Vitamins and Minerals Found Inside Jicama

Jicama is loaded with vitamin C, an essential vitamin our bodies seek and jicama can be both nutritious and delicious when juiced alone and with other ingredients. Sometimes called Mexican potato, this root vegetable has a mildly sweet flavour and a crisp, moist texture. It looks something like a cross between a potato and a turnip, with a thin brown skin, a round, turnip-like form and tail, and smooth white flesh. Here are a few of the questions we attempt to answer about Jicama.

• What vitamins in Jicama make Jicama so good for us?
• What is the best method for juicing Jicama?
• What are some great buying tips for Jicama?

Plus, we'll do our best to provide some general information about Jicama that you might not find so easily elsewhere on the Internet.

Let's begin our exploration of Jicama...

Vitamins and Minerals Found in Jicama

Jicama are probably best known for being loaded with calcium and phosphorus, but they can also be a great source of vitamin C.

Vitamins in Jicama

• Vitamin C
• Choline
• Trace amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B, Folate and Pantothenic Acid

Minerals in Jicama

• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Zinc
• Copper
• Manganese
• Selenium

Crisp and juicy with a flavor and texture similar to those of water chestnuts, the next time you think about Jicama... think about how they might add a powerful boost to your daily nutrition through juicing.

Juicing Tips for Juicing Jicama

Juicing jicama can add both flavor and valuable nutrients to most any home-juiced cocktail.

Here are a few tips for juicing jicama that may help turn your juicing experience into something you look forward to and thoroughly enjoy.

Traditionally, jicama juice was used both for upset stomachs and also as a drink for treating hemorrhoids.

Personally, I like to combine jicama with carrot, apple, and/or celery juices... sometimes even parsley. (Jicama can also be juiced with pears which can be soothing for those suffering from hemorrhoids.) Check our juicing section for some awesome recipes using this vegetable.

The tough outer skin should be peeled before eating (try sliced jicamas in salads) but the skin can stay on when juicing.

Be sure to wash them thoroughly with a safe, biodegradable fruit and vegetable wash before juicing.

Purchasing Tips for Buying Jicama

If you are unable to grow your own Jicama, then here are a few tips for buying Jicama that may help you get the freshest ingredients. We'll also include a few storing tips for Jicama that you might find helpful.

Jicamas should be firm, free of soft spots and bruising and have dry roots.

Jicama can often grow to be quite large, but when they grow too large they convert their sugars to starch and can be quite woody. You want to look for jicama about the size of two fists or less.

Store jicamas as you would potatoes, in a cool area. When refrigerated, jicama can keep for up to 2 weeks.

General Information About Jicama

This article wouldn't be complete if we didn't include a little general information about jicama, as well as a few helpful links if you want to explore jicama further.

Jicama, yam bean, Mexican potato, or Mexican turnip (Pachyrhizus erosus) has been eaten in Central America for many centuries, and is now common in U.S. stores.

Pronounced "HEE-ka-ma," this tough-skinned root vegetable is native to Mexico and the rest of Central America.

Even though it resembles a turnip, the jicama and the turnip are not relatives in the plant kingdom. Jicama actually belongs to the legume or bean family (fabaceae).

In addition to having a unique flavor and texture, jicama also soaks up flavor well, making jicama a popular vegetable for culinary experimentation. Jicama also make a great substitute for water chestnuts in Chinese dishes/recipes. As they do not discolor when exposed to air, jicamas are popular items on most vegetable platters.

Being loaded with vitamin C and fat-free, jicamas make a great on-the-go snack.

Try shredding beets, jicama and carrots and combining them with your favorite dressing for a delicious salad extremely rich in antioxidants.

Additional Resources for Jicama

Nutrition Facts and Data - Yambean (jicama), raw

Be sure to check out both our "Juicing" and our "Smoothies" sections for delicious recipes and more using Jicama!