1. A Better Salad Green
All salad greens are healthy, right? Most are very low in calories, but not all give you a good dose of nutrients. Arugula is one leafy green vegetable that stands out as a rich source of many vitamins and minerals. Consider the difference between iceberg lettuce and arugula. Arugula contains about eight times the calcium, fives times the vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, and four times the iron as the same amount of iceberg lettuce. The choice is easy. Start with arugula for a healthier salad!
2. Brother of Broccoli?
It's used like any other leafy salad green, but arugula is classified as a cruciferous vegetable along with broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Along with the general health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, cruciferous vegetables seem to be especially useful in protecting against certain cancers. This benefit may be do to a class of 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.
3. Carotenoid Content
While not a superstar like sweet potatoes or kale when it comes to carotenoid content, arugula is a worthy player. Arugula contains beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, all of which are being studied for their role as antioxidants or in the prevention of diseases like cancer and macular degeneration. Eating leafy greens like arugula, spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard and kale is a great way to make sure you get a healthy range of carotenoids.
4. All Clear for Calcium
Nutrients can have trouble getting from the food we eat into our bodies because of compounds that interfere with absorption. Oxalate is one such compound. Oxalate is found in many leafy greens like spinach and collard greens, but on the down side, it can reduce the absorption of calcium. Eating spinach and other oxalate-containing foods may lead to insufficient calcium absorption or other problems in susceptible individuals. According to the Dole Nutrition website, arugula is lower in oxalates than spinach and certain other leafy greens. If you are trying to limit oxalate in your diet, arugula is a good choice of leafy greens.
5. Serving Suggestion: Variety
You might think the healthiest way to eat vegetables is plain and uncooked. There is nothing wrong with munching on raw veggies, but vary how you eat vegetables like arugula to get even more of their health benefits. First of all, eating arugula and other cruciferous vegetables in raw form is good for getting the most isothiocyanates, those compounds being studied for their role in cancer prevention. When arugula is cooked, the enzymes that produce isothiocyanates are less active. The result? Eating raw arugula will likely provide your body with more of the healthy isothiocyanates than eating cooked arugula. Cooking arugula has its advantages, however. By eating gently cooked arugula, you can absorb more of certain nutrients and carotenoids than you would from raw arugula. Lastly, serve arugula with a little vegetable oil or other fat at times. Scientists believe that certain compounds found in vegetables like arugula are actually better absorbed when cooked and eaten with a little fat.
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