Artichokes: Good For The Eyes

by Spence Cooper on 09/04/09 at 4:21 pm

Award Winning Cookbook author, Martha Rose Shulman, points to the many health benefits she recently learned about artichokes. “Whenever I find bitterness in a vegetable,” says Martha, “I suspect that there are beneficial ingredients hidden within. Artichokes, for instance — although they aren’t overly bitter, the flavor has a definite edge. No surprise, then, to learn that they are a rich source of silymarin, an antioxidant thought to be the active ingredient in milk thistle, traditionally used in many cultures to treat liver, gallbladder and digestive disorders. Artichokes also are a good source of magnesium, potassium and fiber, and they contain folate and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, good for our eyes.”