http://conway.locallygrown.net
Spice up your next salad without the extra calories. Adding in a little green like arugula is a great way to add a little flavor to your next meal. Arugula leaves may look like tiny spinach or your everyday lettuce leaves, but they are so much more. In fact, arugula is closer in nutritious value to broccoli and cauliflower than it is to lettuce!
Arugula can be found growing all across North America. It is small in size but its dark green color tells us it is packed with fiber and includes not only vitamins A and K but potassium and calcium. In fact, “arugula contains about eight times the calcium, five times the vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, and four times the iron as the same amount of iceberg lettuce.” Try to knock that fact down.
Arugula is best when eaten raw, so as not to lose any nutritional value when cooking or steaming it. Wild arugula, as opposed to store bought arugula, tends to be more mineral dense and the smaller the leaves the less spicy they tend to be.
The beta carotene found in arugula contains antioxidants which help to prevent free radicals and can be a cancer preventative. I try adding arugula to all of my salad and pasta dishes for great flavor and nutritional value. I try to eat it raw as much as possible and at most will cook it in a bit of olive oil for a minute or two just to break down a bit for my pasta dishes. With my famous vinaigrette dressing, it tastes simply amazing!
References used
http://www.foodscout.org/food.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/5381-need-health-benefits-arugula/
