Ube (Purple Yam): Nutrition and Benefits

Biggs October 27, 2024
Ube (purple yams)
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Ube purple yam (Dioscorea alata L) is a healthy root vegetable from Southeast Asia. This tuber (a plant that mainly grows under the ground) has been a staple part of Filipino desserts for hundreds of years. It is also valued worldwide for its use as a healthy food and the striking violet color it adds to foods such as desserts.

Ube purple yam is high in healthy carbohydrates, vitamins, and fiber.1 While it has a nutritional profile close to the orange sweet potato, an ube has a distinct look. It has dark brown, bark-like skin that may be covered in tiny rootlets. The flesh on the inside is deep, dark purple. An ube can measure up to 20 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide. While it has a cylindrical shape, it may appear twisted or gnarled.

Ube Purple Yam Nutrition Profile

Ube purple yam is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A, both powerful antioxidants (compounds that help protect your cellular health and overall wellness). These micronutrients support immune health to reduce your risk of disease. This naturally low-fat and cholesterol-free vegetable provides a healthy source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber.1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides the following nutritional breakdown for a 100-gram (g) serving of ube:1

Medicinal Uses and Forms

Protect Against Free Radicals

An ube gets its deep purple pigment from anthocyanin compounds (a group of bioactive pigments in certain plants), which provide antioxidant benefits. Antioxidants like anthocyanins and vitamin C can protect your body against harmful molecules of free radicals by oxidizing them. Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules that have the potential to harm cell DNA, proteins, and membranes, increasing your risk of cancer and other disease such as cardiovascular disease.23

Provide Dietary Fiber

An ube provides a rich source of dietary fiber, which can help maintain a healthy digestive system. Research indicates that consuming adequate daily fiber can promote a range of benefits related to gut health and lower your risk of conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation.14

Manage Blood Sugar

Ube purple yams are rich in flavonoids (phytonutrients found in plants and vegetables). There is evidence that these substances can help lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.56

Fight Inflammation

An ube is rich in anthocyanins and flavonoids, compounds known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Research indicates that these compounds can help reduce inflammation, a condition linked with diseases such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.789

Lower Blood Pressure

You may gain blood-pressure-lowering effects from an ube due to its high antioxidant content. Research indicates that the antioxidants in an ube may help reduce blood pressure in a way similar to the mechanisms used in angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), which are medications used to lower blood pressure.10

Balasuriya N BW, Rupasinghe V HP. Plant flavonoids as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in regulation of hypertension. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2011;5:172-188.

Improve Asthma Symptoms

Research shows that consuming high amounts of antioxidants like vitamins A and C is associated with lower odds of having asthma and wheezing.11

Support Digestive Health

The complex carbohydrates in an ube are a healthy source of resistant starch, a type of starch that is resistant to digestion. It passes through the stomach and small intestine without being absorbed. Instead, resistant starch enters your large intestine, where it ferments and supports healthy gut flora.12

Forms of Ube Purple Yam

Ube purple yams are versatile cooking ingredients. While the ube purple yam can be boiled, baked, or fried alone, byproducts of ube are often used in cooking and baking. It can be cooked, mashed, dehydrated, and ground into a vivid purple powder. Ube powder must be reconstituted (mixed in liquid) before use. It can be used in recipes to replace all-purpose flour.13

Where Ube Purple Yam Comes From

While ube is native to Indonesia, it is grown and cultivated in a region that ranges from India through Myanmar and Vietnam to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as south to northern Australia. Ube grows best in warm, tropical, and subtropical regions where the summers are wet. They are also an important food crop in the Caribbean, Central America, and West Africa. Ube are grown on a limited basis in Florida and Southern California, though they require more water and attention.14

Taste Description

Ube is typically described as having a unique, sweet, nutty flavor with vanilla undertones. Rather than eaten on its own, ube is often used as an ingredient in recipes ranging from sweet to savory, though it is primarily used to make sweets such as ice cream and cakes.13

Where to Find Authentic Ube

Ube can be difficult to find in the United States because it is considered an invasive species. You may find it in fresh or frozen form in Filipino or Asian grocery stores. Depending on your location, you may be able to find ube in a chain local grocery store or have it delivered from an online grocer.

Summary

Ube purple yams are a root vegetable native to Southeast Asia. They have gained worldwide interest due to their healthy nutritional profile and vibrant purple color. When used in baking and cooking, ube purple yams can make desserts, ice creams, and other sweets stand out visually.

From a nutritional perspective, ube purple yams provide a healthy source of antioxidants, which may reduce your risk of certain diseases. The nutrients in the ube purple yam may also help control blood sugar, fight inflammation, and lower your blood pressure.

In addition to providing a unique, vibrant color to many foods, ube purple yams can replace other starchy vegetables in soup, stew, or stir-fry recipes. While the ube purple yam can be hard to find in the U.S., ube powder and ube extract are more easily accessible and adequate for most recipes.

Sources:

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Panama, whole purple yam.
  2. National Cancer Institute. Antioxidants and cancer prevention.
  3. Cakrawati D, Srivichai S, Hongsprabhas P. Effect of steam-cooking on (poly)phenolic compounds in purple sweet potato tubers. Food Research. 2021;5(1). doi:10.26656/fr.2017.5(1).407
  4. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The nutrition source.
  5. Al-Ishaq RK, Abotaleb M, Kubatka P, Kajo K, Büsselberg D. Flavonoids and their anti-diabetic effects: cellular mechanisms and effects to improve blood sugar levels. Biomolecules. 2019;9(9):430. doi:10.3390/biom9090430
  6. Srivichai S, Hongsprabhas P. Profiling anthocyanins in thai purple yams(dioscorea alata l.). International Journal of Food Science. 2020;2020:1-10. doi:10.1155/2020/1594291
  7. Ginwala R, Bhavsar R, Chigbu DI, Jain P, Khan ZK. Potential role of flavonoids in treating chronic inflammatory diseases with a special focus on the anti-inflammatory activity of apigenin. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(2):35. doi:10.3390/antiox8020035
  8. Ma Z, Du B, Li J, Yang Y, Zhu F. An insight into anti-inflammatory activities and inflammation-related diseases of anthocyanins: a review of both in vivo and in vitro investigations. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(20):11076. doi:10.3390/ijms222011076
  9. Srivichai S, Hongsprabhas P. Profiling anthocyanins in thai purple yams(dioscorea alata l.). International Journal of Food Science. 2020;2020:1-10. doi:10.1155/2020/1594291
  10. Balasuriya N BW, Rupasinghe V HP. Plant flavonoids as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in regulation of hypertension. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2011;5:172-188.
  11. Zajac D, Wojciechowski P. The role of vitamins in the pathogenesis of asthma. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023;24(10):8574. doi:10.3390/ijms24108574
  12. UCLA Health. Resistant starches newest thing in gut microbiome talk.
  13. Phillipine Consulate General. Ube.
  14. Specialty Produce. Ratalu purple yam.
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.verywellhealth.com by Anna Giorgi where all credits are due. Medically reviewed by Aviv Joshua, MS

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