Arugula
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
Arugula's spicy taste and its vitamin K, calcium, and nitrates all come from the same peppery plant compounds.
Stage by stage
- Chew & Crush (Mouth): Chewing ruptures arugula's leaf cells, releasing the enzyme myrosinase that turns glucosinolates into arugula's signature peppery isothiocyanates, while mouth bacteria start converting dietary nitrate to nitrite.
- Acid Bath (Stomach): Stomach acid converts some swallowed nitrite into nitric oxide and helps free up plant-bound calcium and carotenoids from the leaf.
- Absorb & Package (Small Intestine): In the small intestine, fat-soluble vitamin K, calcium, and the remaining plant compounds are absorbed, aided by any dietary fat eaten alongside the greens.
- Vessels Relax (Blood Vessels): Vitamin K reaches the liver to help activate blood-clotting proteins and reaches bone tissue to support calcium use, while nitric oxide relaxes blood vessel walls and can modestly ease blood pressure.
Timing
Vitamin K1 is fat-soluble, so eating arugula alongside even a small amount of fat, such as olive oil, improves how much of it your body absorbs.
Time to effect
- Hours to weeks: Dietary nitrate can raise nitric oxide levels and modestly relax blood vessels within a few hours, while vitamin K's effects on blood clotting proteins and bone health build up with days to weeks of consistent intake.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 22 kcal per 100 g that is 1.1 kg of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 21.7
- Protein: 3.3g
- Carbohydrate: 0.3g
- of which sugars: 0.3g
- Fat: 0.3g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 2.4g
- Sodium: 47mg
Food vs. supplement
Raw arugula delivers vitamin K, calcium, and dietary nitrate together with fiber and plant compounds; an isolated vitamin K supplement misses the nitrate and glucosinolate compounds that come from eating the whole leaf.
Kitchen tip
Add raw arugula and a drizzle of olive oil right before eating; heat above about 70°C inactivates the enzyme that unlocks its peppery, health-linked plant compounds.
Common myth
"Arugula's bitter, peppery taste means it's an irritant or bad for digestion." In reality: The peppery bite comes from glucosinolate-derived isothiocyanates, the same plant compounds linked to arugula's benefits, not a sign of harm; arugula is in fact one of the more bioavailable, lower-oxalate sources of dietary calcium among leafy greens, and its very high vitamin K content makes consistent (not necessarily avoided) intake important for anyone on warfarin.
Recipes that use it
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