Ubi yang Disepelekan, Diakui Dunia Terbaik Nutrisinya

HL | 08 December 2014 | 12:42 Dibaca: 1270 Komentar: 26 16

Ilustrasi (Sumber Foto: Tribunnew s.com)

Wah, ubi gak cocok untuk hidangan rapat! Gak berkelas. Apalagi kalau pejabat disuguhi ubi, rasanya kok ndeso banget kali ya? Sudah gitu, ubi juga bikin gampang buang angin! Nahloh, hehee. Padahal, setiap pangan yang tidak dicerna dengan baik oleh tubuh memang akan menghasilkan reaksi buang angin tersebut. Makanya ada teman yang kerjanya buang angin mulu, padahal kagak pernah makan ubi.

Memang, sebagian orang masih punya pandangan seperti ini terhadap ubi. Padahal, nilai gizi yang terkandung pada ubi (ipomoea batatas) sungguh luar biasa. Berdasarkan riset ahli gizi dari Center of Science of Public Interest (CSPI) di AS, ubi (sweet potato) merupakan pangan (tergolong sayur-sayuran berumbi) yang terbaik di dunia nilai gizinya. Studi ini menunjukkan nilai gizi ubi mengalahkan brokoli, wortel, bayam, biji-bijian, tomat, selada, dan seterusnya. Seratnya bahkan lebih baik dari serat yang terkandung pada oatmeal.

Ubi memang bermacam-macam warnanya. Ada yang putih, kekuningan, oranye, merah hingga ungu. Nilai gizinya nyaris sama, kecuali untuk beta karoten, dimana ubi bewarna putih kurang mengandung beta karoten

setinggi ubi yang berwarna. Beta karoten ini bisa sangat tinggi (26.081,9 IU), sehingga sangat baik sebagai antioksidan pencegah kanker, untuk kesehatan mata, serta mencegah penuaan dini (anti aging) dan menghaluskan kulit.

Selain beta karoten, ubi juga kaya dengan serat, karbohidrat komplek dengan indeks glikemik yang rendah. Sehingga penderita diabetes biasanya cocok untuk konsumsi ubi dan menjadikan ubi sebagai diet hariannya. Ini juga ditambah dengan nutrisi ubi yang memang dapat menstabilkan gula darah serta mengatur kerja insulin. Tinggi serat ini juga bisa mencegah kanker usus.

Kandungan lainnya adalah vitamin B, Folat C, Kalium, Kalsium, yang sangat bermanfaat untuk mencegah stroke, penyakit jantung, mengurangi stress, mengurangi rasa sakit pada sendi arthritis. Ubi juga diet terbaik bagi penderita maag, karena meredakan peradangan pada lambung dan usus.

Kemampuan Produksi Ubi Indonesia

Syukurlah, negara kita memang sangat subur. Ubi ini sangat gampang ditanam, baik dilahan yang kurang air, lahan kritis tadah hujan, dengan perawatan minim. Bisa ditanam juga disela tanaman keras (jati, sengon, dsbnya). Produktivitasnya mencapai 10 ton - 25 ton/ha. Biasanya yang mengelola adalah petani-petani kecil/marjinal.

Nah sayangnya, walaupun bisa jadi produksi melimpah, tetapi karena petani atau koperasi petani tidak menguasai teknologi pasca panen, jika pasar tidak cepat membeli, maka hasil panen membusuk. Seperti disebutkan oleh mantan wakil pertanian dulu, 40% hasil pertanian Indonesia membusuk karena tidak terserap pasar.

Tetapi tentu, dengan iktikad pemerintah menyuguhkan ubi sebagai snack ketika rapat (bukan makanan berat loh, karena makan siang tentu tidak bisa diganti dengan snack..:D), diharapkan penyerapan pasar ubi juga akan menguntungkan para petani kecil ini. Panen ubi terserap, harga bagus, petani sejahtera, konsumen pun sehat….:D

Ya sudah, gitu aja. Salam Kompasiana!

SWEET POTATO NUTRITION

According to nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public

Interest (CSPI), the single most important dietary change for

most people, including children, would be to replace fatty foods with foods

rich in complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Ranks Number One In Nutrition

CSPI ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables.

With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest

vegetable by more than 100 points. Points were given for content of

dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates,

protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat

content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined

sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

Sweet potato baked 184

Potato, baked 83

Spinach 76

Kale 55

Mixed Vegetables 52

Broccoli 52

Winter Squash, Baked 44

Brussels Sprouts 37

Cabbage, Raw 34

Green Peas 33

Carrot 30

Okra 30

Corn on the Cob 27

Tomato 27

Green Pepper 26

Cauliflower 25

Artichoke 24

Romaine Lettuce 24

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington D.C.

The reasons the sweet potato took first place? Dietary fiber, naturally

occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron

and calcium. The sweet potato received a score of 184; the vegetable

ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of

83.

Sweet potatoes are high in the following: beta-carotene, vitamin A,

vitamin B6 and vitamin C; fiber, thiamine, niacin, potassium and copper.

They are also a good source of protein, calcium, vitamin E.

The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves:

almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent

of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta

carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber

than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories!

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts (for one medium size sweet potato)

Calories 130

Fat 0.39 g

Protein 2.15 g

Net Carbs 31.56 g

Dietary Fiber 3.9 g

Calcium 28.6 mg

Sodium 16.9 mg

Potassium 265.2 mg

Folate 18.2 mcg

Vitamin C 29.51 mg

Vitamin A 26081.9 IU

Source: US Department of Agriculture

See also: Sweet Potato Antioxidants

Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index

rating. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual

rise in blood sugar so you feel satisfied longer. It’s time to move sweet

potatoes to the "good" carb list. Many of the most popular diets these

days have already.

(See also: Sweet Potato Recipes)

SWEET POTATO NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS AND POPULAR DIETS

SOUTH BEACH DIET

For the nearly 12 million Americans counting carbohydrates as part of the

Atkins or South Beach plans, the glycemic index plays a critical part in

determining acceptable foods. The index ranks how quickly the body

converts carbohydrates into sugar; the lower the glycemic index in a food,

the less it will cause weight gain. Sweet potatoes rank significantly lower

than white potatoes in the glycemic index, which explains why both carb-

counting diets encourage substituting yams for Idaho potatoes. Sweet

potatoes are introduced in the later phases of these diets as an

acceptable food because they are nutrient-rich.

ATKINS DIET

The Atkins Diet recommends introducing 10 grams of carbs in Phase 3 of

the diet plan. Sweet potatoes have 10 grams of carbohydrates for every

1/4 cup. Sweet potatoes are on the safe list as a great substitute for

other starches such as rice, potatoes and corn.

SUGARBUSTERS DIET

The popular "Sugarbusters" diet that swept the nation is also a strong

advocate of including sweet potatoes in a healthy diet. The Sugarbusters

diet recommends sweet potatoes as a great substitute for other foods

high in sugar and carbohydrates such as rice, pasta and corn.

One of the Sugarbusters book's authors reports that the part of a carrot

that's healthy is the beta carotene necessary for visual activity and

needed for the retina that's found in the pigment, not the fleshy part of

the carrot that's full of sugar. You can also get the beta carotene from

sweet potatoes, which are not full of sugar.

Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry

- www.sweetpotato.org