Sabudana is a type of starch extracted from tropical palm roots named tapioca and is the primary source of carbs.
Sabudana is gluten-free and nonallergic and loads you with instant energy. This is the topmost reason why you prefer sabudana dishes during your fast.
Sabudana prevents your digestion issues, relieves gas, bloating and constipation.
Sabudana Nutrition Facts
Carbohydrates form a significant percentage of nutrients in Sabudana. One hundred grams of Sabudana contains the following nutrition value.
| Nutrients | Sabudana Nutritional Value per 100g |
| Energy | 358 Kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 88.7 grams |
| Water | 11 grams |
| Fats | 0.02 gram |
| Proteins | 0.19 gram |
Sabudana contains the essential minerals per 100 grams as given below.
| Minerals | Values per 100 grams |
| Iron | 1.58 grams |
| Calcium | 20 grams |
| Potassium | 11 grams |
| Phosphorus | 7 grams |
| Sodium | 1 gram |
Health Benefits Of Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls)
#1. Promotes Bowel Movement
Sabudana contains resistant starch, a type of starch that passes through your digestive tract undigested. When the resistant starch reaches your colon undigested, it feeds your healthy gut bacteria. The healthy bacteria then break down the resistant starch and produces compounds such as short chain fatty acids.
The short chain fatty acids clean your digestive system, which results in passage of food with ease, and the unwanted matters are eliminated through your excreta. The short chain fatty acids also reduce your appetite and improve digestion.
#2. Helps Muscle Growth
Sabudana is a good source of protein which is essential for the growth of your muscles. The protein in sabudana helps to repair your damaged cells and tissues.
Protein promotes cell division which results in the growth of your body cells. All these factors result in the growth of your muscles.
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Sabudana Benefits For Babies
#3. Accelerates Digestion Process
Sabudana is a pure and unprocessed form of starch and carbohydrates, which makes it easy to digest. This process reduces constipation and your stomach problems in your babies like diarrhoea, gas and bloating.
Sabudana has a cooling effect on your digestion process, which cures general digestive ailments such as constipation, indigestion, bloating and flatulence.
#4. Promotes Bone Strength
Sabudana contains calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. These minerals are responsible for your baby’s healthy bone growth and development.
Calcium also helps to make your baby’s bones strong and improves their density, particularly if your baby has stopped breastfeeding or does not like to have milk.
Benefits of Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls) For Skin
#5. Moisturizes Dry Skin
The ceramides in Sabudana helps to retain moisture in your skin and protect it from harmful environmental conditions. Sabudana replenishes your dry skin which makes it a go to natural moisturizer for dry skin.
Sabudana is also recommended for you if you have psoriasis and eczema.
How to use
- Grind sabudana and make it gummy form
- Apply the gummy mixture on your face.
- Clean your face with cold water after drying.
- Repeat this method for 2 to 3 times a week.
#6. Promotes Glowing Skin
The antimicrobial and antifungal properties of sabudana help to reduce your blackheads. Sabudana works as an exfoliant and removes your dead skin cells resulting in softer and smoother skin.
How to use
- Pour half teaspoon lemon juice on sabudana and mix it well.
- Exfoliate your skin with the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Repeat the procedure once a week until the dead skin cells are removed.
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Sabudana Benefits In Pregnancy
#7. Fights Birth Defects
The folic acid and vitamin b6 in sabudana reduces the risk of neural tube defects and helps in the proper development of your fetus.
Sabudana helps to grow, nourish and heal the muscle pain which you experience during your pregnancy and maintain your bone density.
#8. Cools Your Body
If you are pregnant, you may experience a burning sensation and discomfort in your stomach due to indigestion and constipation. The dietary fibres in the sabudana calm your digestive system and ease the problems arising due to improper digestion of the food.
The fibres in sabudana promote your bowel movement with ease and get rid of your constipation.
Health Benefits Of Sabudana For Adults
#9. Boosts Blood Circulation
Consuming salt raises the level of sodium in your bloodstream. Sodium reduces the ability of your kidney to remove water. This process results in higher blood pressure. The potassium in sabudana helps to expel sodium through your urine. This way, the excess sodium is removed, which eases tension in your blood vessel walls.
The potassium in sabudana helps to maintain your blood pressure at 120/180.
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#10. Sabudana For Heart Disease
Sabudana contains amylose, a type of starch with a long, linear chain of glucose that aids the digestion process.
As the glucose chain breaks down, they release sugar at a controlled rate which reduces the level of cholesterol and triglyceride level in your body. The higher amylose, the lower cholesterol and fat level in your bloodstream. This process helps to reduce your heart disease risk.
Benefits Of Sabudana For Diabetics (diabetes)
#11. Weight Management
If you have diabetes, you would have weight problems as well. The rich fibre source in sabudana keeps your hunger rush and cravings away. This process eliminates the need for you to eat food more often.
Sabudana helps to keep your stomach full for a long time, so you do not feel like consuming unnecessary junk foods which result in weight loss.
Caution – since sabudana contains glucose in minute quantities, it is not recommendable to consume sabudana in excess. The glucose content can shoot up your blood sugar level which can aggravate your diabetes.
If you want to loss weight, you can start using green tea & apple cider vinegar.
Sabudana is Veg Or Nonveg
There has been a debate about whether sabudana is non vegetarian or vegetarian. How can food extracted from the ground be non vegetarian?
Let us see how sabudana is prepared.
The fresh tapioca root from the farm is cleaned thoroughly with water. The root skin is then peeled, crushed and allowed to pass through the milk after retaining all the fibres.
The milk and the mixture are then settled in the tank for 3 to 8 hours. This way all the impurities get floated on the top of the tank and drained out from the mixture.
The milk cake is then passed through the globules manufacturing machine and converted into small round particles.
The globules are then roasted on hot plates or steamed to dry out the milk present in the globules.
This is the process of making sabudana. As sabudana is made of the parent plant tapioca and as milk is dried off in the end stage, sabudana is considered as a vegetarian product.
Sabudana has an uncanny resemblance with gelatin, which is a non-vegetarian product. However, sabudana and gelatin are two completely different products and cannot be considered as one and the same.
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Final Word
Sabudana is composed of glucose and is low in protein and fat compared to other carbohydrate sources such as brown rice, oats and whole wheat.
However, Sabudana is grain and gluten free which makes it suitable for following restricted diets. The antioxidant and resistance starch in the sabudana have potential benefits such as lower cholesterol and improves exercise performance.
If you have diabetes, do not consume sabudana in excess, as the glucose in sabudana can shoot up your blood sugar level.
