Sabudana, also known as tapioca pearl or sago, is a starch extracted from the roots of tapioca and processed into pearl-like spears.
It contains a high amount of carbohydrates, making it a fast energy booster. Due to its neutral flavor, it can also add texture to breads and soups without affecting the taste.
Sabudana is satisfying, so the starch is sometimes consumed on fasting days in some cultures. It’s an ingredient in dishes like sabudana khichdi, which consists of sabudana, potatoes, sugar, and peanuts.
Since sabudana can increase satiety, you might eat it when trying to lose weight. But this starch isn’t always the best choice for weight loss. In fact, it might lead to weight gain.
What is sabudana?
To understand why sabudana isn’t good for weight loss, it’s important to understand what it is.
Sabudana is a type of carbohydrate like potatoes, bread, rice, and pasta. Carbohydrates provide the body with energy, so these foods are important to any diet. But you must eat carbohydrates in moderation, especially when you’re trying to lose weight.
It also helps you limit your consumption of high-carbohydrate foods and high-calorie foods.
Sabudana falls into the category of “high-carb” and “high-calorie,” as it contains a lot of calories per cup.
Per information provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one cup of sabudana has:
- Calories: 544
- Carbohydrates: 135 g
- Fiber: 1.37 g
- Protein: 0.29 g
- Fat: 0.03 g
- Calcium: 30.4 mg
- Iron: 2.4 mg
- Magnesium: 1.52 mg
- Potassium: 16.7 mg
