When adapting to the keto diet, it can be difficult to tell exactly what kinds of foods are keto-friendly.
It was a pretty big shock to me when I found out just how many vegetables and fruits weren’t allowed on the keto diet, so I did a ton of research in order to be perfectly safe.
In this article, I’ll be doing a deep dive on jicama, and will explain just how keto-friendly it actually is.
What is Jicama?
Jicama, or pachyrhizus erosus, is technically a Mexican yam bean, or Mexican turnip. The name ‘jicama’ itself refers to the edible part of its root, but the plant comes in the form of an entire vine.
These jicama vines can grow up to 20 feet in length, and the leaves are actually toxic. It’s the root of the plant that contains all of the nutrients and flavor.
If you’re of Mexican descent, or are from an area with a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants, you are probably already familiar with jicama. For those who aren’t however, it just might be your new favorite snack.
In central America, jicama is frequently sold by street vendors to be eaten raw or with some seasoning, but it can also be cooked and added to a variety of dishes.
The white flesh of the root is what holds all of jicama’s flavor, which can be described as sweet and starchy, somewhere between that of a water chestnut and an apple.
However because of the high starch content, it’s easy to get jicama to take on the flavor of whatever seasoning you’re using, lending itself to endless recipe possibilities.
Jicama is often revered as a superfood. It’s often compared to other superfoods like kale, acai berries, and quinoa for its rich levels of antioxidants and high inulin content (a beneficial prebiotic).
Nutrition in Jicama
The nutrition facts for one serving (about one cup) of jicama are as follows:
- Calories – 46
- Total Fat – 0.1 grams
- Saturated Fat – 0 grams
- Polyunsaturated Fat – 0.1 grams
- Monounsaturated Fat – 0 grams
- Protein – 0.9 grams
- Total Carbohydrates – 11 grams
- Dietary Fiber – 5.9 grams
- Sugars -2.2 grams
- Cholesterol – 0 miligrams
- Potassium – 180 milligrams (5% of Recommended Daily Allowance)
- Sodium – 4.8 milligrams
- Magnesium – 15.6 milligrams (4% of Recommended Daily Allowance)
- Calcium – 2% of Recommended Daily Allowance
Jicama is also rich in Vitamin C, with 40% of the Recommended Daily Allowance, as well as 1.4% of Calcium and 4% of Iron.
The high fiber content makes it very beneficial for digestive purposes, and the high potassium and magnesium content have proven benefits for restoring electrolytes and promoting healthy hydration.
Is Jicama Keto-Friendly?
As you can see from the above nutrition facts, a single serving of Jicama has about 5.1 net carbs (11 total carbs minus the 5.9 grams of dietary fiber). This doesn’t make it a perfect keto food, but it is definitely keto-friendly compared to other roots and vegetables.
A fortunate thing about this net carb count is that most recipes that call for jicama actually don’t even use a full serving, so it’s likely you’ll get fewer than 4.1 net carbs when implementing them into your keto diet.
When assessing the other added nutritional benefits of jicama with its net carb count, it starts to become a no brainer – jicama can be a great snack and meal enhancer when following the keto diet.
Jicama can be great when eaten in the traditional way, and it can also make for great potato and sweet potato replacements because its texture.
From here, I’ll go into some more detail on those specific benefits of jicama, and will lay out my personal favorite keto jicama recipes at the end of this post.
Other Benefits or Jicama
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May Boost Heart Health
A lot of those powerful nutrients within jicima mentioned above also contribute to improving heart health considerably.
All of the soluble dietary fiber that comes with jicima has been linked to helping to lower cholesterol levels. Soluble dietary fiber does this by preventing bile from getting reabsorbed in the intestines, and it also prevents the liver from producing more cholesterol.
Specifically, a collection or recent studies also show that increasing fiber intake decreases both total and the “bad” cholesterol, otherwise known as LDL cholesterol.
Jicama’s high concentration of potassium also helps boost heart health because it has been linked to decreased levels of blood pressure. One study recently showed that potassium decreases blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels throughout the body.
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High in Antioxidants
As mentioned above, jicama also contains a variety of beneficial antioxidants, which promote longevity and prevent long term cell damage.
Antioxidants are plant compounds that are often found in blueberries, oranges, and roots like jicama. When it comes to jicama, one cup serving contains nearly half of the recommended daily allowance for the antioxidant vitamin C.
It also contains high amounts of vitamin E, selenium, and beta-carotene.
All of these antioxidants have been proven to help protect against damage to our cells by counteracting harmful molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals are known to cause high amounts of oxidative stress, which when put on our cells, can actually speed up the aging process of your organs and negatively impact your longevity.
Oxidative stress is most closely linked to increases in chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and general cognitive decline.
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Promotes Digestion
Along with having benefits for your heart, all that dietary fiber can also help to increase the bulk of your stool, which is paramount to helping to make your digestive tract more efficient, and limit the amount of inflammation that can take place at any point in the digestion process.
On top of soluble dietary fiber, jicama also contains another type of fiber known as inulin, which can also be characterized as a prebiotic. Studies have shown that inulin can directly increase the frequency of bowel movements, and help ease constipation.
Overall, fiber can help you keep hydrated, reduce nausea, and ensures that your body gets the maximum benefit out of all of the other nutrients you’re digesting.
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Good for Gut Bacteria
As a prebiotic fiber, inulin’s benefits don’t just stop at improving digestion, but it can also help boost the good bacteria in your gut, which has been connected to a variety of other health benefits.
Inulin isn’t soluble dietary fiber, meaning that the digestive system isn’t able to absorb it directly. However the bacteria that lives in your gut can absorb and ferment it, thereby boosting the population of good bacteria in your gut, and decreasing the population of unhealthy bacteria in your gut by default.
Studies have discovered that high amounts of good bacteria in your gut directly correlate to improved immune systems, elevated mood, and even weight loss.
- May Assist with Weight Loss
Jicama may be used as a tool to help encourage weight loss for a few different reasons. First of all, it’s incredibly nutrient dense while still being very low in calories, meaning your body will be less hungry after eating it, and you won’t need to consume as many calories as you usually would.
Additionally, its high fiber content can keep you full for longer periods of time, and high soluble fiber has also been linked to keeping blood glucose levels stable, which are directly correlated to stable levels of hunger.
Keto-Friendly Jicama Recipes
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Seasoned Air Fried Jicama Fries
Ingredients:
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- 1 medium sized jicama, cut into match stick (french fry) shapes
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
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- In a large bowl, add together the jicama sticks, smoked paprika, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Toss to combine until every stick is fully coated in the mixture
- Using an Air Fryer, fry the mixture for 15 minutes at 400F. Shake the basked every four to five minutes for even coat
- Let cool for 2-5 minutes
- Serve alongside your favorite keto-friendly ketchup or bbq sauce, and enjoy!
- Crunchy Jicama Fish Tostadas
Ingredients:
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- 1/3 cup full fat mayonnaise
- 2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
- 1 large jicama, peeled
- 6 halibut fillets
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 and a half teaspoons of Almond Flour (Can sub coconut flour as well)
- 1/4 cup chopped red onions
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1/3 cup of chopped seeded tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of chopped red onions
Instructions:
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- Mix together chiles, mayo, and garlic until they are well blended.
- Refrigerate the mixture until it is ready to use
- Cut off the ends of the jicama and discard
- Cut remaining jicama sticks lengthwise in half, and cut each half crosswise into 6 slices.
- Arrange the cut ends of slices together on a plate to form six cirlces
- Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Coat fish with flour; shake gently
- Add fish to skillet for 6 to 8 minutes or until fish becomes flaky
- Top jicama with fish, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and mayonnaise mixture
- Serve and enjoy!
- Keto Jicama Chili Cheese Fries
Ingredients:
Jicama Fries –
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- 8 cups of peeled and sliced jicama
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp olive oil (or sub for avocado oil)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Keto Chili:
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- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 lb of ground beef
- 7.5 oz of diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Toppings:
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- 1/ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 dollop of sour cream
- 1/4 cup green onions
Instructions:
Fries:
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- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Add the jicama slices and boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are longer crunchy.
- Remove jicama after boiling and pat dry
- Set the air fryer oven to 400 degrees, let preheat for 2 to 3 minutes
- Place the jicama fries into a large bowl along with the garlic powder, cumin, sea salt, and olive oil
- Toss mixture in bowl to fully coat
- Transfer the fries into the air fryer oven in a single layer, and bake for ten minutes or until fries are golden brown
If you’re looking for an Air Fryer, I’m partial to the Ninja Air Fryer and Pressure Cooker combined, which I got on sale over at Amazon.com.
Chili:
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- In one large saucepan or small pot, heat the olive or avocado oil over low to medium heat
- Add in the ground beef and increase heat to medium high
- If using already defrosted beef, cook for about ten minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula until it is completely browned
- Add the remaining chili ingredients to the mixture, and cook until ingredients have mixed to your liking
Top the whole concoction with cheese and sour cream, and enjoy!
