CHRONIC. We don’t often think of it, and yet, on your plate, it turns out to be a precious health ally.
By Boris Hansel
Published on
Every Friday, find, on Le Point.fr, the nutrition chronicle of Pr Boris Hansel, endocrinologist and nutritionist at Bichat Hospital in Paris. He is also the host of the health channel PuMS on YouTube.
IHere’s a salad you probably don’t really think about yet is a nutritional treasure trove. It’s purslane! It is generally considered a weed. It is in fact one of the oldest vegetable plants consumed since antiquity. And we now know very well its chemical composition.
Like all salads, purslane is very rich in water. But it has something very special: it is one of the few vegetables to contain a good dose of omega 3. You know, these fats that we recommend to consume for good health. In 100 g of purslane, there are 400 mg of omega 3. This is three to four times more than what is generally found in salad!
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Purslane also provides vitamin C and beta-carotene, two essential chemical compounds that are difficult to provide in optimal amounts through food. And then it is rich in potassium: nearly 500 mg per 100 grams. It’s more than the banana, yet famous for its richness in potassium!
A received idea that circulates is the risk that we take to consume purslane when we are prone to kidney stones. It is indeed a food rich in oxalate, a chemical substance found in certain calculations of the urinary tract. In fact, if you consume enough calcium and vitamin D, the oxalate that comes from food, especially purslane, is blocked in the digestive tract and will not cause stones.
A good historical reputation
Clearly, purslane helps to fill, in a completely natural way, the lack of intake of certain micronutrients… It is much more advisable than food supplements.
What can we really expect from purslane for our health? What is certain is that it historically has a very good reputation. A number of benefits have long been attributed to it. This earned it the name of “healthy salad” by Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, gardener to Louis XI. Purslane is said to be an excellent remedy for digestive pathologies and against hemorrhoids.
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Today, there is a lack of real clinical studies to confirm the benefits of this salad. Can it really cure or prevent diseases such as diabetes, myocardial infarction or certain cancers? I cannot reliably answer this question. But what is certain is that purslane can advantageously find its place in your menus, provided you keep it well cool and eat it within two days of purchase.
It can be eaten raw, but it can also be prepared like spinach or green beans. You will find it between May and November, which leaves plenty of time to enjoy it.