Benefits of Arugula | Arugula Health Benefits
The health benefits of arugula include weight loss, a lowered risk of cancer, healthy bones, and improved eyesight. It has antioxidant properties and is good for healthy skin. It also helps in strengthening the brain, improving metabolic functions, mineral absorption, and boosting the immune system.
What is Arugula?
Arugula is a leafy green plant that belongs to the genus Eruca and the family Brassicaceae. It is closely related to radishes, kale, and cauliflower. Arugula has a number of different names depending on what area of the world you are in. These various names include garden rocket, rucola, roquette, and colewort.
Arugula grows to a height of 20-100 centimeters and is recognizable by its small, white flowers. The leaves of arugula are lobed in nature, with 4-10 lateral lobes and a longer terminal lobe. It is grown on a large scale for commercial consumption but it also exists as a wild species throughout the world. It is predominantly used in the Americas, Europe, and North Africa.
To the untrained eye, arugula might just look like fancy lettuce, but not all greens are made equal, and arugula has a wide range of health benefits that frequent eaters of this cruciferous vegetable can enjoy.
Arugula Nutrition Facts
Arugula is a leafy green plant that is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is a good dietary choice for a healthier body and keeping your mind clear and focused. It contains high levels of folic acid and antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin A, which makes it integral in the fight against free radicals. It is packed with carotenoids, as well as many other minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and calcium, all of which are beneficial and necessary elements in a person’s diet.
Health Benefits of Arugula
The vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants packed in every leaf of arugula are certainly beneficial to those who incorporate it into their diet.
Increases Metabolism
Another benefit of arugula is the presence of B-Complex vitamins that promote metabolism. Eight B vitamins participate and aid in all different cell activities, including energy production, fat synthesis, the production of red blood cells, and many other vital processes for cell and metabolic health.
Improves Overall Health
Vitamin A is one of the antioxidants mentioned above, and its significant presence in arugula also guarantees the ‘garden rocket’ eaters improved condition of their bones, teeth, and eyes. The flavonoid compounds in all leafy vegetables similar to arugula have been shown to protect against skin, lung, and various oral types of cancer.
Boosts Immune System
Arugula is loaded with vitamins and minerals that in some way bolster the defenses of the body’s immune system. The body is stimulated to create more white blood cells from the copper in arugula, and the plant has a number of other ways to improve the strength of your immune system.
Vitamin C is one of the best defenses for your body to seek out dangerous, inflammatory free radicals and eliminate them from your body before they can cause real damage. This well-known vitamin is found in large quantities in arugula and helps to prevent cancer and maintain good health in the body by giving an extra push to your immune system.
Detoxifies Body
Arugula is a great source of antioxidants and can greatly increase a person’s ORAC value (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity), which is a method for measuring antioxidant capacities. Antioxidants function to maintain a healthy balance of enzyme reactions within cells, while actively seeking out and destroying the disease-causing free radicals that can attack your system. Your immune system will also thank you for choosing arugula, because antioxidants work to bolster your defenses against simple illnesses like the common cold as well as more complex afflictions, such as cancer, heart diseases, and premature aging.
Prevents Cancer
The phytochemicals found in large quantities within arugula inhibit the activity of cancer-causing cells. Phytochemicals are substances like thiocyanates, sulforaphane, or indoles that are effective in countering cancer-causing tendencies in the body’s own processes. Studies suggest that these compounds help to fight prostate, breast, cervical, colon, and ovarian cancers.
Improves Eyesight
Arugula is a well-known source of carotenoids, which are naturally occurring pigments that have long been famous for improving a person’s ability to see properly. In fact, carotenoids slow down the process of macular degeneration, which is when the center of a person’s field of vision becomes compromised. In most instances, this causes cataracts, which then have to be removed. By increasing the amount of carotenoids in your diet (and arugula is a great source for them), arugula eaters may be able to slow down that classic symptom of old age.
Pre-natal Care
For mothers who are expecting, arugula is a wonderful choice to add to your diet. Folates, a classification which includes folic acid, have been shown to decrease occurrences in certain mental defects in newborns. It is rich in folates, as are many leafy vegetables.
Increases Mineral Absorption
Arugula has a very low level of oxalates when compared to other popular leafy vegetables like spinach. Oxalates inhibit the absorption of minerals by the body’s systems, which is counterproductive to consuming minerals in the same bite. So the minerals, like copper and iron, which you get from the plant, are more easily absorbed by the body for efficient use.
