Autumn Harvest and the Benefits of Arugula (part 3)

Arugula

Another vegetable in our series of Autumn Harvest the Benefits of…

The first one is Autumn Harvest and the Benefits of Tomatoes (part 1)

The second one is Autumn Harvest and the Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (part 2)

The third vegetable in the autumn harvest is arugula. Actually it is a leafy green.

Arugula is a cool-weather crop. Long days and warm weather make it bolt, or flower, and bring an unpleasantly bitter flavor to the leaves. Wild arugula is foraged in spring and again in the autumn. Cultivated arugula is grown year-round, due to coastal, temperate growing areas and winter greenhouses.

Arugula is a dark green, peppery leaf that works equally well in salads or as a cooked green. It is available year-round, but is best when the weather is mild.

Smaller arugula leaves tend to be milder, while larger leaves tend to have a more aggressive, peppery kick.

Smaller leaves are great in salads on their own or combined with other leafy greens.

It’s excellent for using as a garnish, since the leaves have plenty of kick and other raw preparations where its intense peppery flavor can be appreciated.

Most leafy greens are very low in calories, but not all give you a good dose of nutrients like arugula (spinach tops the list though). Compared to Iceberg lettuce, arugula contains about eight times the calcium, five times the vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, and four times the iron.

Arugula is classified as a cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. The health benefit of eating cruciferous vegetables is their ability to protect against certain cancers. These benefits are found in some compounds called glucosinolates. In our bodies, glucosinolates are converted to isothiocyanates, which are thought to regulate immune function and play a role in cancer prevention.

The Science behind Arugula

If you are wondering about glucosinolates, they are organic compounds that contain sulfur and nitrogen and are derived from glucose and an amino acid. Isothiocyanates are sulphur containing chemicals, which in large amounts are toxic. The vegetable does not contain this chemical at start, but is a reaction when the vegetable is chewed or chopped, the cell membranes break down and they come in contact with an enzyme, which in turn hydrolizes the glucosinolates, and turns them into the phytonutrient isothiocyanates which makes it a cancer prevention chemical.

Eating arugula among other leafy greens like spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard and kale; arugula is a great way to get a healthy range of carotenoids. Scientific studies have shown carotenoids to help in the prevention of diseases like cancer as mentioned in the prior paragraph and macular degeneration.

If you haven’t had the leafy green arugula, then you need to try it at least once. Knowing the health benefits of adding this leafy green to your diet should be reason enough to try it. Eat and be Healthy.

For more information about how food correlates to a healthy you visit: Savor the Food and Your Health.

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