This post is guest contributed from The Collected Seed. For the full article or to learn more about growing veggies, native plants and composting in suburbia, check out the website www.collectedseed.com.

It’s not often that we get to celebrate comfort food as being good for us, but prepared the right way, Okra is one we can nosh on and feel good about ourselves!
 
Obviously, to leverage the health benefits we’ll have to skip the cornmeal breading and deep-frying, but there are lots of great ways to enjoy this nutrient-packed veggie (that’s technically a fruit).
 

Here are a few ideas on how to add okra to your dinner:
  • Sliced and sauteed in neutral oil (I use canola) and sprinkled with kosher salt
  • Grilled whole (Use a grill basket or put it on skewers)
  • Sliced up with other summer vegetables and smoked sausage for a quick and easy skillet dinner

 
What are the health benefits of okra?
 
Okra might just help you stay healthy because it provides key nutrients known to protect health and fight off illness, like vitamins A, C, and Zinc. In fact, one cup of uncooked okra provides 14% daily value of vitamin A and a whopping 26% daily value of vitamin C. As for zinc, one uncooked cup of okra will provide 5% daily value.
 
Eating okra with a meal might also help balance the absorption of dietary sugars, helping to regulate blood sugar according to WebMD. The site also includes okra in their section on diabetes due to its many benefits.
 
Fiber has a myriad of health benefits, such as aiding in digestion, helping maintain healthy cholesterol levels, it detoxifies without a “detox,” and it helps you feel full longer after you eat. Great news… okra is loaded with fiber! That same one cup of uncooked okra we’ve been talking about provides 3.2 grams of fiber. That’s 11% of the daily value, in just one cup.
 
 
 
Want to learn about growing okra? Read the full post at www.thecollectedseed.com