Taro root is a great source of many minerals and vitamins which play an essential role in human health

The health benefits of taro root include its ability to improve digestion, lower blood sugar levels, prevent certain types of cancers, protect the skin, enhance vision, increase circulation, decrease blood pressure, aid the immune system, and prevent heart disease, while also supporting muscle and nerve health.

Taro root (Colocasia esculenta) is the thick, tuber stalk of the taro plant. It is an important part of global cuisines and diets for thousands of years. Taro is considered to be one of the first cultivated plants in human history. It is believed to be native to Southeast Asia and southern India, but it is cultivated and used in many places all around the world. It is a staple food in African, Indian, and Oceanic cuisines, but it can be found everywhere from Japan, Egypt, and Suriname to the United States, Fiji, and Spain. Fascinatingly, it seems as though every culture uses taro in a slightly different way. It is also one of the few crops that can grow in flooded areas, due to its petioles.

Taro root contains a wealth of organic compounds, minerals, and vitamins that can benefit our overall health in several ways. It has a very significant amount of dietary fiber and carbohydrates, as well as high levels of vitamin A, C, E, vitamin B6, and folate, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. There is magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and copper in it. The plant also provides some protein in your diet.

The health benefits of taro root include its ability to improve digestive health, prevent cancer, improve vision health, and much more.

The high level of dietary fiber found in taro root makes it very important for gastrointestinal health. A single serving contains 27 percent of the daily requirement of dietary fiber. Fiber helps add bulk to our stool and aids in improved digestion. Proper fiber intake helps prevent excess gas, bloating, cramping, and constipation.

Speaking of cancer, taro root also plays an important part in the antioxidant activity in our body. The high levels of vitamin A, C, and various other phenolic antioxidants found in the taro root can boost our immune system and can help eliminate dangerous free radicals from our system. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, free radicals are the dangerous by-products of cellular metabolism that can cause healthy cells to mutate and turn into cancerous cells. By eliminating these free radicals, our general health is almost guaranteed! The American Institute for Cancer Research published a report, in association with the World Cancer Research Fund, which stated that cryptoxanthin, which is found in taro root, is directly connected to a lowered chance of developing both lung and oral cancers.

If you have a sufficient level of dietary fiber, which taro root provides, then you can better manage your glycemic levels and lower your chances of developing diabetes. If you have diabetes, then fiber-rich foods like taro root can help prevent the dangerous spikes and plunges in blood sugar as well as help improve satiety.

Perhaps the most important element of taro root for health is its role in the immune system. It has a very high level of vitamin C in each serving. This vitamin helps to stimulate the immune system to create white blood cells, which defend the body from foreign pathogens and agents. Furthermore, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, which can help to prevent the development of serious health conditions.