Nigerian tiger nuts are super high in resistant starch fiber, which has been getting a lot of buzz for its weight loss benefits, says Gina Consalvo, RD.

Resistant starch passes through the stomach and small intestine without

being digested, and may even help you lose weight by reducing blood

sugar spikes and keeping you fuller longer than other foods with the

same number of calories, she says. It also benefits your gut by acting

as a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of good bacteria in the digestive

tract.

Tiger nuts, one of the hottest superfoods on the market, are not, in fact, nuts. These wrinkled, marble-sized orbs are small, tuberous rhizomes of a sedge grass (cyperus esculentus lativum) that’s been cultivated for millennia around the world. Native Americans enjoyed tiger nuts, as did the ancient Egyptians. In Spain, where they’re known as chufa, they're the traditional ingredient for horchata.

With a flavor reminiscent of both coconut and almond, they earn their name from a tiger-striped exterior. They can be eaten freshly dug out of the ground, or roasted, boiled, or juiced. Packaged tiger nuts have been dried to make them shelf-stable; they’re also sold as tiger nut flour and tiger nut milk. All come with numerous health benefits.