Rocket (Arugula)

Portion: 100g of pure goodness for 5-6 salads or smoothies

Taste: Rocket microgreens are mild compared to the mature herb. they have a subtly sweet, tangy, and peppery flavour.

General Nutrition: The popularity of Rocket microgreens has as much to do with its health benefits as it has with its taste. Rocket is another powerhouse microgreen. Although it is packed with vitamins, it is within its bioactive compounds that its real benefits are found – benefits that are quite unique. A 100g helping contains 133% RDA of Vitamin K, 127% Vitamin E, 51% of Vitamin C, and 26% of Vitamin A. Their mineral content is not as rich with on average 10% RDA of iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium respectively. In addition, Rocket microgreens contain 90% RDA of Lutein which is a carotenoid that helps to protect the eye from damage caused by harmful light which may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Bioactive Compounds: Besides high levels of glucosinolates and phenolics typical of Brassicaceae microgreens, Rocket has three additional powerful health benefits worth noting. Rocket, contains more than 300 mg of nitrate per 100 grams. It has been shown that high intakes of dietary nitrate lower blood pressure, reduce the amount of oxygen required during exercise, and improve athletic performance. “Ingestion of nitrate from beetroot juice, rocket salad beverage, and spinach beverage lowers blood pressure to a greater extent than ingestion of the same amount of nitrate provided as sodium nitrate. These findings imply that nitrate-rich vegetables can be used as dietary nitrate supplements” Nitrate-Rich Vegetables Increase Plasma Nitrate and Nitrite Concentrations and Lower Blood Pressure in Healthy Adults. Article in Journal of Nutrition April 2016

In addition, Rocket microgreens contain an "antioxidant known as alpha-lipoic acid which has been shown to lower glucose levels, increase insulin sensitivity, and prevent oxidative stress-induced changes in patients with diabetes. Studies on alpha-lipoic acid have also shown reductions in peripheral and autonomic nerve damage in diabetics”. Arugula (Rocket): A healthy leafy vegetable. Kumari Shubha, Anirban Mukherjee, Manisha Tamta and Tanmay Kumar Koley, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna

"Sulforaphane, as the main breakdown products of Glucosinolates , has been widely studied in the field of medicine and it has been confirmed that it has impressive cancer chemoprevention, neuroprotective, anti-diabetes, and anti-inflammatory effects." - Bioactive compounds in cruciferous sprouts and microgreens and the effects of sulfur nutrition. Wenjing Zeng, Jing Yang, Yong He and Zhujun Zhu

"The potential health advantages of dietary polyphenols have been outlined in several studies, including antioxidant activity, neutralization of metal ions, prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, management of diabetes and obesity, and anti-inflammatory effects." - Bioactive compounds in cruciferous sprouts and microgreens and the effects of sulfur nutrition. Wenjing Zeng, Jing Yang, Yong He and Zhujun Zhu