Vegetables and starchy roots
Taro (malanga)
Taro (malanga) has 142 kcal and 5.1 g of fiber per 100 g (3.5 oz), a low energy density.
Estimated satietyHow it is calculated
Estimated satiety: 3 out of 5
| Starting point | +1 |
|---|---|
| Low energy density: 142 kcal/100 g | +1 |
| Protein: 0.4 g/100 kcal | 0 |
| Fiber: 3.6 g/100 kcal | +1 |
| Solid food with 63.8 g of water, under 70 | 0 |
Our own estimate from the values per 100 g: useful for comparing foods with each other, not a measurement in people. Holt index (1995): this food was not measured.
- Prepared by
- Alex Gonzalez
- Last updated
- Next review
- Sources
- 11 primary
- Data
- USDA FDC 168486
No clinical review. No advertising from drug companies and no affiliate links.How we work
Nutrition facts
- Calories
- 185 kcal per serving
- 142 kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Protein
- 0.7 g per serving
- 0.5 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Carbohydrates
- 45 g per serving
- 34.6 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- of which sugars
- 0.6 g per serving
- 0.5 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Fiber
- 6.6 g per serving
- 5.1 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Fat
- 0.1 g per serving
- 0.1 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- of which saturated
- 0 g per serving
- 0 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Water
- 82.9 g per serving
- 63.8 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Source: USDA FoodData Central: Taro, cooked, without salt (FDC ID 168486), accessed September 23, 2026.
A typical 130 g (4.5 oz) serving provides about 185 kcal, 0.7 g of protein, and 6.6 g of fiber.
What it is and how to eat it
The Diccionario de americanismos gives the name malanga, in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia, to the tuber of a plant with large heart-shaped leaves (Xanthosoma), and warns that it is edible only after cooking and poisonous raw. The same dictionary records ocumo, in Venezuela, and yautía, in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Ecuador, as names for a tuber that is edible once cooked, and gives the name taro, in Colombia and Peru, to another plant, Colocasia esculenta, whose flesh is eaten boiled or roasted. This page uses USDA's figures for cooked taro, with 142 kcal, 34.6 g of carbohydrate, 5.1 g of fiber and only 0.52 g of protein per 100 g.
A 130 g (4.6 oz) serving provides 185 kcal, 6.6 g of fiber and less than 1 g of protein, so it is the starch part of the plate and goes alongside the protein, which the 2025 nutrition advisory on GLP-1 therapy suggests eating first, such as chicken, fish, eggs or beans. Cooked and mashed, alone or with a little broth, it is soft and easy to swallow when appetite is low, and in a soup with chicken or meat it is eaten starting with the meat. The same advisory suggests avoiding fatty or high-fiber foods in the first days of treatment, and with 5.1 g of fiber per 100 g, half a serving may be enough in those days.
What the evidence says
The FAO explains that some species of these tubers, of the genera Colocasia and Xanthosoma, are high in calcium oxalate, about 780 mg per 100 g, which has been linked to the acrid taste or irritation they cause, that in high-oxalate cultivars peeling, grating, soaking and fermenting reduce that acridity, and that oxalate tends to leave calcium unavailable to the body. The same source notes that some varieties have very small starch granules, a tenth the size of potato's, which improves the digestibility of their starch. With 5.1 g of fiber per 100 g it is a "source of fibre", and its 3.6 g per 100 kcal also meet the criterion for a "high fibre" claim, 3 g per 100 kcal (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). With 484 mg of potassium per 100 g, a mineral the FAO highlights in taro, it exceeds the 300 mg for "source of potassium", so it could carry the authorized claim "potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure" (Regulations (EU) No 1169/2011 and (EU) No 432/2012).
Satiety
The 1 to 5 score is our own estimate: it starts at 1 point, adds points for low energy density, for protein and fiber per 100 kcal, and for the water in solid foods, and subtracts points for drinks with calories. It is useful for comparing foods with each other; it is not a measurement in people.
What to keep in mind on a GLP-1 medication
Frequently asked questions about taro (malanga)
How many grams of protein are in a 130 g (4.5 oz) serving of taro (malanga)?
100 g (3.5 oz) of taro (malanga) has 0.5 g of protein. A typical 130 g (4.5 oz) serving has about 0.7 g of protein. That is 0.4 g of protein per 100 kcal.
How many kcal are in a 130 g (4.5 oz) serving of taro (malanga)?
100 g (3.5 oz) of taro (malanga) has 142 kcal. A typical 130 g (4.5 oz) serving has about 185 kcal. That is a low energy density.
How much fiber is in a 130 g (4.5 oz) serving of taro (malanga)?
100 g (3.5 oz) of taro (malanga) has 5.1 g of fiber. A typical 130 g (4.5 oz) serving has about 6.6 g of fiber. It carries our “High in fiber” tag.
Does taro (malanga) keep you full?
Moderately: our estimated satiety score is 3 out of 5. Calculation: 1 (base) + 1 (low energy density: 142 kcal/100 g) + 0 (protein: 0.4 g/100 kcal) + 1 (fiber: 3.6 g/100 kcal) + 0 (solid food with 63.8 g of water, under 70) = 3. It is an estimate based on its composition, not a measurement in people.
What should I know about taro (malanga) if I take Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound and feel nauseous?
Based on our tags, this is what matters about taro (malanga) on a GLP-1 medication. “High in fiber”: a good amount of fiber, which helps keep you regular; it is easier to tolerate when you increase it gradually and drink enough water. “Easy to digest”: a soft or low-fat food that many people tolerate well when they feel nauseous or get full quickly. These are general guidelines, not medical advice: everyone tolerates foods differently.
What is a typical serving of taro (malanga)?
We use 130 g (4.5 oz) as a typical serving. That amount provides about 185 kcal, 0.7 g of protein, and 6.6 g of fiber. It is a reference for calculations, not a recommendation of how much to eat.
Similar foods
Sources
Sources for the data on this page, with the access date.
- Official databaseU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Taro, cooked, without salt (FDC ID 168486).accessed .
- InstitutionAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE).Diccionario de americanismos (Dictionary of Americanisms): "malanga" (in Spanish).accessed .
- InstitutionAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE).Diccionario de americanismos (Dictionary of Americanisms): "ocumo" (in Spanish).accessed .
- InstitutionAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE).Diccionario de americanismos (Dictionary of Americanisms): "yautía" (in Spanish).accessed .
- InstitutionAssociation of Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE).Diccionario de americanismos (Dictionary of Americanisms): "taro" (in Spanish).accessed .
- Clinical guidelineObesity (Wiley).Mozaffarian D, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: A joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Obesity. 2025;33(8):1475-1503. doi:10.1002/oby.24336.accessed .
- InstitutionFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).Roots, tubers, plantains and bananas in human nutrition (FAO, 1990), chapter 4: nutritive value (carbohydrates of taro and other aroids).accessed .
- InstitutionFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).Roots, tubers, plantains and bananas in human nutrition (FAO, 1990), chapter 7: toxic substances and antinutritional factors (oxalate in cocoyam).accessed .
- RegulatorOfficial Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex).Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (Annex).accessed .
- RegulatorOfficial Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex).Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (Annex XIII, nutrient reference values).accessed .
- RegulatorOfficial Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex).Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods.accessed .