I remember questioning my mom at a restaurant when I was a kid about the curious green sprig at the side of my plate. "It's parsley, dear. It's just there for decoration." This struck me as odd at the time. Why would anyone bother sticking a little green sprig on your plate if you weren't expected to eat it? If it's just decorative, why not use something prettier, like flowers or nice berries?

I don't know where the tradition of putting parsley on the plate came from, but I have a feeling it was originally intended to be chewed lightly and eaten at the end of the meal. At some point we decided it was just a decoration, but I think our ancestors knew that this little sprig did a lot more than just look pretty.



At the very least, I imagine they knew it was a natural breath freshener. An excellent source of chlorophyll, the substance that makes greens green, it is this substance that kills odours left in the mouth from the meal just consumed. They may have even known that parsley is useful as a digestive aid. Ending the meal with a bitter flavour, as with parsley and other bitter greens, encourages digestion unlike our tradition of ending a meal with sweet which is more likely to lead to digestive distress. Parsley is also used as a blood purifier and a bowel stimulator.

Parsley contains vitamin A and three times as much vitamin C as oranges by weight. It also has twice as much iron as spinach. Parsley is also a good source of iodine, particularly important for thyroid function and a vital supplement for those who don't live near the sea, where iodine is plentiful. It is also a good source of both copper and manganese.

This undervalued herb contains many flavanoid phytochemicals and volatile oils that have anticarcinogen properties. One particular phytochemical known as myristicin was found to be a potent tumor inhibitor in mice. Parsley played a major role in a study published in the journal Nature in which researchers showed that vegetable consumption had a positive effect on bone density.

Parsley is valued by the Turkish as an herb to treat diabetics. Recent research has confirmed this as experiments on rats found the herb lowered blood glucose levels while raising glutathione levels, a tripeptide antioxidant that protects the cells from diabetes induced damage. It was also found that parsley extract protects against diabetes related liver toxicity.

So the next time you see that lonely sprig sitting at the side of your plate, don't just let it go in the garbage. Breath freshener, digestive aid, blood sugar stabilizer - can you really afford to let this little miracle herb go to waste? And it has a mild leafy flavour that nicely cleanses the palate. You can also use parsley in soups, stews or sauces, in tabbouleh or other salads. Flat Leaf, Italian or Curly - it doesn't really matter what variety you use. Once chopped it can be added to almost any dish, and the dish will be the better for it.

The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef, living in Toronto. You can email him with questions at dugdeep@gmail.com.

How do you feature parsley in your meals? Share your recipes below.