The Most Amazing and Appealing Reasons to Eat Artichokes

Artichokes might sound alien to people in Asia and the other continents down south but have been immensely popular since the age of Greeks and Romans. One of the oldest vegetables to be cultivated on the planet, the artichoke is a super vegetable in terms of the nutrition it provides. It looks a little creepy and thorny but those who have taste the vegetable say that it is extremely delicious, more or less similar to a drumstick. Artichokes are either globe like or elongated in their shape and are covered by small leaves all over. Usually, the heart of this herb only is consumed and the leaves are rendered useless but nutritionists say that the leaves are equally beneficial in healing the body.

Though artichokes are considered ‘exotic’ in the Indian markets and a little difficult to obtain, it is slowly gaining popularity for all the good nutrition it provides in one shot. Boiled or streamed, every part of the vegetable contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre, protein and rare trace minerals that work wonderfully for the body.

So what Nutrients Do Artichokes Provide?

• Low in calories but rich in dietary fibre, artichokes contain a whopping 5.4mg of fibre which equals to almost 15% of the recommended dose every day. In ancient medicine, this medicinal herb was used to treat severe constipation and gastric disorders. When toxins are not flushed out on time, they are absorbed by the liver and intestines, which may leads to colon and gut cancers. Dietary fibre of artichokes plays a key role in detoxifying the body and keeping it clean from within.


• A rich source of antioxidants, this vegetable of gods, contributes immensely to the destruction of cancer-causing cells. Silymarin and ferulic acid are two antioxidant compounds that inhibit the work of free-radicals in the body. The total strength of antioxidants in the herb is very high, surpassing the strengths of spinach and garlic. Prostate and breast cancers can be prevented by regular consumption of artichoke.

• Potassium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and copper are available in plenty in the artichoke and the goodness they do to the body is indescribable. Strengthening the bones, pumping blood to the heart, removing blockages in the arteries, production of new red blood cells and controlling blood pressure are carried out 24/7 by all these minerals. Imagine how much the body benefits when one vegetable does it all!


• How about taking the artichoke’s help to treat your alcohol hangover? Improving the flow of bile from the liver is one process that no fruit or vegetable can achieve. But this herb contains cynarin and sesquiterpene that increase the excretion process of cholesterol into bile, thus reducing the overall content of bad cholesterol from entering the blood stream. When you consume too much alcohol, the liver cannot push out the bile and this in turn causes heartburn and headache. Consuming artichokes can be definitely of great help.

• Usually, vitamin K is rarely found as a natural source in fruits and vegetables. This vitamin plays a key role in preventing brain cell damage and reducing the risk of brain diseases. Artichokes contain 14.8mg of the K vitamin, which is almost 15% of the recommended dose for our body. Making this leafy vegetable a part of your diet can keep brain health in good condition and also treat Alzheimer’s diseases during the early stages.