Rhubarb, often mistaken for a fruit, is a versatile vegetable with a tart flavor and a range of health benefits. The Rhubarb Diet has gained popularity as a natural and effective way to lose weight. This article explores the nutritional value of rhubarb, its potential for weight loss, its other health benefits, and ways to incorporate it into your diet.
Rhubarb: A Nutritional Powerhouse
Rhubarb is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with essential vitamins and minerals. Just one cup of cooked rhubarb provides 26% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, crucial for immune system function and skin health. It is also a good source of vitamin K, essential for blood clotting and bone health.
Rhubarb is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which plays a crucial role in maintaining digestive health. The high fiber content in rhubarb can help regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation. But that’s not all - the fiber in rhubarb can also help you feel fuller for longer, which can help you eat less and maintain a healthy weight.
Rhubarb is also a rich source of antioxidants, which are compounds that help protect the body against damage from harmful molecules called free radicals.
Rhubarb and Weight Loss
The Rhubarb Diet is a weight loss plan that centers around the consumption of rhubarb. Rhubarb is not only delicious, but it is also low in calories, making it an ideal food for weight loss. One cup of chopped rhubarb contains only 26 calories, which is significantly lower than many other fruits and vegetables.
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The high fiber content in rhubarb can also promote weight loss by reducing appetite and increasing feelings of fullness. Fiber slows down digestion, which means that you’ll feel fuller for longer after eating a meal that contains rhubarb. Fiber also helps regulate bowel movements and can reduce the risk of constipation, which can be a common side effect of some weight loss diets.
Rhubarb has also been shown to have a positive impact on metabolism. Studies have found that rhubarb can increase the production of adiponectin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels and boost metabolism. In addition to its effects on adiponectin, rhubarb contains compounds that can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.
Rhubarb increases metabolic rate, which is excellent for eating while trying to lose weight. Rhubarb has an effect on body fat and helps to control and reduce the effect of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
Additional Health Benefits of Rhubarb
Beyond weight loss, rhubarb offers a range of other health benefits:
Improved Digestive Health: Rhubarb has a powerful digestive and laxative effect due to the senosides found in its composition. It increases bile flow in the intestinal tract, which can promote optimal digestion. Because it improves pancreatic and liver functions, this plant can be used as a complement for the treatment of acute pancreatitis or liver diseases. The tannins in rhubarb also provide anti-diarrheal effects.
Bone Health: Rhubarb is rich in vitamin K, a vitamin that is necessary for the production of osteocalcin, and with calcium and manganese, regularly eating rhubarb may help prevent osteoporosis. The vitamin K content of rhubarb helps you maintain strong, healthy bones. Vitamin K is important for bone formation.
Heart Health: Rhubarb is rich in potassium, a mineral that helps relax blood vessels. The potassium supports proper nerve functioning and muscle contraction, including the heart. Rhubarb helps lower your bad cholesterol levels as well as your total cholesterol. Lower cholesterol levels reduce your risk for heart disease and heart attack. The vitamin K in rhubarb may also aid in preventing the calcification of blood vessels. Vitamin C promotes heart health by stopping potentially fatal plaque-induced clots from causing a heart attack or a stroke.
Cancer Prevention: Rhubarb is a natural antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, and can therefore prevent the oxidation of tissue at a cellular level. The edible part of the rhubarb plant - the stalk - contains anthocyanins, which yield its bright red color. Anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid. Rhubarb is rich in antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins (which give it its red color) and proanthocyanidins. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that eliminates water-soluble free radicals, many of which may later contribute to cancer. C also protects blood vessels by helping prevent the formation of arterial plaque via its interactions with the bad form of cholesterol (LDL).
Anti-inflammatory Properties: Rhubarb contains antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. The antioxidant compounds in rhubarb help to fight inflammation. These properties may be helpful to people with systemic inflammatory reaction syndrome. Another study found that the anti-inflammatory properties of rhubarb extract can help improve wound healing. Vitamin C gives rhubarb antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiallergenic properties.
Skin Health: The vitamin A in rhubarb may also help to fight free radicals that cause skin damage and premature aging, keeping your skin looking healthy and youthful.
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Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties: Rhubarb has antibacterial and antifungal properties that may help prevent infections. If applied topically, rhubarb prevents staph infection.
Ways to Incorporate Rhubarb into Your Diet
The Rhubarb Diet involves consuming fresh rhubarb in various forms, including smoothies, juices, and cooked dishes. You can eat rhubarb in a number of different ways, including raw, blended into a smoothie, or cooked into a rhubarb jam.
Smoothies and Juices: If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to add more rhubarb to your diet, smoothies and juices are a great option. One of the best things about rhubarb smoothies and juices is that they’re incredibly customizable. You can blend fresh rhubarb with strawberries, bananas, and other fruits for a refreshing and nutritious beverage that’s perfect for breakfast or a midday snack.
Savory Dishes: While rhubarb is often used in sweet desserts, it can also add a unique flavor to savory dishes. Rhubarb’s tart flavor pairs well with a variety of other ingredients, including chicken, pork, and fish. For a savory option, chop and add rhubarb to diced red onion, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little mustard to create a zesty sauce for your favorite fish.
Healthy Desserts: Just because you’re trying to lose weight doesn’t mean you have to give up sweets entirely. Rhubarb is a great ingredient for healthy desserts, like smoothie bowls, baked oatmeal, and fruit crisps. For example, you can make a rhubarb crisp by mixing chopped rhubarb with oats, almond flour, and a touch of honey.
Rhubarb Orange Refresher: For a refreshing drink without added sugar, try this Rhubarb Orange Refresher made with rhubarb syrup that is reminiscent of a Mexican agua fresca.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut crosswise in 1/2-inch slices, about 3/4 lb.
- 4 cups cold water
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 cup orange juice
- 4 mint sprigs, for garnish
- Sweeten to taste with agave, honey or sugar (optional)
Directions:
- In a large, stainless steel or other non-reactive saucepan, combine rhubarb and water. Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Set covered pot aside to steep for 10 minutes.
- Set large strainer over bowl. Pour contents of pot into strainer and drain liquid into bowl. Using back of wooden spoon, press very lightly on rhubarb, just to extract liquid that drains easily. Pressing too firmly will make infusion cloudy. Discard pulp. Pour liquid, about 4 cups, into jar or other container, preferably glass, and let sit until room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- To serve, measure 3 cups rhubarb infusion. Pour 1/2 cup into pitcher, add strawberries, and muddle until combined. Pour in remaining rhubarb infusion and orange juice. Divide among 4 ice-filled, tall glasses. Garnish each glass with mint sprig, if using. For single serving, in a glass, combine 1/4 cup rhubarb infusion with 2 strawberries, and then add remaining 1/2 cup infusion, 1/4 cup orange juice and ice.
- Makes 8 servings
Growing Rhubarb
Rhubarb is an interesting food because it produces fruit, but we eat only the stems. It is an easy, long-lived perennial plant and very cold hardy. Harvest it toward the end of winter through the middle of summer.
- Prepare the soil by shifting the pH to 7 if not already there. Amend the area with a generous amount of aged compost, manure or highly fertile planting mix.
- Generally, gardeners do not need more than a few plants. If you want to grow many, plant individuals 2 feet apart in rows 3 feet apart.
- Depending on time of year, you may find root crowns or potted plants. In spring, or in pots before spring, plant root crowns in soil and cover with a thin layer.
- Keep the soil moist but never waterlogged. Weed the bed as needed.
- Let the plants continue to grow through the first year without harvesting.
- In the second season, harvest the larger stems first as needed, making sure not to take all the stems from one plant. Stems are ripe when they change from green to purplish red.
- After harvesting each year in the spring, apply another layer of compost or planting mix to promote healthy rejuvenation of reserves once more.
- Common attacking insects include aphids. They are also susceptible to viruses. To deter aphids, companion plant marigolds. They attract both ladybugs and hover flies, which lay their larvae on colonies of aphids for food. They consume thousands this way. Or rinse off the aphids with a strong stream of water that does not damage the host plant. To avoid viruses, get the plant or seeds at a trustworthy nursery. Make sure there is good air circulation and do not waterlog the soil. Keep plants out of low, shady areas. Dispose of infected sections of plants immediately. If all else fails, spray with a copper- or sulfur-based treatment found at nurseries.
- Enjoy the flowers in the summer time, but do not let the plants run to seed, as this greatly reduces the following harvest.
Important Considerations
- Oxalic Acid: Rhubarb is high in calcium oxalate. While the substance is mainly in the leaves, it’s also found in the stalks. Too much calcium oxalate in your diet may lead to hyperoxaluria, which is the buildup of oxalate crystals in different organs. These crystals may also promote the formation of kidney stones and increase your risk of kidney failure.
- Warfarin Interaction: Rhubarb’s vitamin K content may also interfere with the blood-thinning medication warfarin. It can reduce the effectiveness of the medication, so be sure to talk with your doctor if you want to incorporate rhubarb into your diet.
- Leaves are Toxic: If you grow your own rhubarb, be careful to avoid the leaves, as their high levels of oxalic acid make them poisonous. At lower concentrations, this compound isn’t harmful for most people. But the amount in rhubarb leaves can cause severe vomiting and at very high levels, it could be fatal. Rhubarb poisoning can cause severe and persistent abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, internal bleeding, seizures and coma.
- It is important to note that while the Rhubarb Diet can be an effective way to lose weight, it should be followed in moderation. Consuming too much rhubarb can lead to digestive issues, such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Choosing and Storing Rhubarb
You may find fresh rhubarb in your grocery store’s produce section when the vegetable is in season, which is typically from April to June.
When choosing rhubarb, look for stalks that are firm and crisp. Avoid ones that are limp or have blemishes. Look for ones with small leaves, which indicate a younger plant, but be sure to remove the leaves before cooking or eating. Don’t cut the stalks until you’re ready to use the rhubarb, or else the vegetable may dry out. To store them, place whole stalks into a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Use them within one week. If you want to preserve your rhubarb for later use, cut it and store the pieces in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.