I love dandelion greens! I love the bitterness. I love their crunchy texture. But what I love the most about dandelion greens is their nutritional value - their mineral content is especially notable:
3 cups chopped dandelion greens (165 g)
Calcium 309 mg
Iron 5.1 mg
Zinc 0.70 mg
Potassium 655 mg
Magnesium 59 mg
As one can see, the leaves of this plant often regarded as a garden weed have significant nutritional value. In addition, dandelion greens are known for their prebiotic fiber content specifically inulin. Three cups of dandelion greens contain almost 20 g of inulin!
Even though there is not a daily value for prebiotic fiber yet, there are established DRIs (specifically Adequate Intakes – AIs) for total fiber:
• 25 g for women (21 g over 50 years of age)
• 38 g for men (30 g over 50 years of age)
To put these numbers in perspective, most Americans get around 15 g of total fiber per day. Standard western diets tend to be lower in fruits, vegetables, and whole plant foods in general so this number is not surprising.
Despite all these benefits of dandelion greens, people often shy away from them because of their concern that dandelion greens may contain goitrogens. Goitrogens are largely (but not completely) found in the cabbage family (Brassicaceae) and certain other foods, but are not found in dandelion greens, which are found in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Want to learn more about goitrogens?
The dandelion greens I planted last spring are still growing well in my garden, despite it being late December, so today I picked a large handful and put them in this smoothie:
3 bananas
2 cups chopped dandelion greens
2 medium oranges
2 cups mangoes
Strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry garnishes
It was delicious.
And if you want to learn more about raw food plant-based nutrition, please feel free to sign up for our email list in the right column on this webpage. When you do so, you can receive our Top 12 Strategies for Long-Term Success on a Raw Food Diet eBook!
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