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Welcome to the Dr. Gundry podcast,

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where Dr. Stephen Gundry shares his

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groundbreaking research from over 25 years

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of treating patients with diet and

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lifestyle changes alone. Dr. Gundry

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and other wellness experts offer

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inspiring stories, the latest scientific

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advancements, and practical tips to

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empower you to take control of your health

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and live a long, happy life. All

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right, what the heck is jicama? Well,

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it's actually a root vegetable that originates

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from South America. Some people know it

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as the Mexican potato. So what

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the heck does it taste like?

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It's actually crisp with a starchy,

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sweet flavor. It almost tastes to

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me like a cross between a

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potato and an apple. Some people

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think it tastes very similar to

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a Japanese pear. Now, it's

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got an impressive list of

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benefits that you really need

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to get it into your diet. So

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one cup of jicama contains just 49

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calories. Now, it has 12 grams

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of carbohydrates, but six

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and a half of those

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grams are actually prebiotic fiber.

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So that means that little

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over half the carbohydrates are

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prebiotic fiber that feeds your

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gut bacteria. Also, jicama

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is loaded with folate, iron,

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and magnesium and potassium. Magnesium

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and potassium are two of

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the vitamins that most people

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are really profoundly deficient in.

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Best of all, it's loaded

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with antioxidants. One cup has

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44% of the recommended daily

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intake of vitamin C. It

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also contains vitamin E, selenium, and

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beta carotene. Now, it may support

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a healthy heart. As I mentioned,

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it's a great source of potassium,

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which aids in heart health. One

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study showed that potassium decreased blood

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pressure and protected against heart disease

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and stroke. Jicama is also a

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natural source of nitrate. Studies have

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linked nitrate consumption from vegetables to

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animals. increase circulation and better exercise

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performance by making nitric oxide. So

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what a great way. You don't

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have to eat your beetroot extract,

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have a hekama instead. The fiber

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in hekama contains a lot of

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inulin and you've heard me talk

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about inulin before. Inulin

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probably is the best

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prebiotic fiber to feed

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friendly gut bacteria. In

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fact, most of your

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bowel movement is actually made up of

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bacteria. Strange

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to say, it's not waste, it's

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actually bacteria. So studies have shown

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that inulin can increase the frequency

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of bowel movements by up to

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31% in those studied with constipation.

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Why? Because you're actually

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giving gut bacteria what they

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want to eat and they

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make lots of little baby gut

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bacteria. They reproduce. That

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actually makes you have bigger

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and more frequent stools which

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is phenomenal for you in

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multiple ways. It can actually

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support healthy weight loss. It's

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very high in water and

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this is fiber. So it's

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actually quite satisfying and studies

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in mice suggest that eating hekama

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may actually decrease blood sugar levels.

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Nice. The Dr.

3:17

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in all states and situations. The

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other great thing about jicama is

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extremely versatile. They can be used

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in other health-wrecking foods like potatoes,

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making them great for staying on

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track with a lectin-free diet. Now,

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I personally love jicama fries. Once

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cooked and seasoned, they get a

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very similar taste, a regular old

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french fries, but are so much

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better for you because of the

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inulin they contain and the lack

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of lectins. Now, here's how

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to do it. First, peel the

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jicama and then cut it into

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thick fry-like slices or use pre-sliced

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jicama strips. They're available at

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Whole Foods, they're often at Trader Joe's

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and many other supermarkets. Now, already

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have the jicama peeled in its thick

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form. Boil the jicama on

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the stove for about 5 to 10 minutes.

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Drain them, dry them off and put them

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in a large bowl and drizzle them with

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olive oil and spices. Then, put them in

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an oven for 40 minutes

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until they're tender and crisp about 25

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minutes. Or, they work

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great in an air fryer, just as

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if you were going to do french

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fries in an air fryer or sweet

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potato fries. The benefit of these over

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sweet potato fries is you're actually going

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to have that potato-like flavor and

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you're going to get a whole lot more

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inulin than you would have even gotten

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in the sweet potato fries. Need some

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other ideas? I got plenty. Jicama chips

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are also great. Play around with me.

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with the flavors like you would potato chips.

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Use jicama as breakfast hash

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browns. Shred them and cook

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them exactly like you would

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any hash browns. I think

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shredded on salad is a

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great way to add an

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extra crunch. Cut it into

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thick slices or use the

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pre-sliced sticks and serve it

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as a dip with guacamole.

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Now, when you're buying guacamole,

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just remember, get the tomato-less

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guacamole. It's easy to find.

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Tomatoes have no place in guacamole.

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Add them to a vegetable platter. You'll

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be amazed. This'll be one of the

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most popular items on the vegetable platter.

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Even if people don't know what it

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is, one tastes and

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they're usually coming back for more.

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Another fun way to do it

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is stir fry it with sesame

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oil or olive oil. How about

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sprinkling it with fresh lime juice

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and chili powder for a spicy,

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refreshing snack. And if you have

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got a spiralizer, this is really

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fun. Make jicama noodles for a

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healthy pasta alternative. You'll be amazed

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at the texture and flavor it

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absorbs from whatever sauce you're gonna

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put with it. Okay, so how

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do you store and select your

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jicama? Well, first of all, look

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for one that's firm and free of soft

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spots. Choose one smaller

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in size. As the root goes

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larger, the flavor kind of dissipates

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and its texture becomes pretty tough

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and it loses that appealing crispness.

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The smaller ones are also a

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whole lot easier to cut and

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handle. Now, keep it in a

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cool, dry place. Like you used

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to store potatoes or you store

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sweet potatoes. Leave them down under

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the sink or put them in the cabinet

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and try not to store it in the

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refrigerator. I hope you enjoyed this episode

7:45

of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If

7:47

you did, please share this with family and friends.

7:50

You never know how one of these health

7:52

tips can completely transform someone's life when you

7:54

take the time to share it with them.

7:56

There's also the Dr. Gundry podcast YouTube channel

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where we have tens of. thousands of free

8:00

health insights that can help you and your

8:03

loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's

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do this together.