Endive
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
Endive is a bitter, crunchy leaf that's surprisingly loaded with vitamin K and folate for almost no calories.
Stage by stage
- Chewing & Release (Mouth): Chewing endive's leaves ruptures plant cells and releases bitter sesquiterpene lactones that kick off saliva and gastric secretion.
- Gastric Stimulation (Stomach): In the stomach, those bitter compounds encourage digestive juices while endive's fiber begins absorbing water and slowing digestion.
- Intestinal Absorption (Small Intestine): The small intestine absorbs fat-soluble vitamin K and folate from the leaves, working best when endive is eaten alongside some dietary fat.
- Bone & Clotting Support (Liver & Bone): Vitamin K then travels to the liver to help activate blood-clotting proteins and to bone, where it supports building and maintaining strong bone tissue.
Timing
Endive's vitamin K and vitamin A are fat-soluble, so pairing it with some oil or a fat-containing meal improves absorption; because it's vitamin K-rich, people on warfarin should keep their intake of it consistent from week to week rather than skipping it or binging on it.
Time to effect
- Weeks: A single serving of endive won't move the needle, but regularly eating vitamin K-rich foods like it over several weeks can meaningfully support bone- and clotting-related markers.
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 14 kcal per 100 g that is 1.7 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: 13.9
- Protein: 1.5g
- Carbohydrate: 0.4g
- of which sugars: 0.3g
- Fat: 0.2g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 2.2g
- Sodium: 76mg
Food vs. supplement
Endive delivers vitamin K and folate together with fiber and polyphenols in one low-calorie package, rather than as the isolated, often higher-dose nutrient found in a vitamin K or folic acid supplement.
Kitchen tip
Dress endive leaves with a little olive oil or another fat source — its vitamin K and vitamin A are fat-soluble and absorb better that way.
Common myth
"Endive is just bitter, watery filler with basically no nutrition." In reality: Per 100 grams, raw endive supplies about 231 mcg of vitamin K (roughly 192% of the Daily Value) and 142 mcg of folate for only about 17 calories, making it one of the more nutrient-dense salad greens rather than empty filler.
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