Earlier this year, I had these huge leeks with lovely long green tops delivered by Riverford farm in my veg box. Often, when we buy leeks in the supermarket, the green tops have been trimmed off so I was really pleased that Riverford left them in for me to use and enjoy. Here’s a brief nutrition low-down on leeks, if you need convincing why you should include leeks, including the green parts, regularly in your diet.

Leeks belong to the allium family (along with onions and garlic) and are rich in sulphur-containing compounds and the flavonoid kaempferol, which according to studies may provide cancer-preventative benefits, by increasing the body’s antioxidant defences, fighting free radicals and preventing tumour formation among other things. In terms of polyphenols (beneficial plant chemicals found in fruit and vegetables), the total polyphenol content of leeks is higher than that of red peppers, cherry tomatoes and carrots according to The World’s Healthiest Foods.

Nutrition And Health Benefits of Leeks

Leeks are a great source of:

• Vitamin K, needed for blood clotting and for directing calcium to the bones, preventing calcification of soft tissue and blood vessels.
• Manganese, an important mineral and a part of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), which acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body, helping remove harmful free radicals.
• 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the most bioactive form of folic acid, which is crucial for an efficient methylation function. Methylation is a process involved in numerous biochemical reactions in the body, from detoxification to immune function, and from energy production to DNA repair and gene expression.
• Vitamin B6, involved in numerous biological functions, such as daily energy metabolism, i.e. converting macronutrients from food we eat to cellular energy.
• Prebiotic fibre inulin, which feeds the gut bacteria, promoting a healthy balanced gut environment. Inulin has also been shown to reduce the number of damaging VLDL cholesterol particles, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Enjoy The Greens!

The green tops of leeks are the part which contains most fibre and folate, so please don’t throw them away. The word ‘folate’ comes from Latin ‘folium’, meaning ‘leaf’, so generally, the greener or more leafy the vegetable, the more folate it contains, although naturally there are exceptions to this rule. Leek tops are great thinly sliced and sautéed in healthy fats.

Release The Goodness!

When cooking with any allium vegetables, after slicing, chopping or crushing, set them aside for 10 minutes before exposing them to heat or acidic ingredients (e.g. lemon juice or vinegar). This releases the enzyme alliinase, which creates a chemical reaction that produces the beneficial sulphur-containing compounds in these vegetables (the stinky smell in garlic for instance), before heat or acid inactivates this enzyme again.

RECIPE: Multi-Veggie Sauce

Here’s an easy veggie sauce containing leeks that you can make in advance at the weekend, to use during the week mixed in with gluten-free pasta or courgette noodles (add any protein, e.g. prawns, fish, chorizo, beans… if you wish to up the nutrient content of the meal), or served as a sauce for grilled or roasted meat or chicken or a lovely piece of fish.

Roughly chop 1 leek, 2 carrots, 1 red pepper, 1 chilli, 4 garlic cloves, 1 onion and 4 medium tomatoes, and sauté in a pan with oil until soft. Add a splash of water if the veg starts to dry out and stick to the pan. When softened, add all into a blender, add a couple of anchovies (leave out for vegetarian/vegan) and 1 tsp tomato paste and blend until soft. Add more water if too thick, and taste for seasoning. Add pepper and salt if needed. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for a couple of days, ready to be used when needed.

Enjoy!

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