Benefits You Can Get From Sayote

Taking good care of our health will always be a priority and one of the major factors we have to consider is properly choosing the food we eat. When it comes to foods with health benefits, we usually get it from fruits and vegetables. And, one on the list of vegetables where we can gain benefits to keep us healthy is the chayote squash.

Know more about Chayote Squash 

First, what is the chayote squash? Here in Baguio City and the Province of Benguet, this vegetable can be spotted almost everywhere and it’s commonly known as the “sayote”. A lot of you might be familiar with this as this is the perfect vegetable to pair with your favorite sardine brand. 

Benefits of Sayote

Here is a list of the impressive benefits you can gain from eating sayote: 

Rich in Nutrients

Eating sayote will give you a lot of nutrients and here are some of the nutrients you can gain from it. Here are the nutrition facts provided by the USDA National Nutrient Database for 132 grams or 1 cup ( 1” pieces) of chayote:

• Calories: 25
• Fat: 0.2g
• Sodium: 2.6 mg
• Carbohydrates: 6 g
• Fiber: 2.2 g
• Sugars: 2.2 g
• Protein: 1.1 g
• Calcium: 22.4 mg
• Iron: 0.45 mg
• Potassium: 165 mg

High in Fiber and Low Fat

For those who are on weight management, sayote is a good source of fiber and it has low fat. Thus, it helps in the easier maintenance of a healthy weight.  Also, a high amount of fiber is a great help in making you feel full after eating and also helps in controlling blood sugar levels.

Rich of Amino Acids

The fruit especially the seed of sayote is rich in amino acid, used as a source of energy by the body, such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, arginine, cysteine, phenylalanine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, proline, serine, tyrosine, threonine, valine, and methionine which can only be found in the fruit.

Low Sodium Vegetable

Eating foods with too much sodium may lead to health problems just like high blood pressure and Sayote is a low-sodium vegetable that is perfect for those who are on a low-sodium diet.

For Metabolic Function

Another benefit of sayote is that it is a rich source of folates which helps in the metabolic function. For those who want to improve their body’s metabolism eating sayote may help. 

Interesting Facts about Sayote

Most parts of Sayote are Edible

One of the interesting things about sayote is that almost all of the parts of the plant are edible, this includes the fruit, seeds, young leaves, and shoots. Nothing will be put to waste and you can even create different recipes out of it. 

Easy to Grow

Sayote is one of the plants that are hassle-free to grow and in most cases, it can grow on its own. However, to make sure that it’s growing perfectly, provide the proper care it needed to support its growth such as giving it the right amount of fertilizer and proper watering. 

Other Term for Sayote

The chayote squash is also known for its scientific name which is Sechium edule (Jacq.) If chayote is locally called “sayote” in the Philippines, here are the other local names of chayote around  the world: 

• Argentina: cayota
• Bolivia: cayota
• Brazil: chuchu; machiche-francês; machucho; xuxú
• Cambodia: su-suu
• Cuba: chayote blanco; chayote francés; chayote verde; chayotera; chote
• Dominican Republic: méliton; tayota; tayote
• Germany: Chayote; Schuschu
• Haiti: chayotte; concombre; mirliton
• Honduras: chinchayote; ñame; patasté; patastilla
• Indonesia: labu siam; waluh jepang
• Italy: chayote
• Laos: nooy th’ai; savëëx
• Mexico: bisquil ; camochayote; chinchayote; cueza; güisquil; huisayote; uisquil
• Papua New Guinea: choko; sako
• Puerto Rico: tallón; tallote
• Thailand: ma-kheua-kreua; taeng-kariang
• Vietnam: su su

International Common Names of Sayote

Here are also the intenational common names of sayote:

• English: alligator-pear; cho-cho; christophene; christophine; pipinella; vegetable pear
• Spanish: chay; chaya; chayote; chima; chocho; chuma; escobilla dulce; guispui; huisquil; talote
• French: chayotte; chouchou; chou-chou; chouchoute; christofine; christophine; hayotte
• Chinese: fo shou gua

With all the benefits we can get from eating sayote, lucky those who have a sayote plant at home. With the situation we are in right now, health is important and one of the things we can do is to ensure our health is properly maintained is by eating nutritious food. Also, to have an unlimited supply of freshly picked vegetables, it is best to learn how to grow our own.

Source: Nutritionvalue.org, Chayote Nutrition Facts, One Green Planet, hort.purdue.edu, nchfp.uga.edu, MyHealthfinder, chayote benefits cholesterol and weight, cabi.org