Leeks are in the same family as onions, shallots, scallions, chives, and garlic.
When cooked, they seem like a giant inexperienced onion but have a much milder, fairly candy taste and a creamier texture.
Leeks are commonly cultivated, but wild varieties, consisting of the North American wild leek — also known as ramps — are gaining popularity.
Ramps are popular with foragers and pinnacle cooks because of their effective flavor, a cross among garlic, scallions, and commercially grown leeks.
All sorts of leeks are nutritious and ideal for providing various fitness advantages.
Here are ten fitness benefits of leeks and wild ramps.
1. Contain a Variety of Nutrients
Leeks are nutrient-dense, which means they may be low in calories but excessive in nutrients and minerals.
One 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of cooked leeks has only 31 energy (1).
At the same time, they’re particularly high in provitamin A carotenoids, including beta carotene. Your frame converts those carotenoids into diet A, essential for vision, immune function, replica, and cellular communique (2).
They’re also a great source of diet K1, vital for blood clotting and heart health (three).
Meanwhile, wild ramps are mainly rich in diet C, which aids immune fitness, tissue repair, iron absorption, and collagen production. In truth, they provide around twice as much nutrition C as the identical quantity of oranges (4, five).
Leeks are also an excellent supply of manganese, which may additionally assist in lessening premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms and promote thyroid health. Moreover, they provide small amounts of copper, vitamin B6, iron, and folate (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Summary
Leeks are low in energy but excessive in nutrients, specifically magnesium and vitamins A, C, and K. They boast small quantities of fiber, copper, nutrition B6, iron, and folate.
2. Packed With Beneficial Plant Compounds
Leeks are a rich source of antioxidants, especially polyphenols and sulfur compounds.
Antioxidants fight oxidation, which damages your cells and contributes to illnesses like diabetes, most cancers, and heart disease.
Leeks are a mainly first-rate supply of kaempferol, a polyphenol antioxidant thought to guard against coronary heart disorder and some types of cancer (nine, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
Likewise, they’re a splendid supply of allicin, the equally beneficial sulfur compound that gives garlic its antimicrobial, cholesterol-decreasing, and capacity anticancer houses (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
Meanwhile, wild ramps are rich in thiosulfinates and cepaenes, sulfur compounds needed for blood clotting, and concepts to protect in opposition to certain forms of cancer (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source, 16).
