Organic Yacon Powder,Ireland Andean Harvest price supplier

Organic Yacon Powder 

The ‘Apple of the earth’ as it is known in its native home across the Andes, this is the vegetable that looks like a potato but tastes like a watermelon!!

Eaten raw by the natives of the highlands of Andean South America, but delicious as a syrup or natural powdered Sweetener, Yacon is a sweet and nutritious snack and sugar alternative that offers several health benefits!

So how can something so sweet be so good??!!

While nearly all tubers and roots store their carbohydrates in the form of starch (e.g. potatoes), Yacon stores most of its carbohydrates as fructooligosaccharides (FOS for short)

What are FOS.?

Fructooligosaccharides are a class of sugars that are unable to be digested by our salivary and intestinal enzymes and therefore pass through our digestive system to the colon where they are fermented by anaerobic bacteria.

How is this beneficial to our health?

1. With the most of the sugars of Yacon unable to be absorbed by the body, and therefore Blood glucose levels minimally affected, this has the potential to be a very useful alternative sweetener for those who suffer from Diabetes.
2. With the FOS sugars passing through our system without being absorbed, this is also the perfect sweetener for those on weight loss programs, as excessive sugars absorbed by our digestive system lead to weight gain. * 1 jar of Yacon syrup contains only half of the calories of the equivalent size  jar of honey!
3. Yacon is a good source of soluble fibre, essential for a healthy digestive system.
4. Our intestines contain both good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria are known as Probiotics . FOS sugars are known as  Prebiotics  ie:  they act as a food supply to the Probiotics,  therefore increasing the population of  Probiotics  , leading to a healthier digestive system.
5. FOS sugars are known to increase the absorption of Calcium to our bodies - essential for strong bones.

Using  Yacon Syrup and powder

Yacon can be used in so many ways in your daily diet.

-Drizzle the syrup or sprinkle the powder across your breakfast cereals, porridge, fruit salads, pancakes etc.

-Use it as a delicious low calorie sweetener in your smoothies and shakes.

-Ditch the processed sugar cubes and put a spoon of Yacon in your tea and coffee.

See our  Recipes  for some great ways to use Yacon in the Kitchen!