Artichoke Nutrition Facts

Are you heavily into lamb chops, tuna steaks and processed meat and squirm at the thought of asparagus and artichokes on your plate? If yes, then this write-up is likely to shock the meat-eater in you and maybe even motivate you to go completely green. Artichokes, with their impressive list of nutrients and health benefits are indeed one of the best super foods to bet on. This arched, lobed, glaucous green thistle with edible florets is believed to have long-term health benefits and is known to give one’s health a major promotion. Loaded with flavor, and copious health-boosting compounds, artichokes add up as a nutritious inclusion to one’s daily diet. Whether you are someone whose food choices are strictly guided by their palate or a person who digs for nutrition in every bite, gorging on artichokes is likely to leave you high on both health and taste. Explore this write-up and warm yourself more to the nutrition facts of artichokes. To know more on this, read on. 

• Deemed as a diuretic, an aphrodisiac, a breath freshener and even a deodorant, this perennial thistle is a storehouse of many essential nutrients that not only helps to detox the liver and skin, but also helps to purify blood, boost bile production and improve body secretions. The artichoke is presumed to be one of the potent sources of life-boosting phytochemicals and is known to offer protection against heart disease and cancer and slow down ageing.
• Cynarin, the sweet compound found in artichoke leaves, is deemed as an effective cure against bloating, flatulence, nausea, abdominal cramps and is known to speed up digestion, lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels and protect the liver. Artichokes are also a rich source of silymarin that is known to repair damaged tissues, boost good enzymes and prevent liver damage. Apart from that, artichokes contain caffeic and ferulic acids that saves the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.
• Artichokes are dense in nutrients and contain as many as 16 essential nutrients. Apart from being storehouses of important minerals like chromium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, iron and calcium, artichokes are also a rich source of fiber. Eating one artichoke everyday should take care of 6% of the recommended daily value of phosphorus, 8% of manganese, 10% of magnesium, 5% of potassium, 10% of chromium, 4% of iron and 2% of calcium and iron.
• Artichokes are low in sodium and calories and have no fat and cholesterol which makes it a low-fat, high-fiber super food. High fiber content in artichokes helps to lower bad cholesterol levels, prevent colon cancer and control constipation. In addition, artichokes also contain anti-oxidant flavonoid compounds like carotene-beta, zea-xanthin and lutein, which help in minimizing the impact of free radicals.
• The artichoke is a potent source of vitamin folic acid and offers nearly 17% of recommended daily allowance. It’s believed that including folic acid in your diet during per-conception as well as early pregnancy period can avert all risks of neural tube defects in infants.
• Artichokes are also a rich source of B-complex vitamins like vitamin B-6, thiamin, niacin and pantothenic acid that are necessary for metabolic functions. Apart from this, artichokes also contain vitamin-C that offers protection against infectious diseases and harmful effects of free radicals.