7 subtle but important reasons to eat parsley every day

1. It will be easier for you to reduce your salt intake

An excess of salt in the diet is a scourge of modern mankind: it causes edema and kidney disease, provokes hypertension, and reduces the cognitive abilities of the brain. However, it is difficult to refuse dietary sodium chloride: unleavened dishes seem unpalatable to us (and there is an evolutionary explanation for this).

Chopped fresh parsley is an effective way to add flavor to vegetables and meat dishes and painlessly reduce your salt intake.

2. You will get a lot of vitamins

Half a cup (30 g) fresh chopped parsley is provided by FoodData Central / U. S. Department of Agriculture:

more than 100% of the daily value of vitamin A;
about 10% of the daily value of vitamin B;
more than 50% of the daily value of vitamin C;
almost 550% of the daily value for vitamin K.

Each of these elements is critical for the normal functioning of the body. Below is a little more information about them.

3. Reduce the risk of certain types of cancer

Parsley contains many antioxidants. This is the name of compounds that can protect the body from free radicals - particles that destroy healthy cells.

If you like fried meat, be sure to add parsley to the dish: it reduces the effect of carcinogens formed during frying.

The main antioxidants in parsley are:

plant substances flavonoids;
carotenoids - precursors of vitamin A;
vitamin C.

One of the flavonoids - myricetin - according to some data J. K. Jayakumar, P. Nirmala, B. A. Praveen Kumar, A. P. Kumar. Evaluation of protective effect of myricetin, a bioflavonoid in dimethyl benzanthracene-induced breast cancer in female Wistar rats / South Asian Journal of Cancer is able to prevent or significantly slow down the development of skin and breast cancer. Another flavonoid, apigenin, reduces S. M. Nabavi, S. Habtemariam, M. Daglia, S. F. Nabavi. Apigenin and breast cancers: From chemistry to medicine / Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry tumor size in aggressive breast cancer.

4. Decrease the risk of diabetes

All the same myricetin reduces Y. Li, Y. Ding. Minireview: Therapeutic potential of myricetin in diabetes mellitus / Food Science and Human Wellness blood sugar and cell insulin resistance. Namely, these two factors provoke diabetes mellitus.

5. Heart health will improve

Parsley is an excellent source of folate, with 30 grams of fresh herbs containing over 10% of your daily value. A large study by R. Cui, H. Iso, Ch. Date et al. Dietary folate and vitamin B6 and B12 intake in relation to mortality from cardiovascular diseases: Japan's collaborative cohort study / Stroke with the participation of 58 thousand people showed that the more folic acid you consume, the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and death from them.

6. Reduce the risk of inflammation

The antioxidants in parsley actively fight chronic inflammation - an overly active immune system that is often responsible for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and even depression.

7. Your bones will become stronger

Vitamin K, which is found in abundance in parsley, is essential for bone health by improving calcium absorption and reducing urinary excretion of this trace mineral. Also, the vitamin activates S. Akbari, A. A. Rasouli-Ghahroudi. Vitamin K and bone metabolism: A review of the latest evidence in preclinical studies / BioMed Research International certain proteins that increase bone mineral density - make them stronger.

The relationship is absolutely unambiguous G. Hao, B. Zhang, M. Gu et al. Vitamin K intake and the risk of fractures: A meta-analysis / Medicine: the more vitamin K in the diet, the lower the risk of fractures. Therefore, if you lead an active lifestyle, parsley is in a sense your amulet. Eat it without hesitation.