{"id":16975,"date":"2025-06-26T18:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/16975\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T18:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:33:09","slug":"what-is-cassava-and-is-it-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/16975\/","title":{"rendered":"What is cassava? And is it good for you?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/74901338007-si-144-thumb-16-x-90.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s how to read food and nutrition labels on your groceries<\/p>\n<p>Nutrition therapist Lauren Kelly explains how learning to better understand food labels can help you achieve your health goals.<\/p>\n<p>Cassava (also called yuca, Brazilian arrowroot and manioc) is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/problem-solved\/2024\/08\/16\/how-to-store-potatoes-onions\/74632300007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">starchy root vegetable<\/a> that\u2019s grown globally. It\u2019s a versatile ingredient that can be found in a wide variety of dishes, and on top of that, tapioca starch extracted from cassava is a key ingredient of the tapioca pearls found in boba tea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cassava is an excellent source of a few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2024\/11\/07\/how-much-protein-to-eat-to-build-muscle\/75891097007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">essential macronutrients<\/a>, and could certainly be part of a balanced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/22\/how-to-do-meal-sequencing\/84154693007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dietary pattern<\/a>. However, it\u2019s important to point out that raw cassava could be toxic, which is why it should always be cooked thoroughly before you eat it. Here\u2019s what you need to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Is cassava good for you?<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely. When it comes to macronutrients, cassava is primarily carbohydrates, with a small amount of protein and very little fat. Cassava root is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/17\/how-much-vitamin-c-per-day\/84116989007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">particularly high in vitamin C<\/a>, an immune-boosting antioxidant. It also contains smaller amounts of other essential nutrients, including fiber, magnesium, zinc, vitamin A and riboflavin, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/providers\/camilla-martin-rdn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Camilla Martin<\/a>, a registered dietitian nutritionist with UW Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/fdc.nal.usda.gov\/food-details\/1103070\/nutrients\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USDA\u2019s Food Data Central<\/a>, a 100-gram portion of cooked cassava contains:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>191 calories<\/li>\n<li>1.9 grams of fiber<\/li>\n<li>1.4 grams of protein<\/li>\n<li>18.2 milligrams of vitamin C<\/li>\n<li>22 milligrams of magnesium<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">What is meal sequencing? <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/22\/how-to-do-meal-sequencing\/84154693007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Health experts explain whether the rising diet trend works.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Why do you need to cook cassava?<\/p>\n<p>Proper preparation of cassava is very important, because depending on the variety of cassava, there could be a risk of cyanide poisoning if eaten raw. The bitter varieties of raw cassava contain higher amounts of cyanogenic glycosides (when ingested, these compounds release hydrogen cyanide into the body). This could result in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/13\/what-are-cloves-good-for\/84071248007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serious health complications<\/a>, such as: vomiting, lack of coordination and balance, and in rare cases, partial paralysis, collapse and even death, says Martin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGenerally, if someone&#8217;s going to find (cassava) at a grocery store, it&#8217;s not going to be the ultra-bitter varieties, because those require really high levels of cooking, soaking, fermenting (and) processing,\u201d says Martin. If you\u2019re preparing cassava at home, it should be cooked thoroughly to ensure the hydrocyanic acid has been removed; only then is it safe to eat, per the <a href=\"https:\/\/plants.usda.gov\/DocumentLibrary\/plantguide\/pdf\/pg_maes.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USDA<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Is watermelon good for you? <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/15\/is-watermelon-healthy\/84117558007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">All the things you don&#8217;t know, but should, about the fruit<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s healthier: Cassava or potato?<\/p>\n<p>The nutritional benefits of cassava and potato are actually pretty similar, so one isn\u2019t necessarily healthier than the other, says Martin.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Both cassava and potato are relatively low in fat and protein. Potatoes are a bit higher in protein and fiber, but not by much. As for other macronutrients, cassava has more vitamin C, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/16\/is-potato-salad-healthy\/84118370007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">while potatoes contain<\/a> more potassium.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the major differences between the two is that cassava is much higher in total energy than potatoes (meaning it\u2019s a bit more calorically-dense), says Martin. If you\u2019re looking to eat higher energy density foods into your diet, then a starchy food like cassava could be a great option. But if you\u2019re looking for a starch with a little fewer calories, you might want to opt for potatoes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to make cassava at home, make sure to prepare it appropriately. \u201cThen, since it&#8217;s pretty starchy, I would usually recommend pairing it with a protein, and then fruits or vegetables, as a part of a balanced meal,\u201d says Martin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s how to read food and nutrition labels on your groceries Nutrition therapist Lauren Kelly explains how learning&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16976,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[647,2906,931,6919,3040,990,16578,16581,210,6918,6927,425,993,6930,942,50,1182,1539,450,950,449,16577,16575,16579,6917,6926,448,447,456,1439,16580,646,67,132,68,16576,1930,3149],"class_list":{"0":"post-16975","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-agriculture","10":"tag-and","11":"tag-curious","12":"tag-department","13":"tag-food","14":"tag-fruits","15":"tag-fruits-u0026-vegetables","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-just","18":"tag-just-curious","19":"tag-local","20":"tag-local-affiliate-food","21":"tag-local-affiliate-health-and-wellness","22":"tag-neutral","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-nutrition","25":"tag-of","26":"tag-overall","27":"tag-overall-neutral","28":"tag-point","29":"tag-recipes","30":"tag-root","31":"tag-root-vegetable-recipes","32":"tag-seo","33":"tag-seo-wellness","34":"tag-the","35":"tag-to","36":"tag-to-the-point","37":"tag-u-s","38":"tag-u-s-department-of-agriculture","39":"tag-u0026","40":"tag-united-states","41":"tag-unitedstates","42":"tag-us","43":"tag-vegetable","44":"tag-vegetables","45":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114751105323313933","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}