The Nutrient Charts

The nutrients I report here are limited to those that North Americans have a difficult time obtaining in typical diets without fortification (nutrients added to processed foods) or supplementation (nutrients put into pills). Don’t put too much stock in these exact values. What you see on my charts are often averages of widely different values.

Factors that might cause variation in these values are the richness or lack of minerals in the soil, the age of leaves at time of harvest, whether the analyses include only leaves or tender leafy stems, and whether the study plants were foraged or grown in greenhouses. Rarely are these details reported in the scientific literature. Sometimes, as you might note in my chart, researchers don’t even specify the actual species used, only the genus. Much more research needs to be done regarding the nutrient content of wild foods.

Many of the values given for cultivated plants may no longer be the same variants as you eat today or even contain the same amounts of minerals as displayed in the chart or discussed here. Another problem with this listing is that many wild foods have never been analyzed, so no values exist at all. Green amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus) and a few domesticated plants not covered in this book are included in my charts for comparison purposes. The numbers given are USDA values or are averages of values I found in the scientific literature.

Nutrient Values in 100 grams of Wild Greens

Values are italics if larger than the largest value from the Common Domesticated Greens chart.

Values are bold if larger than or equal to the top three Common Domesticated Greens.

Compiled by John Kallas, Ph.D. © 2008 Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants & Other Foragables wildfoodadventures.com

Key to Abbreviations:

Fiber = Dietary fiber

Om3 = Omega-3 Fatty Acids (milligrams) Alpha Linolenic Acid

RAE = Retinol Activity Equivalents (micrograms). Vitamin A

B-Car = B-Carotene (micrograms)

Eα = Alpha tocopherol (milligrams). Vitamin E

C = Vitamin C (milligrams)

Ribo = Riboflavin (milligrams)

Fol = Folic Acid (micrograms)

Ca = Calcium (milligrams)

Fe = Iron (milligrams)

Zn = Zinc (milligrams)

Cu = Copper (milligrams)

Mn = Manganese (milligrams)

Se = Selenium (micrograms)

spp = Indicates that the exact species analyzed was not specified; only the Genus is known.

Details, details, details...

Nutrient Values in 100 grams of Common Domesticated Greens

Highest values in each category are in italics.

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference http://riley.nal.usda.gov/N DL/index.html Greens only, Raw Edible Portion, Fresh Weight

Key to Abbreviations:

Fiber = Dietary fiber

0m3 = Omega 3 Fatty Acids (milligrams) Alpha Linolenic Acid

RAE = Retinol Activity Equivalents (micrograms). Vitamin A

B Car = B Carotene (micrograms)

EQ = Alpha tocopherol (milligrams). Vitamin E

C = Vitamin C (milligrams)

Ribo = Riboflavin (milligrams)

Fol = Folic Acid (micrograms)

Ca = Calcium (milligrams)

Fe = Iron (milligrams)

Zn = Zinc (milligrams)

Cu = Copper (milligrams)

Mn = Manganese (milligrams)

Se = Selenium (micrograms)

Nutrient Chart References

Nutrient Data

Following are brief summaries of what each nutrient can do for you. Under each one, I list some plants that contain good amounts of those nutrients. Wild plants such as fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and wild carrot (Daucus carota) are not covered in this book but are included in some of the lists below.

Dietary fiber

Fiber, while not really thought of as a nutrient, is an important part of a healthy digestive process and disease prevention. Dietary fiber represents a set of indigestible plant components. These include starches, inulin (not insulin), waxes, pectins, and other materials. Most do a combination of things such as absorbing water to keep the food mass soft so it can easily travel through the gastrointestinal tract. Other fibers can help stabilize glucose levels, increase good intestinal bacteria, and inhibit digestive tract inflammation. This, in turn, helps prevent type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal disorders. The plant with the most fiber is garlic mustard at 5.38 grams per 100 grams of plant material. That is followed by wild spinach, collard greens, spiny sow thistle, and dandelion. Four of the top five leafy sources of fiber are wild in origin.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Fat in the diet is made up of a variety of fatty acids. Each one has a different impact on the body. Omega-3s are considered essential fatty acids due to their roles in growth and maintenance regarding skin, eyes, and the nervous system. There are two classes of essential fatty acids: omega-6s and omega-3s. The body uses them in balance. We generally need a higher proportion of linolenic acid (one of the omega 3s) than we are getting in typical Western diets. Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be anti-inflammatory, to promote the body’s good cholesterol (HDL), and to decrease triglycerides. Purslane has more omega-3 fatty acids than any green ever analyzed, just under 400 milligrams per 100 grams of fresh greens. All the following plants are great sources of omega-3s for leafy greens: spiny sow thistle, shepherd’s purse, sow thistle, and kale. Four of the top five leafy sources of omega-3s (linolenic acid) are wild in origin.

Vitamin A (RAE)

Vitamin A is important for vision; for maintaining the skin, all mucous membranes, the lining of the digestive tract; and for proper bone growth. In terms of RAE (Retinol Activity Equivalency, an international measure of Vitamin A), garlic mustard has the most at 1,029 micrograms per 100 grams of fresh greens. That is followed by broccoli leaves, kale, curly dock, and turnip leaves. Many of the greens in these charts have high amounts of RAE. Two out of the top five leafy sources of RAE are wild in origin.

Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene has beneficial properties of its own. It is considered to be a strong antioxidant, may provide protection against several types of cancer, and may enhance immune function. Beta-carotene is a precursor of vitamin A and is the only source of vitamin A that plants produce. So beta-carotene is found in direct proportion to RAE in my charts. As with RAE, beta-carotene is found in greatest quantity in garlic mustard, then broccoli leaves, kale, curly dock, and turnip leaves.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol is considered a powerful antioxidant. In this role, it helps to stabilize cell membranes; to protect the lungs against environmental damage; to inhibit tumor growth; to protect the eyes, skin, liver, breasts, and other organs from damage; and to aid in maintaining the biological integrity of vitamin A. This is where wild foods shine. Purslane, at 13 milligrams per 100 grams of leaves, has almost four times the amount found in dandelions, the next highest leafy source. This is closely followed by turnip greens, collard greens, and spinach. Two out of the top five leafy sources of vitamin E are wild.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an important antioxidant. It helps support vitamin E, folacin, and iron; plays a major role in collagen formation in skin, tendons, scar tissue, bones, and teeth; is important in amino acid metabolism and hormone synthesis; and helps to manage cholesterol. Here, the top four plants are wild foods, starting with garlic mustard at 261 milligrams per 100 grams of leafy material. This is closely followed by wintercress buds, green amaranth, and wintercress leaves. These are all very high values, since the daily recommendation is only 75–90mg for adults.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is important for energy production, fatty acid synthesis, amino acid synthesis, and growth in general. Wild spinach is the highest source of riboflavin at .37 milligrams per 100 grams of leafy material. This is followed by dandelion, cultivated spinach, amaranth spp, kale, and collards. Three of the top six leafy sources of riboflavin are wild.

Folacin

Folacin, also known as folic acid, is vital for amino acid metabolism, for DNA formation, and for the manufacture of neurotransmitters. It was one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in humans until they started fortifying grains. The top four leafy sources of folacin are from cultivated plants. Starting with turnip greens and spinach at 194 micrograms per 100 grams of leafy material, the next in line are cultivated mustard and collard greens.

Calcium (Ca)

Calcium is most important for bone development and maintenance, nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and blood clotting. The top five leafy sources of calcium are wild. Wild carrot leaves are the highest source by far at 450mg per 100 grams of fresh material. They are not on this chart but are worth listing because they are so high in calcium. That is followed by green amaranth, wild spinach, shepherd’s purse, and garlic mustard. Wild carrot (Daucus carota) is in the same family as poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), so keep away from carrot unless you really know what you are doing. The availability of minerals to humans is complicated by the presence of oxalates. Oxalates can bind with calcium in the digestive tract, making that bound calcium unavailable for absorption. Plants with high oxalates include spinach, wild spinach, rhubarb, French sorrel, sheep sorrel, dock, purslane, and wood sorrel, among others. The more oxalates present, the less minerals available while consuming that food.

Iron (Fe)

Iron is primarily used in hemoglobin and is involved in enzymatic activity. Iron is the key for oxygen being supplied to the cells. The top seven leafy sources of iron are wild greens. The highest source by far is wood sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) at 8 milligrams per 100 grams of fresh greens. The next six are green amaranth, shepherd’s purse, garlic mustard, dandelion, chickweed, and spiny sow thistle. Iron from plants is poorly absorbed.

Zinc (Zn)

Zinc is a cofactor for over twenty enzymatic reactions, which include alcohol detoxification, bone metabolism, dietary protein digestion, and energy production. Zinc also works as an antioxidant. The top seven leafy sources of zinc are wild foods. Garlic mustard has the most at .91 milligrams per 100 grams of leafy material. That is followed by amaranth spp, spiny sow thistle, sow thistle, wild spinach, chickweed, and shepherd’s purse.

Copper (Cu)

Copper acts as a cofactor for enzymes, serves as a catalyst in the synthesis of hemoglobin, influences iron absorption and movement, is considered an antioxidant, is involved in energy production, and aids the synthesis of protective coverings around nerve fibers. Turnip greens have the highest amount at .35 milligrams per 100 grams of leafy material. This is followed by spiny sow thistle, sow thistle, kale, and wild spinach. Three out of the top five leafy sources of copper are wild.

Manganese (Mn)

Manganese is involved in protein digestion and synthesis, collagen formation, carbohydrate metabolism, bone development, and a variety of other things. Manganese is also thought to be an antioxidant. Sow thistle is a great source at 1,200 milligrams per 100 grams of leafy material. This is closely followed by wild spinach, garlic mustard, spinach, and shepherd’s purse. Four of the top five leafy sources of manganese are wild.

Selenium (Se)

Selenium is a strong antioxidant and a component of amino acid metabolism, helps detoxify heavy metals, and aids fetal development. While selenium content in plants is strongly a function of the selenium content of the soil, the highest source is apparently broccoli leaves at three micrograms per 100 grams of leafy material. This is two or three times that found in collards, turnip greens, spinach, and most of the wild foods listed.

What should you take from this?

First, wild foods have some significant nutrients to offer, particularly ones difficult to get in the typical Western diet. Wild leafy greens with the highest nutrient densities include garlic mustard, wild spinach, dandelion, spiny and regular sow thistle. Wintercress, sheep sorrel, wood sorrel, and cat’s ear leaves have so little data representing them that evaluating their nutrient density is impossible at this point.

And a final note for emphasis: Nutrient data on wild foods is rare. What exists is often incomplete, which makes it all the more remarkable that our most nutrient-dense domesticated greens have been bested (for lack of a better term) in many respects by only a small sample of the thousands of North American wild foods available. Again, the point is not to say that wild greens are better, only that they offer additional nutritious variety that could help the modern diet in substantial ways.

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are organic compounds found in plants. Plants are filled with phytochemicals. Determining which of them have roles in human health is a big area of investigation today. Plants clearly have been shown to contain nutrient, medicinal, and poisonous phytochemicals. So there is no doubt that phytochemicals can have an impact on health. The big question of the new crop of phytochemicals is which will be shown to have clear benefits to human health and which will clearly deserve the term phytonutrient?

Researchers today genuinely believe that phytochemicals are one of the reasonable answers to why fruits and vegetables are so good for you, why certain diets and lifestyles have less heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. The study of phytochemicals, however, is in its infancy. There are so many chemicals and the human body is so complex, it is not surprising that we do not know very much yet.

Phytochemicals might serve as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and general metabolites that facilitate health and long life (longevity). Like conventional nutrients, phytochemicals tend to be more prevalent in plants with deep colors of green, yellow, red, and orange.

Some of the most discussed phytochemicals today are resveratrol, found in the skins of grapes and in Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum); carotenoids, found mostly in vegetables; and flavonoids, found mostly in fruits and nuts. But don’t get caught up focusing on individual phytochemicals. If you want improved quality of life and perhaps a longer life, you might want to shift your diet by eating more and diverse fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. They can only be good for you. Below is a listing of general classes of phytochemicals that have been identified in plants. Phytochemicals are often referred to as phytonutrients in both the scientific and lay literature. What follows each listing are some of the theorized metabolic functions and edible wild plants that are known to contain them:

So if this is more than you wanted to hear, just know that fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens are good for you because of the nutrients, phytochemicals, and fiber they contribute to the diet.

In Summary

Here are the things you should take away from this chapter:

Eating lots of diverse greens and vegetables can help provide you with a wide array of nutrients and phytochemicals. Wild greens are a fine addition to any North American diet.