The mustard plant is recognised for its tiny yellowish seeds, which produce mustard, one of many world’s most well-known condiments. However, many individuals have been utilizing the plant’s inexperienced leaves for his or her well being advantages and cooking functions for ages. As the identify suggests, mustard greens are leaves from the mustard plant. They have a number of makes use of, together with antiseptic & disinfection for wound therapeutic, supporting renal operate with a diuretic, detoxifying and strengthening agent for the blood and a chilly and sore throat remedy.
Modern analysis backs up mustard greens’ excessive dietary worth. Their vitamin A content material exceeds the content material current in spinach. While research don’t recognise all the greens’ conventional utilization, they suggest that they’ve a wide range of well being advantages. Mustard greens have a big flavour, and other people use them to lend a bitter, peppery flavour to any dish. Some methods to make use of them are in uncooked type, boiling, steamed, or stir-fried. Mustard greens are easy to include into your weight-reduction plan.
Nutritional Value of Mustard Greens
As per USDA, round 100 grams of Mustard Greens serving incorporates:
- Energy: 27 kcal
- Water: 90.7 g
- Protein: 2.86 g
- Fat: 0.42 g
- Carbohydrate: 4.67 g
- Fibre: 3.2 g
- Potassium: 384 mg
- Phosphorus: 58 mg
- Magnesium: 32 mg
- Calcium: 115 mg
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Iron: 1.64 mg
- Zinc: 0.25 mg
- Vitamin C: 70 mg
- Vitamin A: 151 mg
- Vitamin Ok: 258 mg
The HealthifyMe Note
Mustard greens are wealthy in potassium and calcium. In addition, the mustard greens have a low-fat proportion, making them a naturally low-fat meals supply. Although they’ve a low protein content material, they’re wealthy in vitamin C, A and Ok.
Benefits of Consuming Mustard Greens
Rich in Antioxidants
Antioxidants are plant chemical substances that defend towards oxidative stress brought on by an overabundance of free radicals. Free radicals are extremely lively chemical substances that may pose a risk to your cells. According to analysis, free radicals can result in vital persistent sicknesses, together with heart problems, most cancers, and Alzheimer’s illness, over time. Mustard greens are excessive in antioxidants similar to flavonoids, lutein and vitamin C. These antioxidants assist fight free radical injury and forestall numerous persistent ailments.
Loaded with Vitamin Ok
Mustard greens, each uncooked and cooked, are a superb supply of vitamin Ok. Vitamin Ok is extensively identified for its position in stopping blood clotting. It’s additionally confirmed to be very useful to the guts and bones.
Vitamin Ok deficiency is expounded to an elevated threat of heart problems and osteoporosis, a situation characterised by weakened bones and a better threat of fractures. Furthermore, current research show the significance of vitamin Ok for mind well being. Vitamin Ok deficiency can result in a better threat of cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s illness.
Potential Immunity Booster
Mustard greens may be useful to your immune system. It is as a result of mustard greens comprise excessive quantities of vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin required for wholesome immunological operate. According to analysis, a scarcity of vitamin C within the weight-reduction plan may weaken the immune system, making the individual extra susceptible to sickness.
Mustard greens additionally comprise vitamin A, which helps to reinforce your immune system. It accomplishes this by boosting the proliferation and distribution of T cells, a sort of white blood cell that aids within the combat towards an infection.
Mustard Greens Benefit Heart well being
Mustard greens are additionally useful to your cardiovascular system. They’re excessive in antioxidants, together with beta carotene and flavonoids, which might decrease the chance of coronary heart ailments and related mortality.
According to eight-week analysis, the upper consumption of leafy greens (particularly Brassica) can decrease the chance of coronary heart ailments by 15%. Like different Brassica vegetation, mustard greens comprise chemical substances that help within the binding of bile acids within the digestive system. Inhibiting bile acid reabsorption can decrease levels of cholesterol, which is wholesome for the guts. As per research, steaming mustard greens considerably improves the bile acid-binding impact. So, steamed mustard greens can decrease levels of cholesterol, making them heart-friendly.
Improved Eye Health
Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants present in mustard greens, enhance eye well being. Research means that consuming meals excessive in zeaxanthin and lutein might assist defend towards age-related macular degeneration, the commonest reason behind blindness worldwide. In explicit, these two chemical substances assist defend the retina from oxidative injury whereas additionally filtering out damaging blue mild.
The HealthifyMe Note
Mustard greens are wealthy in nutritional vitamins and minerals your physique requires for good well being. For instance, vitamin C helps immune well being, making it important to your physique. Hence, one ought to guarantee sufficient vitamin C consumption all through the day, and mustard greens may be a superb option to fulfil your vitamin C requirement. In addition, cooked mustard greens can present as much as 100% of your every day vitamin A wants. Moreover, many physiological processes, together with coronary heart, kidney and lung well being, are supported by this vitamin.
Mustard Greens: Usage and Storage
- Raw mustard greens are continuously mixed with different blended greens to present salads a peppery, spicy style. Some people additionally wish to put them in inexperienced drinks and smoothies.
- Cooked mustard greens are nice as a facet dish with roasted rooster or baked fish; additionally they work effectively in stews, soups and casseroles.
- Prepare these greens with a supply of fats, similar to butter or olive oil, with lemon juice or vinegar to stability out their intense flavour.
- You also can use salt, vinegar, chillies, and garlic to pickle mustard greens.
- You ought to retailer mustard greens within the fridge and wash them earlier than use, no matter their use.
The HealthifyMe Note:
You can retailer mustard greens in gently wrapped plastic baggage within the fridge. Ensure that you just hold them moist and in cool locations. It can also be important to scrub them earlier than use to reap their advantages and forestall any hurt.
Recipes Using Mustard Seeds
Spinach and Mustard Greens Sabzi
Servings: 4
Preparation time: half-hour
Ingredients
- Urad dal (Black Gram Dal), washed: 1tsp
- Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
- Mustard oil: 2 tsp
- Celery: ¼ bunch
- Mustard greens chopped: A half bunch
- Spinach chopped: 1 bunch
- Nutmeg powder: 1 tsp
- Salt: To style
- Hing: 1 tsp
- Spring onions, chopped: 1 bunch
- Green chillies, chopped: 4
- Garlic & ginger, chopped: 1 tbsp
Method
- After rinsing the greens, minimize them coarsely.
- Put mustard oil in a skillet and warmth it. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and prepare dinner until they crackle.
- Sauté the urad dal till golden in color.
- Add chopped garlic, ginger, spring onions, inexperienced chillies, salt, and Hing (asafoetida).
- Combine all the inexperienced greens in a big mixing bowl.
- Reduce the warmth to low and prepare dinner them with no lid.
- Allow time to prepare dinner (add little water if it dries out).
- To enhance the flavour of the greens, add a contact of nutmeg powder after cooking.
- Before serving, toss within the chopped onion and lime juice.
White Beans Soup with Mustard Greens
Servings: 6 (1 Cup: 200 ml)
Preparation time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Garlic cloves, thinly sliced: 3
- Celery ribs: 2
- Carrot: 1
- Onion, finely diced: 1
- Bay leaf: 1
- Teaspoon thyme leaves: 1
- Water: 6 cups
- White beans: 1 cup
- Salt and freshly floor pepper: As per style
- Sautéed Mustard Greens and Garlic Mayonnaise for serving: As per style
Method
- Pour olive oil into a big saucepan.
- Cook, often stirring, till the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, and thyme have softened for about 8 minutes.
- Bring to a boil the water, ham hock, and drained beans.
- Cook, stirring periodically, over low warmth till the beans are cooked, about 1½ hour. Discard the bay leaf.
- Serve with Garlic Mayonnaise and Sautéed Mustard Greens after including the ham hock meat to the beans and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Various different recipes, similar to mustard inexperienced salads, pasta, and mustard inexperienced juice, can be consumed. Mustard inexperienced juice boosts immunity, protects pores and skin and lowers blood glucose ranges. In addition, it has a low glycemic index, making it appropriate for a diabetic weight-reduction plan.
Possible Side Effects of Mustard Greens
It May Increase Bloating and Flatulence
Overeating uncooked and cooked mustard greens may cause fuel and bloat as a result of their excessive fibre content material. If this continuously causes issues, blanching or boiling the greens earlier than utilizing them in different meals will assist reduce the chance of bloating and indigestion. In addition, you should utilize preventive measures to stop the negative effects. For instance, drink a number of water to keep away from bloating.
Interactions with Medicines
Vitamin Ok is significant for blood clotting and is plentiful in mustard greens. Therefore, when coupled with mustard greens, medicine like warfarin (Coumadin), each blood thinners, might increase the chance of extreme bleeding.
Increased Risk of Kidney Stones
Mustard greens, like spinach, comprise oxalates. Oxalates bind to calcium within the digestive system earlier than entering into the bloodstream. Therefore, it could increase the chance of kidney stones in people who find themselves delicate to them. Furthermore, they will additionally lower calcium absorption. So even whereas one serving per day is unlikely to induce this sickness in most individuals, those that have already got kidney stones ought to reduce on their consumption.
Some cooking strategies also can help in decreasing oxalate ranges. For instance, analysis confirmed that boiling lowered soluble oxalate content material by 30-87% and was simpler than steaming (5-53%) and baking (used just for potatoes, no oxalate loss).
Conclusion
Mustard greens, the spicy leaves of the mustard plant, have an affordable quantity of nutritional vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C, Vitamin Ok, and plant chemical substances with antioxidant and anticancer properties are significantly plentiful. Incorporating mustard greens into one’s weight-reduction plan might assist the guts, eyes, and immune system. Because of their peppery, spicy flavour, mustard greens are a improbable addition to soups, salads, and casseroles. Steam them and mix them with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice for a easy facet meal.
While they’ve adversarial results like fuel, bloating, and the potential of kidney stones, this happens when consumed in massive portions over time. Therefore, their advantages outweigh the drawbacks, making them a wholesome addition to 1’s weight-reduction plan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What are mustard greens good for?
A. Mustard greens are wealthy in nutritional vitamins and minerals important for good well being. For instance, vitamin C helps heal wounds, helps bone well being, boosts immune well being, and extra. It can also be wealthy in vitamin A which aids in higher imaginative and prescient.
Q. Are mustard greens as wholesome as spinach?
A. Both are wholesome. Mustard greens have a better vitamin C content material than spinach. Spinach has a better iron content material than mustard greens. If in contrast, spinach has extra vitamins than mustard greens. Thus, it may be thought of more healthy than mustard greens.
Q. Are mustard greens a Superfood?
A. Mustard greens may be thought of one of many superfoods as a result of their dietary properties. They are plentiful in numerous important minerals and nutritional vitamins. As a outcome, they provide numerous well being advantages, together with strengthening the enamel and bones, decreasing cell irritation and injury, and boosting your immune system. It additionally promotes collagen manufacturing and blood circulation, leading to more healthy pores and skin.
Q. Are mustard greens suitable for eating uncooked?
A. You can eat mustard greens cooked or uncooked, however the way you prepare dinner them might change the dietary worth of the vegetable. The quantity of vitamin Ok, vitamin A, and copper in cooked mustard greens is increased, however the vitamin C and E content material are decrease. Mix mustard greens right into a chopped salad to get these leafy greens into your weight-reduction plan.
Q. Are mustard greens anti-inflammatory?
A. The abundance of vitamin A in mustard greens makes them anti-inflammatory. Vitamin A is taken into account the anti-inflammation vitamin. In addition, vitamin C even have anti-inflammatory results, and the abundance of those nutritional vitamins can result in the anti-inflammatory results of mustard greens.
Q. Are mustard greens good for weight reduction?
A. Mustard greens beans are supply of fats loss. The greens are fibre-rich, so that they hold the abdomen full for longer. As a outcome, it helps cut back extreme consuming and calorie consumption. So, when you eat them moderately, mustard greens might help you handle weight.
Q. Are mustard greens alkaline?
A. Raw mustard greens have a pH of 9.5, making them alkaline. Alkaline meals embrace uncooked leafy greens. These are important for sustaining physique pH stability. Experts advise that consuming a well-balanced meal with a wholesome mixture of all meals teams, quite than limiting oneself to particular meals, is one of the best ways to enhance total well being.
Q. Is mustard leaves good for hypertension?
A. It is among the mostly consumed inexperienced leafy greens by these with hypertension. Mustard greens have an especially low sodium content material. Therefore, when consumed as a part of a low-sodium weight-reduction plan, mustard greens might assist decrease blood stress.
Q. Are mustard greens the identical as mustard?
A. Mustard greens will not be the identical as mustard. It is gained from grounded mustard seeds, whereas mustard greens are the leaves of the mustard plant. Mustard greens have a spicy, sharp or peppery style, whereas mustard has a robust, pungent, tart-and tangy style.
Q. Can you eat the basis of mustard greens?
A. Mustard root can be utilized in numerous recipes for root greens. Roasted, steamed, stir-fried, and sautéed tubers are all choices. Mustard root needs to be sliced and utilized in soups or stews. Serve with roasted rooster or braised meats.
Q. Is mustard inexperienced good for kidneys?
A. Mustard inexperienced is a leafy vegetable that’s good for the kidneys. Mustard greens additionally comprise a number of B nutritional vitamins. They additionally embrace iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which assist hold the kidneys functioning correctly.
Q. Can you eat mustard inexperienced stalks?
A. You can eat mustard leaves and stems. However, throughout summer time, the stem turns into extra arduous and extra pungent-tasting. Mustard leaves and stalks may be pickled when they’re recent and delicate.
