Endive is an exotic ubiquitous vegetable that looks similar to lettuce. It is a bitter-tasting green leafy vegetable that comes with a treasure trove of nutrients. This famous salad vegetable is more than just lush greens. Endive is one of the most nutritious foods loaded with powerful antioxidants, dietary fibre, vitamins A, C, and K, minerals and phytonutrients that confer immense health benefits. This nutritious green goes well in stews, soups, salads, and pasta.
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This article explores endive uses, nutrition, health benefits and side effects.
Endive Plant
The endive plant is a leafy green that belongs to the Asteraceae family (daisy) with crisp, curled leaves. It is closely related to the chicory root family with unique variations. It is a native plant to Egypt and Indonesia and has been cultivated in Europe since the 16th century. This green leafy grows well on fertile and drained soil.
Endive has smooth, cream-coloured leaves packed into bud-like 10-12 cm heads and needs a lot of water for growth. The common cultivar varieties of endive are curly-endive (Cichorium endivia) with narrow leaves, Belgian endive (Cichorium intybus) and Escarole (Cichorium endivia) with broad leaves. It is a vegetable chiefly cultivated for its nutritious leaves.
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Nutritional Facts
Endive like other green leafy vegetables consists of mostly water 93.8 grams per 100 grams. Raw leaves come with vast reserves of nutrients and contain vitamins K, A, folate and minerals potassium, choline, phosphorus, and zinc.
The nutrition value for one hundred grams of raw endive (Cichorium endivia)
Water: 93.8 g
Calories: 17 kcal
Carbohydrate: 3.35 g
Total Fat: 0.2 g
Dietary fibre: 3.1 g
Protein: 1.25 g
Calcium: 52 mg
Phosphorus: 28 mg
Sodium: 22 mg
*Source Food And Drug Administration, USDA.
A serving of 100 grams of raw endive offers 3 grams of carbohydrates and 0-2 grams of fat, chiefly from the fibre. It is a non-starchy veggie that fits into the keto diet plan. The goodness of dietary fibre promotes lipid profile by binding cholesterol in the intestines, preventing its absorption and eliminating it via excretion. Its low glycaemic score of 15 makes it a perfect green for averting blood sugar surges. Aside from these, it also contains a fair amount of calcium, magnesium, B complex and C vitamins.
Also Read: Artichoke: Discover Unknown Benefits Of This Exotic Veggie
Potential Health Benefits Of Endive
Fortifies Bone Health
Endive packed with vitamin K promotes blood clotting, bone health, bone metabolism and overall well-being. It augments bone strength by increasing protein levels that assist hold calcium in the bone and averts the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Adding about half a serving or ½ cup of Endives to your daily meal plan meets more than 50% of the vitamin K requirement.
Packed With Antioxidants
Being a storehouse of antioxidants such as vitamin A and beta carotene, endives neutralise free radicals and avert oxidative stress-induced cell and tissue damage. Furthermore, several pieces of evidence have also revealed that endive is laden with antioxidants like quercetin, Kaempferol and myricetin, thereby lowering the risk of chronic diseases.
Support Healthy Pregnancy
Endives deliver a myriad of vital nutrients for assisting healthy pregnancy and proper growth of the foetus. Rich in folic acid, adding this green leafy vegetable help prevent congenital disabilities, neural tube defects, and premature births and promotes the synthesis of red blood cells in neonates.
Apart from this, endive is heaped with vitamin A, choline, iron, potassium and calcium, all of these are vital nutrients for pregnant women and serve as a perfect addition to a wholesome diet.
Promotes Weight Loss
Being intrinsically low in calories and packed with an impressive profile of nutrients, endive is an amazing addition to the weight loss meal plan. Further, endives are high in water and fibre content that keeps you satiated, control unwanted hunger pangs, and shed surplus kilos.
Manages Diabetes
Endive blessed with ample reserves of dietary fibre is a perfect addition to a diabetic meal regimen that aids in controlling blood sugar spikes. Evidence strongly suggests that intake of high-fibre foods supports type 1 diabetes patients to lower blood glucose levels, while those with type 2 diabetes show better blood sugar, cholesterol, and insulin levels.
Good Vision
Beta-carotene is endive promotes vision and treats eye problems. Beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, supports people suffering from vitamin A deficiency and eases itchy eyes, dry eyes, and eye ulcers, averts age-related macular degeneration and treats night blindness.
Boosts Liver Health
Imbued with ample amounts of phenolic compounds, endive works as a potent liver detoxifier that safeguards the liver and regulates cholesterol and hormones. Additionally, packed with antioxidants endives combat oxidative stress and protect the liver cells from damage. It was used as a traditional remedy in Chinese medicine for healing liver issues.
Cardiac Health
Endive is a good source of potassium, dietary fibre, folic acid and other essential nutrients for uplifting heart functions and health. Potassium is an effective mineral that stabilizes blood pressure and maintains intracellular electrolyte that aids to lower blood vessel tension and averts the impacts of excessive sodium in circulation. While the richness of fibres regulates the lipid profile by binding cholesterol in the digestive system and blocking absorption.
Side Effects of Endive
Endive is safe and well tolerated by most healthy adults when taken in moderate amounts. However, a few people have experienced allergic reactions after eating endive. Further, if you experience any adverse effects such as hives, rashes, chest discomfort, swelling or itchiness, stop eating it and seek immediate medical attention.
Endive is rich in vitamin K, like all green leafy vegetables, thus if you’re taking blood thinners, maintaining an optimal vitamin K intake may interfere with your medication, resulting in anticoagulant effects.
Conclusion
Endive is an exotic plant available in several varieties that confers a wealth of essential nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and fibre. Adding this green vegetable promotes gut, liver, heart, and eye health and also strengthens bones, and sheds weight. It can be enjoyed as raw or cooked salads that offer nutrition, flavor and amazing health incentives.
