Dandelions Nutritional and Healthful Constituents
Dandelions
Nutritional and Healthful Constituents
Dandelion is considered one of the five most nutritious vegetables on earth. Popeye may have gotten strength from spinach, but dandelion has twice the vitamin B1 of that vegetable and six times the iron and four times the B2 of iceberg lettuce. It contains 40 percent more vitamin C than tomatoes, 20 percent more beta-carotene than carrots, and more calcium than milk. One hundred grams of dandelion leaves provides 14,000 IU of pro-vitamin A, whereas carrots provide 11,000. At only 45 calories per 100 grams, these generous greens are also a rich source of iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Choline, the member of the B complex that helps to prevent fat buildup in the liver, is also present.
As every health-conscious individual knows, good nutrition is the most important part of good health. Not only does dandelion contain most of the vitamins and minerals recommended for a
healthy Diet -- the ones you'll see called out in the nutritional information posted on the label of any packaged food -- but it's also packed with a dizzying range of enzymes, acids, sugars, and other substances that nourish the health and energy of your entire body and all of its systems.
DANDELION GREENS, RAW
Vitamin A (RE): 1400.0
Thiamin (mg): 0.19
Riboflavin (mg): 0.26
Niacin (mg): 0.806
Pantothenic Acid (mg): 0.084
Vitamin B-6 (mg): 0.251
Total Folate (mcg): 27.0
Vitamin C (mg): 35.0
Vitamin E (IU): 3.725
Calcium (mg): 187.0
Copper (mg): 0.171
Iron (mg): 3.1
Magnesium (mg): 36.0
Manganese (mg): 0.342
Phosphorus (mg): 66.0
Potassium (mg): 397.0
Selenium (mcg): 0.5
Sodium (mg): 76.0
Zinc (mg): 0.41