Jicama

Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps

Jicama is a crunchy, juicy root that's low in calories but high in fiber and vitamin C — just make sure you peel off the skin, since only the inside root is safe to eat.

Stage by stage

Crunch & Break Down (Mouth & Esophagus): Chewing ruptures jicama's crisp cell structure, releasing its watery, slightly sweet flesh and starting digestion in the mouth.
Acid Bath (Stomach): In the stomach, acid and enzymes begin breaking down jicama's natural sugars and starches, while its indigestible inulin fiber passes through largely intact.
Nutrient Absorption (Small Intestine): In the small intestine, vitamin C and available carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream, but inulin resists human digestive enzymes and continues on undigested.
Gut Microbiome Boost (Large Intestine & Gut Flora): In the large intestine, resident gut bacteria ferment jicama's inulin fiber into short-chain fatty acids, nourishing beneficial microbes and supporting regularity and gut health.

Timing

Jicama has no required timing — it's typically eaten raw as a snack or in salads any time of day, with or without a meal.

Time to effect

Days to Weeks: Improved regularity from jicama's inulin fiber can appear within a few days of regular intake, while measurable shifts in gut bacteria populations typically take one to several weeks.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 38 kcal per 100 g that is 632 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.

Environmental footprint

0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 38
Protein: 0.7g
Carbohydrate: 8.8g
of which sugars: 1.8g
Fat: 0.1g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 4.9g
Sodium: 4mg

Food vs. supplement

Whole jicama provides fiber, prebiotic inulin, vitamin C, and water together in one low-calorie package — a combination isolated fiber or vitamin C supplements cannot replicate.

Kitchen tip

Peel jicama's tough brown skin completely before eating, and discard the vine, leaves, and seeds — only the peeled root is safe to consume; raw slices or matchsticks preserve the most vitamin C.

Common myth

"Jicama is just crunchy water with no real nutritional value." In reality: Raw jicama is about 90% water, but per 100 g it still delivers roughly 4.9 g of fiber and about 20 mg of vitamin C (around 22% of the Daily Value), making it a genuinely nutrient-contributing low-calorie food rather than an empty one.