Baked Jicama Fries

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This recipe for Baked Jicama Fries was originally posted April 23, 2015. I'm crazy about snack foods that are easy to prepare in my oven, like my Oven Baked Barbecue Fries, Baked Zucchini Fries, Jamaican Jerked Butternut Squash Fries, Oven Baked Potato Wedges, and my Baked Onion Rings.

It’s high in fiber, 90% water, a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Raw jicama has a sweet flavor because it contains a rich source of soluble fiber oligofructose inulin which is prebiotic and an inert carbohydrate that does not turn into simple sugars when broken down by digestion. This is good news for diabetics, they can eat this sweet root without worrying about their blood sugar fluctuating.

 

Most of you are so used to hearing about probiotics but have you ever heard about prebiotic? I first learned about prebiotic over 20 years ago when my professor in college taught about the benefits of prebiotics and she advocated that prebiotics were better than probiotics.

At that time I honestly didn’t understand a lot of what she was talking about and I didn’t care much as I do today about gut health. A prebiotic is a plant fiber that stimulates the growth and activity of good bacteria that are already in the colon. This plant fiber is indigestible but provides great health benefits to the body.
For healthy gut bacteria, one should consume 50-55 grams of fiber daily, this fiber is found in plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and, legumes.

These plant fibers like jicama, serve as prebiotics or fuel for healthy bacteria to thrive.

Other Sources Of Prebiotics:

1. Dandelion Green
2. Chicory
3. Onions
4. Garlic
5. Asparagus
6. Apple
7. Burdock Root
8. Jerusalem Artichoke
9. Seaweed

Unlike probiotics, prebiotics is not destroyed by heat. Probiotics are live bacteria mostly found in fermented dairy (kefir, yogurt), so they have to be kept alive by keeping them cold.

Other sources of probiotics are kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha tea, non-pasteurized pickes and vegetables.

Note that nowadays there are more available non-dairy yogurts and kefir made from coconut and almond milk.

Prebiotics are therefore beneficial to help disease like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chron’s disease, Candida Albicans, relieve diarrhea after antibiotic use.

How To Cook Jicama Fries

I normally ate jicama raw but this time I wanted to make a baked jicama fries recipe instead. I oven baked them and was very pleased with the taste and outcome. I  didn’t want the strong crunch so I decided to cook the jicama before I bake them. I have served them with ketchup,  vegan ranch dip or Guacamole.

This vegetable will be a regular on my shopping list. Jicama fries recipe is a low-calorie alternative that is great in a vegan, gluten-free, candida diet lifestyle.

One of my readers asked, 'Is it like a potato?'  Answer:  it looks like a potato but the texture is crunchy like a pear, and it tastes mildly sweet like an apple.

Note: Don't expect the fries to be crispy like potato, they won't be. It doesn't have the same texture as a potato to begin with nor will the final texture be the same.

Jicama Nutritional Facts

Serving size 1 cup raw

• Calories: 49
• Fat: 0 grams
• Cholesterol: 0 grams
• Sodium: 5 mg
• Carbohydrates: 11 grams
• Protein: 1 gram

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