Alugbati leaves are also known as Malabar Spinach. It is named after the place where it is found. Malabar is a place in Philippine. Although people call it spinach, it is actually not spinach at all.
Nutritional information of alugbati leaves
Just like the other green vegetable, this leaves also have high level of iron. However, it also has ample of nutrition which is beneficial for health. To make it detail, the nutritional information of each 100 grams of alugbati leaves are listed as follow.
- Calories 19
- Carbohydrate 3.4 gr
- Fat 0.3 gr
- Protein 1.8 gr
- Vitamin A 160%
- Magnesium 16%
- Vitamin C 170%
- Iron 6%
- Vitamin B6 10%
- Sodium 24 mg
- Potassium 510 mg
- Calcium 10%
Health benefits of alugbati leaves
So, let’s just call it alugbati leaves. This is heart shaped leaves which grow along in the purple stem. Alugbati is a succulent plant. It can be found in tropical Asia and Africa countries.
- Control blood pressure
How can this vine be so powerful? Well, it contains minerals. Therefore it is also powerful to control your blood pressure. The high potassium and manganese will be very beneficial for blood pressure and heart rate. Therefore, it can prevent heart disease. It is able to relieve headache related to the high blood pressure. Besides vegetables, health benefits of Magnetic Bracelet can also control the blood pressure.
- Prevent constipation
The fleshy leaves are very smooth for digestive system. It also facilitates good bowel movement, so that we can prevent constipation and the other digestive problems. The other option to avoid constipation is by health benefits Drinking 4 Glasses of Water in the Morning
- Relieve ulcer
The leaves smoothness is also able to relieve stomach ulcer. It is safe and healthy for any digestive problems. Of course, we still have to consider about how we cook this leaves.
- Prevent cancer
Just like the other kinds of vegetable, alugbati is rich with antioxidant. Antioxidant is very important to fight free radical. Free radical is the main culprit of some cancer. Study proves that green vegetables are very good to prevent the growth of cancer cell in lung and oral cavity.
- Prevent anemia
This leaves is also called spinach for some reasons. Despite the appearance, the nutrient contained in this leave is similar with spinach’s. Just like spinach, this leaves is also rich with iron. The iron contain in every 100 grams of fresh leaves is able to fulfill 15% daily need of iron. With the regular consumption, the iron intake will keep us from getting anemia. This is very beneficial, especially for women.
- Lose weight
It is very good to include this vegetable into your diet. In every single serving contain many nutrients such as vitamin, mineral, and natural fiber. Yet, it is very low in calorie. Isn’t it a best deal for your weight loss diet? The dietary fiber is also good to improve your digestive organs. The improved digestion will also affect the good metabolism system. As we know, good metabolism is the key for losing your weight.
- Release toxins
The excretion system is important to release toxins out of the body. As the ability of alugbati to improve bowel movement, it is enable the body to release toxin from the feces. In addition, the leaves are also known as diuretic. Therefore, it will enable the body to release toxins by urine. Indeed. that’s the health benefits of alugbati leaves.
- Improve eyesight
Alugbati or basella is rich with vitamin A. Not only are the leaves, the stem also the source of vitamin A. We know that vitamin A is significant for eyes’ health. Therefore, consuming alugbati leaves is able to improve our eyesight.
- Boost immunity
A study found that vitamin C in alugbati is high. The study compared alugbati leaves with the other kinds of green vegetables such as spinach. The high vitamin C is very good to improve the immune system. It is because vitamin C is resistance against infectious agents.
- Soften skin
For soft skin, we can apply this leaves onto your skin and use it as a facial mask. It is able to re-hydrate and cool down your skin. Therefore, besides eating the leaves, we can also get the benefit from directly applying the leaves onto skin. Besides vegetables, fruits are also significant for skin . Here are the List of Fruits for Healthy Skin.
- Anti aging property
Not only cancer, free radical will also stimulates premature aging. To prevent, we need to supply our skin with antioxidant. With the antioxidant in it, basella will give your skin some benefits. This pinoy leaves will slow down your aging process by protecting your skin. It is able to make your skin look younger.
- Reduce swelling
The ability of the leaves to cool down skin can also be applied for swelling. Beside the water, vitamins are able to block inflammation and reduce swelling.
- Good for pregnancy
Experts suggest pregnant mother fulfilling the folate intake. It is because folate is essential for the baby’s nervous system. When most people think that folate can be obtained from fish, we can also get folate from vegetable. One of vegetables which provide folate is alugbati or basella leaves. Therefore, pregnant mother is advised to include this leaves into their daily menu. the other vegetable which is good for prgenancy is Brazilian Spinach.
- Help you sleep
Sometimes you feel so tired but you can’t even close your eyes. Do you know that alugbati can also solve this problem? Besides maintaining the health of the internal organ and skin, alugbati leaves is also able to help you relax. The minerals, especially magnesium and zinc of alugbati leaves will help you to close your eyes and relax your whole body. Magnesium and zinc can also recharge your energy quickly.
Recommendation in consuming alugbati leaves
People in some Asia countries commonly use this leaves as vegetable to any kind of cuisine. However, the selection is also important step before we cook the leaves. To choose the perfect leaves, make sure to choose the fresh leaves with shiny leaves and firm stems. Avoid sunken, dry and discolored leaves.
In preparing the leaves, don’t forget to wash the leaves in cold running water to get health benefits of alugbati leaves. We can include some soft stem of it. Just like health benefits of Water Spinach , alugbati leaves produce some water when it is cooked. In addition, it produces thick glue like consistency to the cooking. Therefore, it is good to include this tender leaves into soup, stew, or stir fry vegetable.