Mesquite

Mesquite. It’s likely that you haven’t heard of it. Or, if you have, you likely know it as the slow burning wood that makes for a great barbeque.

It’s much more than that though. So much more in fact, that it’s actually a forgotten source of nutrition, and today we’ll tell you why.

What is Mesquite?

Mesquite (Prosopis laevigata) is a legume, that grows on a tree. Since people have mostly forgotten it, it’s now classified as an orphan legume. Though a few centuries ago, it was an important source of food for people living in the arid areas of the Americas.

The tree, this fine legume grows on, is resistant to drought and various climatic changes and its seeds are highly nutritious which is why it played such an important role in food security.

Like many other legumes, it’s one of the richest vegan sources of high-quality proteins. 100 grams of Mesquite seed flour contains 36 grams of proteins, about 8 grams of dietary fibre, and 7 mg of phenolic compounds. 100 grams of its flour has antioxidant properties comparable to 10 mg of Vitamin C.

Studies have identified more than 13 types of phenolic compounds, suggesting its role as a functional food.¹^,²

What Are the Health Benefits of Mesquite?

Legumes are nutritionally superior to grains; they have a higher content of proteins, dietary fibre, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.³ Hence, this is why many professional health organisations agree that humans need to consume more legumes instead of grains.

Here are just some of the health benefits of Mesquite:

Gut Health

Mesquite is free from fats, yet high in fibre, meaning it’s highly beneficial for gut flora, and intestinal motility. It has immune boosting properties too!

Chronic Ailment Reduction

If used regularly as a dietary supplement, Mesquite may help reduce the risk of various chronic ailments and metabolic disorders. It may help reduce insulin resistance and risk of diabetes⁶, and also seems to exert a mild blood pressure lowering effect.⁴

High Protein

Mesquite flour a has protein profile comparable to soybean or other beans, but it has much higher free-radical scavenging capacity, which means it will be better than other beans in preventing chronic health problems.

How Do You Use Mesquite?

Mesquite is usually eaten in the form of roasted mesquite flour, which is sweet in taste and can be used as a substitute for table sugar, especially in cooking and baking various food products.

Among the noncaloric nutrients, it is abundant in minerals, dietary fibres, and phenolic compounds/antioxidants. It also has a low glycemic index and takes a couple of hours for full absorption, making it great for slow release.

For maximum health benefits, mesquite flour should be included in a regular diet as a functional food (not medicine). It’s an excellent source of high-quality vegan protein that comes with a much lower carbon footprint when compared to animal meat. It’s also free from fats, so it won’t cause high-fat diet related health issues either.

Interestingly, cooking doesn’t seem to have any negative impact on its antioxidant capacity⁵, so you can feel comfortable cooking it, without worrying that it may lose all its healthy goodness.

With all these health benefits and more, this forgotten source of nutrition should no longer be forgotten.

What’s more, Mesquite is among the poorly studied food items, meaning that many other health benefits are still waiting to be discovered.

Properties

Antioxidant³^,⁵
Blood Pressure – Reduction⁴
Diabetes / Blood Sugar⁴
High/Good Levels of Fibre³
High/Good Levels of Phytochemicals / Phytocompounds²^,⁵
High/Good Levels of Vitamin C³^,⁴
Immune Booster⁵
Low Glycemic Index / Load¹^,²^,⁵

References