Parsley
Posted by Wen Dan Jiang on
Reasons why Parsley is Good for You
If you’ve ever been to a fancy restaurant, or seen delicious looking food online, you’ll likely notice how parsley is often used as a garnish to enhance the taste and the appearance of the food in question.
Parsley, though, is so much more than just a garnish used to help your food pics get more likes on social media.
Parsley is a herb used widely in European and Middle-Eastern cuisine. It has a subtle, yet delicious flavour which works incredibly well with all manner of savoury dishes.
Not only is this green herb very tasty, it’s also very healthy as well.
Parsley contains heaps of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It’s beneficial for bone health, it can improve the health of your heart, it can fight and prevent infection, and a whole lot more besides.
Here’s a look at several reasons why parsley is good for you.
Parsley has anti-bacterial properties
When people talk about the health benefits of parsley, they often overlook the fact that it has proven anti-bacterial properties.
Parsley extracts for example, have been found to help kill yeasts, moulds, and certain bacteria responsible for infection.
Not only that, but there is evidence to suggest that it can act as a natural preservative to help prevent the growth of bacteria in food.
Parsley has been found to be effective in bacteria such as salmonella Listeria, which have both been found to cause food poisoning, which could potentially be fatal.
Promotes healthy bones
If you want healthy bones and joints, it turns out that you don’t just need to drink milk and eat dairy.
Parsley is a herb which is actually very beneficial for people looking to protect their bones and joints, thanks to its high vitamin K content.
Vitamin K helps to support cells responsible for bone-building which are known as osteoblasts.
Furthermore, vitamin K also helps to activate proteins responsible for increasing bone mineral density.
This means that by consuming parsley, you can help to ward off osteoporosis, brittle bone disease, and other ailments affecting the bones, whilst keeping the bones strong and healthy.
Half a cup of parsley provides a staggering 547% of your minimum recommended daily intake for vitamin K, so that shows just how rich in this vitamin it really is.
Impressive antioxidant profile
Antioxidants help to protect the cells and keep them safe by eradicating toxins and free radicals which attack the cells and expose them to a process known as oxidation, which causes damage to them, can kill them, and can cause cellular mutations in some instances as well.
Antioxidants help to prevent inflammation in the body, and they help to protect your cells from oxidative stress and damage.
Parsley contains carotenoids, flavonoids, and vitamin C as the primary antioxidants found within, though it also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to protect the retina and promote healthy vision.
The antioxidants found in parsley can protect against a wide variety of illnesses and diseases, including: Cancer, arthritis, macular degeneration, heart disease, diabetes, and much more besides.