Jicama -- also known as the yambean, Mexican water chestnut or Mexican potato -- is a large tuber popular in Central and South American, Asian, Hispanic and Caribbean cooking. Peeled, sliced jicama has a juicy, crunchy texture that resembles apples in taste. The vegetable is commonly eaten raw, in salads or salsas or as part of soups and stir-fries. A 1-cup serving of jicama is only 46 calories and contains a negligible amount of total fat, no cholesterol and a high concentration of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Each 120-gram serving of jicama contains 11 grams of total carbohydrates, or approximately 4 percent of the recommended daily allowance of carbohydrates for a healthy adult. In jicama, these carbohydrates are in the form of dietary fiber and natural sugars. One jicama serving provides 6 grams of dietary fiber, an amount that is equivalent to 24 percent of one day's advised dietary fiber intake. Regularly eating high-fiber foods like jicama may help decrease your risk of diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, colon cancer and digestive problems.
Jicama is rich in many of the vitamins required for optimum health, including vitamin K, vitamin E and the B vitamins folate, niacin, riboflavin and vitamin B6. Its highest levels of vitamins, however, are vitamin C and vitamin A. The USDA National Nutrient Database reports that a 1-cup serving of raw jicama provides 24.2 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 40 percent of the RDA of the vitamin. Jicama's 25 international units of vitamin A per serving is equal to 1 percent of the RDA.
Every serving of jicama contains a significant concentration of minerals including iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Jicama contains 0.72 milligrams of iron per cup, which is 4 percent of the recommended daily iron intake. Its 14 milligrams of calcium per cup is 1 percent of that mineral's RDA. A serving of jicama also provides 180 milligrams of potassium, 14 milligrams of magnesium, 22 milligrams of phosphorus and 0.19 milligrams of zinc.
Jicama contains antioxidant compounds that may help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer and degenerative neurological disorders. Antioxidants inhibit the activity of free radicals, compounds within the body that can damage DNA. While the vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E contained in jicama all have antioxidant properties, plant foods like jicama are also rich in phytochemicals, such as flavonoid compounds, that also may act as powerful antioxidants.
- Fruits & Veggies More Matters: Jicama - Nutrition, Selection, Storage
- Nutrition-and-you.com: Jicama Nutrition Facts
- Produce Oasis: Jicama Potato
- O Chef: The Nutritional Low-Down on Jicama
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 11603, Yambean (Jicama), Raw
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber - Essential for a Healthy Diet
- MayoClinic.com: Food Sources the Best Choice for Antioxidants
- MedlinePlus: Antioxidants
- American Cancer Society: Phytochemicals