Arugula Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable and one of the favorite greens for making a great salad, popular for its peppery and pungent taste.

However, arugula is also one of the healthiest vegetables, abundant with many vitamins and minerals.

It provides a high amount of vitamins K, A and C, and B9 (folate). When it comes to its mineral contents, arugula is a decent source of manganese, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and copper, and contains traces of other minerals as well.

To preserve its vitamin content, it’s advised to add eat raw arugula rather than cooking it. Besides making a refreshing salad with arugula, you can also add it to sandwiches, wraps, or pizzas.

Arugula is also highly valued due to its cancer-fighting and cancer-prevention properties, which are well studied.

Lastly, since 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of arugula contains only 25 calories, it’s an excellent choice for people trying to lose weight.

Arugula Quick Nutrition Facts

Here's a quick nutrition overview for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of arugula:

• Energy: 25 calories
• Carbs: 3.65 grams
• Sugar: 2.05 grams
• Fiber: 1.6 grams
• Protein: 2.58 grams
• Fat: 0.66 grams
• Saturated Fat: 0.086 grams

Jump to a section where you can learn more about arugula nutrition value, including macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, protein quality, and more.

Health Benefits of Arugula

Thanks to a significant amount of specific vitamins and minerals, arugula could provide several health benefits.

Continue reading to discover the potential benefits of consuming arugula.

May Support Bone Building

Vitamin K helps the body to synthesize various proteins, which are needed for the building of bones.

It works by improving the activities of a protein called osteocalcin that produces new bone tissue, thus maintaining the strength and density of the bones.

This action of vitamin K can help to reduce the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis that occur due to the decline in bone mineral density making the bones weak and porous.

Vitamin K is also important for the normal blood clotting processes to occur in the body.

It plays a critical role in the formation of proteins such as prothrombin, which is needed for the clotting of blood.

This can help to arrest bleeding in the event of injuries and accidents and reduce the risk of excessive blood loss and related complications. In newborn babies, it can prevent a serious bleeding condition known as hemorrhagic disease of the newborn.

Vitamin K can also support wound healing mechanisms, thus accelerating the recovery of patients with injuries, ulcers, and other forms of lesions.

May Reduce a Cancer Risk

Vitamin A, also called retinol, acts as an antioxidant and protects the vital organs against damage by free radicals, thus reducing the risk of cancer.

It also plays a key role in supporting the body’s natural defense mechanisms against infections. It primarily works by activating the functions of the immune system.

Vitamin A is also needed for improving vision. The deficiency of this nutrient can result in problems with eyesight, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and night blindness.

Moreover, vitamin A can also help us see in dim light.

Vitamin A can help maintain the health and structural integrity of the skin and the mucosal lining of some body organs, especially the nose.

It can help to reduce or delay the appearance of the signs of aging on the skin, such as wrinkles and fine lines, allowing you to look younger.

It also promotes growth and performs functions related to reproduction.

They May Boost the Iron Absorption

Vitamin C is essential for several critical metabolic processes occurring in the body.

It can support the process of iron absorption and play a role in infection-fighting by stimulating the activities of immune cells like lymphocytes.

Vitamin C also supports the formation of collagen in the skin and other tissues.

Collagen is a protein that forms the basic structural network of several organs in the body. The primary role of collagen is to strengthen the bones, skin, and blood vessels, thus maintaining the structural integrity of these tissues.

It can reduce or slow down the age-related degenerative changes occurring in these tissues.

Vitamin C can also help in the healing of wounds.

The deficiency of this nutrient can prevent the efficient healing of the damaged tissues, due to which the patient may suffer from chronic inflammatory damage that can lead to cancerous changes.

It can act as an antioxidant. It regulates the metabolism of oxygen in the body and reduces the release of molecular compounds known as free radicals, which can otherwise damage the cell membranes.

Vitamin C is also needed for the production of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

They May Boost the Production of DNA and RNA

Folate aids in the production of the body’s genetic material, such as DNA and RNA. It is especially important to ensure that the body is not deprived of this nutrient when tissues and organs are growing rapidly, such as during pregnancy, infancy, and adolescence.

Vitamin B9 or folate plays a key role in cellular division. It can regulate the processes involved in cell division.

This can reduce the risk of cancer that can occur due to the uninhibited division of cells resulting in the formation of a large number of cells that fail to mature completely.

Vitamin B9 plays a key role during pregnancy by regulating the replication of DNA and RNA, thereby supporting the proper growth and development of the fetus.

It can also help in the normal growth and development of children.

Vitamin B9 also works closely with other nutrients, especially vitamin B12, and helps the body make red blood cells by improving the availability of iron.