Is fennel healthy | Benefits of fennel

by Abbas Jahangir · June 23, 2021

Fennel is a root vegetable that grows above the ground. The foliage can grow up to 2 meters long. Fennel has a distinct aniseed flavour. Don’t worry if you don’t like anise, cooking will reduce this. The threadlike branches of the leaves are used as a herb. And the seeds can often be found as a spice. But is fennel healthy?

10 reasons why fennel is healthy!

1. Preventing Anemia

The first reason why fennel is healthy is the presence of vegetable iron. A good level of iron is important for the production of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin in the blood is responsible for oxygen transport and is therefore very important for your energy level. You may have heard that iron from animal sources is better absorbed. But if you combine plant-based iron with vitamin C, this is also well absorbed. And fennel also contains vitamin C, which nature has again looked at cleverly.

2. Packed with Antioxidants

Fennel thus contributes to more energy thanks to its role in oxygen transport. But all energy processes also release waste products: free radicals. If you eat very unhealthy you will suffer more from it, but even those who lead a perfectly healthy lifestyle cannot escape it. In addition, free radical content increases with exposure to cosmetics, plastic, polluted air and pharmaceuticals.

Fortunately, the body has a defense strategy: antioxidants. They counteract the harmful effects of free radicals as much as possible. The best-known antioxidant is vitamin C, and fennel is full of it! 100 grams of fennel contains about 7% of the RDI.

3. Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are biological substances that have approximately the same effect as our own hormones. It is often thought that this effect is always negative, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The phytoestrogen in fennel (anethole) stimulates the production of breast milk and the production of breast tissue.
It has already been proven in animals to fight the presence of cancerous tumors.
Anethole helps the liver to excrete waste.

4. Fennel for fresh breath

How do you know fennel is healthy for your relationship? It provides fresh breath! Fennel not only has a fresh taste, it also kills the bad bacteria in the mouth. This has a double effect on fresh breath.

Fennel is used to make essential oils, which are used in mouth fresheners and toothpaste. Simply chewing on a fennel seed or a flower from the fennel plant can also help to keep your mouth fresh. And of course you can also drink fennel tea.

5. Anti-bacterial

The anti-bacterial properties not only have an effect on fresh breath. Our body contains a unique microbiome which is a collection of good, but also less good bacteria. Fennel can help the microbiome fight the bad bacteria and thus fight all kinds of infections.

6. Aids Digestion

Fennel stimulates the secretion of digestive juices. This makes it easier for nutrients to be broken down and absorbed. The substance aspartic acid has carminative properties with which you can prevent the build-up of excess gas.

Eating fennel has a calming effect on the gut. This is ideal if you have intestinal problems after eating a spicy meal.

7. Airways

Fennel can provide relief when you suffer from a cold. Both anetole and cineole have an expectorant capacity, which makes it easier to break down and drain mucus. And of course the anti-bacterial effects help to fight the infection here too.

8. Regulate Blood Pressure

The effect on blood pressure has mainly to do with potassium. Potassium mainly causes the blood vessels to widen, which reduces blood pressure.

Potassium also stimulates the oxygen supply to the brain and could thus contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer’s, MS and Parkinson’s.

9. Good for the eyes

Fennel was already used as a medicine against eye diseases in Indian and Roman history. After eating fennel root and fennel seed you could see more clearly. It has already been shown in animals to reduce glaucoma, a disease of the optic nerve.

10. Lose Weight

There are no magic bullets for weight loss, we already know that. But fennel is said to have an appetite suppressant effect, which of course makes it easier to control your portions. And like almost all vegetables, it is low in calories.

Recipes with fennel

Hopefully you are convinced that fennel is healthy. And the vegetable is also very versatile. You can eat them raw if you like the aniseed flavour. When cooking, the aniseed taste disappears, but you do lose a little vitamin C. Try one of our recipes: