Why You Should Be Adding More Parsley to Your Diet
Parsley has been relegated to garnish status for far too long, when in truth it’s a superfood that should be added to way more of your meals. Its flavor is bold enough to liven up even the most boring meals, and once you start using it you might just want to keep a potted parsley plant on your kitchen counter. Parsley has a lot of nutritional benefits that you might not expect; it’s high in vitamin K and has lots of antioxidants too. We talked to a couple of experts to find out what makes this herb so special, and now we want to add it to basically everything.
The Medical Benefits of Parsley
According to Dr. Mashfika N. Alam, a family physician at iCliniq, there are several benefits of adding parsley to your diet. “Parsley is rich in antioxidants, meaning it destroys free radicals and reduces oxidative stress on cells of the body. This particular property prevents premature cellular aging and damage, thus preventing chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and other chronic disease processes like atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus,” Alam says. It’s also rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin K, iron, folate, and vitamin C. “Low vitamin K is common in American diets due to our carb consumption,” explains health expert Sara-Chana Silverstein RH (AHG), and adding parsley to your meals can help remedy that deficiency.
How to Use Parsley
The great thing about parsley is that while it is a “superfood,” it also tastes amazing. It can add huge flavor and nutrition to your meals way beyond just being a garnish.
Here are a few ideas for adding more parsley to your diet:
- Make some cauliflower tabbouleh.
- Add a generous handful to a pot of chicken zoodle soup.
- Blend it into a fragrant pesto to toss with pasta and smear on sandwiches.
- Stir up some chimichurri sauce and slather it on everything.
- Toss a cup of chopped parsley into your favorite dinner salad to give it a fresh herbal flavor.
- Whisk finely chopped parsley into homemade vinaigrette.
With these tasty meal ideas, you’ll be able to give your body a mega-dose of nutrition, no multi-vitamin pills needed. It’s easy to be healthy when it tastes this good!
Get your superfood fix with more healthy recipes on our Pinterest page.
(Photo via Kurt Andre / Brit + Co)
