The Health Benefits of Mustard Greens & Seeds

Eating a lot of vegetables and vegetable juices can help to prevent diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers, as well as many other chronic ailments.

One 2010 study found that eating just one extra serving of leafy greens a day, reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14%.

Phytochemicals found in plants have potent anti-inflammatory qualities and some even help in the detox carcinogens.

Studies have repeatedly shown that people with higher vegetable intake have:

1. Lower risks of high blood pressure and stroke

2. Lower risks of certain types of cancer

3. Reduced risk of kidney stones and bone loss

4. Higher scores on cognitive tests

5. Higher antioxidant levels

6. Lower biomarkers for oxidative stress

7. Lower risk for Alzheimer's disease4

8. Lower risk for eye diseases

9. Fewer digestive problems

The Health Benefits of Mustard Greens:

Mustard greens have been gaining popularity. They are related to cabbage, broccoli and radishes.

Like kale and collard greens, steamed mustard greens have potent cholesterol-lowering qualities, since the greens bind bile acids. Bile acids are composed of cholesterol, so this binding activity helps reduce your cholesterol level by boosting the excretion of cholesterol.

Mustard greens are also high in glucosinolate, a plant chemical that your body converts into isothiocyanates (ITCs), which have anti-cancer properties.

Steamed mustard greens also have an impressive nutritional profile, providing a 922% of your RDI for vitamin K, 96% of your vitamin A, and 47% of your vitamin C per cup. A cup is about 140 grams of greens.

Mustard Greens Also Contain:

1. Hydroxycinnamic acid, shown to inhibit human lung adenocarcinoma cells and effectively combating multiple-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also has antimalarial activity9 and much more

2. Quercetin, an important free radical fighter

3. Isorhamnetin, shown to induce apoptosis (cell death) in certain cancer cells. It may also have particular benefits for inflammatory skin conditions

4. Kaempferol, which has hypoglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects

The Health Benefits of Mustard Seeds:

Every part of the mustard plant is edible and packed with nutrients. This includes the roots, seeds and leaves. The seeds in particular have a long history of use in Chinese medicine.

Chinese medicine uses mustard seeds to treat; abscesses, bronchitis, asthma, colds, rheumatism, toothaches, aches and pains, bladder inflammation, ulcers and various gastrointestinal ailments. They often form a mustard plaster or poultice, which is applied topically. Mustard was also used in baths to alleviate inflammation, as it helps increase blood flow.

Mustard seeds are also used to make the condiment you recognize as "mustard". Mustard is a good source of phosphorous, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium and manganese.

Here's a basic mustard recipe by Paleo Leap, which can be tweaked based on your own taste preferences by adding other seasonings and herbs to it.

Basic Homemade Mustard Recipe:

1/2 cup mustard powder

1/2 cup water

Use sea salt to taste (I prefer Himalayan Sea Salt because of its 84 minerals and trace minerals)

Optional: fresh parsley, chopped

Optional: fresh basil, chopped

Optional: lemon or lime zest

Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons of your choice of vinegar

In a bowl, combine mustard powder and water and mix until smooth. Add parsley, basil, lemon or lime zest and/or vinegar, if using. Let the mustard rest for 15 minutes before using.

You can also find a lot of great recipes on the Paleo Leap website - https://paleoleap.com/paleo-di...

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