Healthy Living: Parsley has life of its own

By Sarah Blackwell

Parsley is something that not many people consider can be eaten as a salad.  The herb is usually used as a garnish, but can be eaten as its own dish, juiced and even blended in a smoothie.

Parsley is packed with nutrients like Vitamin C which can help protect against arthritis. It also contains healing compounds that act as a diuretic to help increase the flow of urine, which means it can provide relief from bladder infections.  This also can help alleviate the bloating that some women experience prior to their moon time. 

Parsley is also packed with folate, a B vitamin which produces red blood cells and may also reduce your risk for colon and cervical cancer and heart disease.

When purchasing parsley curly or flat leaf parsley look for fresh, vibrant green leaves that are not wilted or discoloured.  Do not wash parsley until you are ready to prepare it for a meal.  Store in a moist paper towel or a well-ventilated bin and keep it in the crisper drawer of your fridge.

Try adding it to regular salads until you get used to the strong flavour, and work your way up to an entire salad like the recipe below.

Parsley Salad:

½ cup of walnuts or almonds (crushed)

1 bunch of curly parsley or flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup of chopped purple onion

1 red pepper – chopped

2 celery stalks – chopped

2 tbsp hemp seeds (optional)

Shredded carrot or beet (optional)

Dressing:

½ lemon juiced

1 clove of garlic

1/3 cup of extra virigin olive oil

1 tsp of Tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or coconut aminos (soy free sauce)