Cultivated and used since the old days, arugula started as both a medicinal and aphrodisiac herb. Today, this leafy green is commonly used as a vegetable, and it’s presentin most parts of the world.
If you observe Italian cuisine keenly, you’ll notice arugula is a common ingredient for such dishes. On top of its delicious taste, it offers lots of benefits to your body. You’ll get protection against cancer, eye problems, bonediseases, metabolic disorders, and poor immune system. Here is what you may not know about arugula;
How does arugula work?
If you know kales, spinach, cauliflower, and radishes as the only Brassicaceae family, there is another one knownas arugula. Its leaves are deep green with notches up and down on both sides. Some leaves are round, while the rest are more pointed.You can use arugula when raw or cook it in different recipes. Its signature is a peppery taste, and you’ll enjoy every bite of it any time you add to your meals. It’s also known as rocket, roquette, or rucola. Arugula is an all-year-round plant, butit cultivates better during early springs and falls.
How can you use arugula?
Arugula is often purchased as a bunch.Thoroughly rinse the leaves whiletrimming the root end to ensure all the sand is gone before using it. Arugula is mostly added to salads, but there are more options to enjoy your roquette. With it, you can add a vegetable-touch on your pizzas and baked potatoes, pasta, salads, sauces, andsoups. Arugula is also a great vegetable to add to scrambled eggs. You can as well useit on your sandwiches, pasta, grains like rice, pesto, and other roasted vegetables.
What’s arugula’s appearance and taste?
While some vegetables may be confusing to differentiate, arugula is easy to spot when in the market. Its leaves are darker than most plants, and it’s pinnate shaped and has lobes on both sides. Arugula is loved in salads for a reason-it introduces a peppery and somewhat bitter taste in your meals.
What are the varieties of arugula?
Arugula is found in varieties, and eachhas a different appearance. The most popular type iscommon and wild arugula. The wild version has a stronger tangwhile common’stasteis neutral. Other forms of arugula are Apollo, Silvretta, and Astro.
Nutritional value of arugula
- Calories-with a 100g portion of arugula, you’ll get 25 calories
- Fats and proteins-arugula have high-quality proteins and low in fats. Naturally,it does not have any cholesterol
- Carbohydrates-arugula has high amounts of sugar
- Vitamins-arugula completely has no vitamin D and vitamin 12 but contains high levels of B5,Vitamin K, and vitamin A.
- Minerals-arugula is quite high in magnesium, calcium, and potassium
- Nitrates-leafy green vegetables have natural compounds known as dietary nitrates, which improvevascular functions. Arugula has high amounts of these compounds, and the content is found in different quantities depending on seasonal periods.
- Glycemic index-there is no exact calculation for glycemic index in arugula. However, it’s claimed its GI may be low because of its small amounts of sugar.
- Acidity-acidity of arugula is neutral, and it’s measured through the Potential renal acid load(PRAL). The exact PRAL value of arugula is -7.9, and this makes it less-base when compared to vegetables like spinachwhich are more base-producing.
Is arugula associated with weight loss?
Green leafy leaves are regarded as weight loss diets. Arugulais no exception because of itsmicronutrients and dietary fiber. It’s low in calories, carbohydrates, and fats. More so, green leafy vegetables, including arugula, have thylakoid, which lowers hunger and cravings. Thus, it assistsin reducing overeating.
What’s the health impact of arugula?
It helps with cancer
Arugula has a compound called erucic which protects the body from cancer by preventingtumor cells from dividing. It helps with prostate, lung, bladder, and breast cancer.
Anti-diabetic effects
Roquetteis a low glycemic index food with few sugars. Its leaves exhibit anti-diabetic effects on cells that have a bad response towards insulin. Therefore, it’s useful in treating type 2 diabetes. It can also help manage metabolic syndrome because of its full amount of antioxidants.
Cardiovascular health
Regular intake of arugulaimproves cardiovascular health and reducesmortality. It minimizes cases of coronary heart disease, atherosclerotic vascular disease, and stroke. Its dietary nitrate helps to manage blood pressure and lower morbidity.
It helps to prevent osteoporosis
Roquettehas vitamin K and calcium, which are key nutrients to boost bone health. It achieves this by optimizing bone mineralization and improving absorption and excretion of calcium.Deficiency in these nutrients maximizes the risks of bone fractures and other bone-related diseases.
Any risks of consuming arugula?
There is no so much information to conclude arugula is unsafe for your health. However, if you’re on blood thinner medication, it may be wise to avoid too much consumption of arugula because it can undo the effectiveness of this treatment.
Do you need to refrigerate arugula?
Ideally, it’s important to keep your vegetables in the fridge if you want to keep them stable for long. Ensure you wash, dry, andwrap them in paper towels and seal in a bag before storing them in the vegetable’s crisper drawer in the fridge.
How long will arugula last?
If you store your arugula properly using the right methods,it’ll be safe for around 10 days. However, it’ll have a better taste if you consume it within 6 days.
How can you tell your arugula has gone bad?
Eating a vegetable that has gone bad is not healthy. It’s important you know when to throw it out. The signs are noticeable. Instead of being fresh and healthy, spoilt arugula begins to wither,has dark patches on its leaves, and becomes mushy. It’ll also give you a sour and a rotten odor.
Conclusion
Most vegetables, including arugula, are delicate after being harvested. You must take store it with care. Otherwise, it’ll easily go bad. Arugulahas many beneficial impacts on health. Thus, a must-have vegetable in your home. By using in various dishes, you’ll enjoy it more and fill your body with enough nutrients. So, starting from today, never miss to buy arugula anytime you get inside a grocery store. It’s not worth it to lose a chance to benefit from this useful vegetable!
Ksenia Sobchak enjoys blogging on fashion, style, lifestyle, love and CBD areas. Prior to becoming a blogger, Ksenia worked for a renowned fashion brand. Ksenia is a contributing author to leading fashion, lifestyle and CBD magazines and blogs. You can bump into Ksenia at her favourite cafe in South Kensington where she has written most blogs. Ksenia is a staunch advocate of CBD and its benefits to people. Ksenia is also on the panel of CBD reviewers at CBD Life Mag and Chill Hempire. Her favourite form of CBD are CBD gummies and CBD tinctures. Ksenia is a regular contributor at leading fashion, lifestyle as well as CBD magazines and blogs.
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