It is worth noting that, among other things, the root vegetable is widely used in cooking and does not belong at all to the number of plants for which you can find recipes for preparing only medical products.
The root vegetable contains the following vitamins and acids:
• PP — 1.3 mg;
• beta-carotene — 0.012 mg;
• folic acid — up to 18.8 mg;
• E — 0.15 mg;
• thiamine (vitamin B1) — 0.07 mg;
• pyridoxine (vitamin B6) — 0.23 mg;
• vitamin A — 2 µg;
• vitamin C — 6 µg.
The nutritional value of Jerusalem artichoke is expressed in the following indicators per 100 g of product:
• calories — 62 Kcal;
• proteins — 2.2 g;
• fats — 0.05 g;
• carbohydrates — 13 g.
The content of dietary fiber in an earth apple is 3.8 g. In one edible tuber, water is up to 82%, starch is 9.7%, organic acids are up to 0.1% by weight, monoand disaccharides are 3.3 g. Jerusalem artichoke contains practically no fats, but there is a sufficient proportion of vegetable protein. The presence of starch indicates that the product gives satiety. Low-calorie intake indicates that this root vegetable is not capable to destabilize body weight balance, but rather promotes smooth weight loss when consumed regularly.