Yes, it makes that dish so much more attractive but please don’t discard it! Instead start adding it as one more green in your spring mix salad. Add it to your potato salad, chicken salad and about any dish you want. Oh yes, let me tell you why!
Parsley is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C (more than in citrus fruits) and vitamin K. It’s got folate (folic acid), beta carotene, vitamin B12, chlorophyll, fluorine, calcium, iron, potassium and fiber to mention some of the most important nutrients. It also contains very powerfully healthy volatile oil components and flavonoids.
When you look to the nutritional benefits of foods, it’s very important to take into consideration the source of the nutrients listed. Synthetic (man made) chemicals produced in laboratories are not exactly the same as those found in nature and can produce different effects in the body. Some nutrients require the presence of another in order for the body to be able to absorb it, i.e. iron cannot be absorbed without vitamin C. Folate and folic acid (the synthetic version of folate) are not the same. Same with fluorine and fluoride and it takes fluorine and calcium both to create hard, strong teeth. What’s in that toothpaste you use?
With so many nutrients and anti-oxidants present, parsley helps to fight all kinds of diseases and keeps the body’s systems functioning optimally. It’s good for your heart, blood, blood vessels, liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenals and digestion. It offers protection against tumor formation in the lungs and helps to prevent rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bad breath, anemia, menstrual irregularity and helps to neutralize some carcinogens. It is somewhat anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and is good to keep your ears and sinuses clear and healthy.
Don’t think the only or best way to eat parsley is fresh. Cooking it can nearly double the vitamin K content and vitamin K is necessary for healthy bones.
Both types of parsley, Italian (flat leaf) and curly leaf, have these same benefits. The Italian parsley is less bitter and perhaps slightly more nutritious. In either case, learn to love that garnish on your plate and know you’re doing your body good when you eat it. Enjoy!