Radish, the vegetable is available in white and pink colour, but the leaves are green. The white radish or mooli is used in the famous Gujarati accompaniment - Kadhi or to make delicacies like Radish Roti, Mooli Raita, Radish Chutney and so on…. But we often tend to miss out on using the radish greens or mooli ke patte being unfamiliar with its nutritional value and the health benefits they offer us.
They are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Radish leaves are fatigue relievers, detoxifiers, anti-scorbutic, immunity boosters and a lot more.
1. Immune Building – The radish greens contain more nutrition than its white root. The vitamin A and vitamin C work towards building the immune cells – WBC (white blood cells). They not only prevent the onset of common diseases like cold and cough but also form a line of prevention against the onset of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.
2. Help Achieve Weight Loss – With just 13 calories per cup, they are a boon for achieving your weight loss target. These leaves have a sweet, earthy taste which isn’t found pleasing to most palates. But they are truly metabolism-friendly. Hence we have tried and used them to make delicacies like Radish Moong Dal Chilas and Radish Muthia and Green Pea Subzi which are really worth trying. These recipes will change your thinking about mooli ke patte not being used creatively in the kitchen.
3. Guards the Heart – The antioxidant anthocyanins found in radish leaves are known to ward off the harmful free radicals from the body. Free radicals are formed as a result of metabolism and due to pollution and stress. The anthocyanin destroys the free radicals which would otherwise attack your heart and lead to various heart problems including stroke. Moreover, they get additional support from vitamin C to achieve this goal too..
4. Beneficial for Skin – The vitamin C content of radish leaves is just incomparable to a lot of other vegetables. A cup of these leaves are almost enough to fulfil your days requirement of vitamin C. This nutrient has a major hand in collagen synthesis, which in turn is the base to give elasticity to your skin and keep it healthy and glowing. Looking forward to a wrinkle-free skin always? Safeguard your skin by adding radish greens to your diet.
5. Anti-scorbutic – Radish leaves also help to prevent a diseases termed as scurvy. This occurs due to the deficiency of vitamin C in which skin and gums are the most affected. The early signs of this disease is fatigue, weakness, gum diseases poor wound healing and changes in hair colour and texture. To avoid these conditions, along with other green leafy vegetables it is advisable to include radish leaves atleast once a week in your meals.
6. Detoxifying Agent – The toxins and impurities accumulated in the body need to be flushed out on timely basis. The anti-microbial and antioxidant property of radish leaves helps to remove these toxins and helps to purify the blood as well as keep liver and kidney healthy.
7. Maintains the Health of Blood Vessels – We know that radish leaves contain a very good amount of vitamin C. As mentioned earlier, it’s this vitamin only that plays an important role in collagen synthesis which in turn boosts the elasticity of the blood vessels. The healthier the blood vessels, the lesser the chances of atherosclerosis and other heart diseases.
8. Benefit Diabetes Management – With carbohydrate count of a cup of chopped radish leaves being as low as 1.2 g along with a good fiber count of 0.5 g, these greens definitely qualify to be added to a diabetic meal. It would avoid that unnecessary blood sugar spike and help achieve diabetic management goals.
9. Improve Eyesight – Vitamin A has a very important role to play in vision. Nearly 52% of vitamin A requirement is fulfilled by just a cup of chopped radish leaves. Isn’t that amazing? Learn how to cook with radish greens and build your vitamin A levels.
Nutritive Information for Radish leaves (Mooli ke patte):
½ Cup of chopped radish leaves is about 70 grams
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
Energy - 13 calories
Protein – 1.8 g
Carbohydrate – 1.2 g
Fat – 0.2 g
Fiber – 0.5 g
See full nutritional details of radish leaves, Radish leaves glossary click here.
Know What Radish Leaves are Referred to as in Different Indian Languages
Bengali – Mooli ka Saag
Gujarati – Mooli na paan
Hindi – Mooli ke patte
Marathi – Mooli chi bhaji
Tamil – Mullangi Ilaigal
Telugu – Mullangi Akulu
Kannada - Mullangi Ilaigal
Malayalam - Mullangi Ilaigal
Other name – Mulaka
Other Greens of YOUR Choice…. A must read
1. Mint Leaves
2. Neem Leaves