Arugula

• Arugula is a relative of the cruciferous family, which includes radishes, cauliflower and broccoli. Like other members of this family, it contains a number of medicinal nutrients, including cancer-fighting compounds
• Arugula contains the highest amounts of nitrates of any vegetable. Your body uses the nitrates in food as raw material to make nitric oxide, which supports healthy blood vessel function, blood pressure and mitochondrial health
• Easy to grow, arugula can be grown in your garden to maturity in about 40 days, or harvested after just a week or two of growth, when nutrients are at their peak

Arugula Is a Heart-Healthy Food

Arugula also contains about 480 milligrams (mg) of nitrates per 100-gram serving, which your body uses as raw material to make nitric oxide (NO),5 an important biological signaling molecule that supports normal endothelial function and protects your mitochondria.

Acting as a potent vasodilator, NO helps relax and widen the diameter of your blood vessels, supporting healthy blood flow and oxygenation of your tissues. It also carries away waste material and carbon dioxide. A diet high in nitrate is a natural strategy recommended for the treatment of prehypertension and hypertension6,7 (high blood pressure), and helps protect against heart attacks.

Raw beets are perhaps the most well-known for their ability to lower blood pressure (thanks to their nitrate content), but arugula actually contains the highest levels of nitrates of any vegetable. For comparison, 100 grams of whole red beets provide a mere 110 mg of nitrates to arugula’s 480 mg.8

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