Okra water: Why TikTok is buzzing for this new ‘miracle vegetable’

If you are not drinking your water infused with the latest miracle vegetable, what are you doing? Slices of lemon or cucumber are out, instead people are infusing their water with chia seeds or, most recently, okra. 

Searches for okra water have spiked by 470% on Pinterest, according to the company’s fall trend report. On TikTok, wellness influencers are promoting the slimy beverage’s benefits for improving digestion, increasing vaginal lubrication and even easing labor for those expecting.

Dr. Karan Rangarajan weighed in on the trend, explaining in a video, “If you drink okra water, it could actually be good for your gut health. This plant lube found inside okra is actually called mucilage. It acts like a soluble dietary fiber and a prebiotic. When exposed to water, it forms a gel, which makes your stool soft, juicy and regular.”

The slimy texture is thanks to the vegetables high level of plant mucilage, the same form of soluble fiber present in chia seeds (remember tadpole water?). By soaking the okra pods in water overnight, then straining out the solids, the soluble fiber that seeps out the plant gives the water a gel-like texture that may support smooth digestion. 

Okra’s health benefits have been widely studied. The vegetable contains antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which help reduce intestinal inflammation and support digestive health. Okra is also rich in vitamins A and C, leading some experts to believe that drinking okra water may benefit the skin. 

Okra also ontains folate, an essential vitamin for pregnant people. However, unless you are planning on eating about 2lb of whole okra to get the 600 micrograms of folate daily that doctors recommend, it may not be the most efficient way to get your prenatal vitamins. 

There are also a number of social media posts about okra water’s lubrication benefits when it comes to sexual health and labor. “POV: You drank okra water everyday in pregnancy and your baby came out unmedicated with two pushes,” one TikTok user posted. 

While anecdotal evidence on TikTok is abundant, scientific evidence to back up these claims is somewhat lacking. If you still want to give it a try remember: Rather than gulping down a drink with the texture of lube, you can get plenty of nutrients by simply eating vegetables. 

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